Full text of "Historical and biographical record of Los Angeles and vicinity : containing a history of the city from its earliest settlement as a Spanish pueblo to the closing year of the nineteenth century ; also containing biographies of well known citizens of the past and present"

See other formats

Gc W. l-

979.402

L882g

1277607

CEN'SAUOCSY COLUECTION

HISTORICAL AND

BIOGRAPHICAL
RECORD

LOS ANGELES and VICLNLFY

Containing a history of the City from its earliest settlement as

a Spanish Pueblo to the closing year of the

Nineteenth Century

By J. M. GUINN, A. M.

Secretary of the Historical Society of Southern California. Member of the American
Historical Association of Washington, D. C.

Also containmg biographies of well-known citizens of the
past and present

CHAPMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY

CHICAGO

1901

1277607

"Let the record be made of the men and things of to-day, lest they pass
out of memory to-morrow and are lost. Then perpetuate them not upon wood
or stone that crumble to dust, but upon paper, chronicled in picture and in
words that endure forever."— Kirkland.

"A true delineation of the smallest man and his scene of pilgrimage
through life is capable of interesting the greatest man. All men are to an
unspeakable degree brothers, each man's life a strange emblem of every man's;
and human portraits, faithfully drawn, are, of all pictures, the welcomest on
human walls."— Thomas Cari,yi.e.

HI5TOPICAL

PREFACE.

That genial humorist, Robert J. Burdette, sa3's: "Anj'bod}' can write novels; some people
can write poetry; few people can write the history of a nation; one man in a million can write the
history of a town so that anybody beside proofreaders can be hired to read it." Whether I am
" one man in a million " to write the history of a town — of this town — I leave it to the readers
of this volume to judge. I have endeavored to make it, to quote from Burdette again, not "an
advertisement of Smith's shoe shop or Brown's soap factory," but a story of a town — a story
of Los Angeles from its inception to the present time, with something about other cities and
towns in its vicinity. In writing it I have kept two objects in view, — to make that story
readable and reliable.

In my narration of historical events I have endeavored to state what, after most careful
investigation, I found to be the truth, although such a statement might destroy some beautiful
myth which has been paraded as veritable history; because a story is generally believed to be
true is not conclusive evidence that it is true. Some of the most improbable fictions that have
found a place in our local histories pass current for historical facts. The story that Fremont
built the old fort on Fort Hill and the other fiction that a Chinese wash house out at Sixteenth
street was his headquarters in 1847, are generally accepted as historical facts, yet there is not
a particle of truth in either statement.

In the preparation of the earlier portions of the historical part of this volume, Bancroft's
History of California has been freely consulted and due credit given where extracts have been
taken from that valuable work. Hittell's History of California, too, has been examined for data
and for the verification of statements derived from other sources. To both these historians,
Bancroft and Hittell, Californians owe a debt of gratitude — a debt that future generations will
more gratefully acknowledge than their own has done.

The publications of the Historical Society of Southern California (four volumes) have been
a fruitful source from which to draw historical material.

Much original historical matter relating to the Mexican era of our city's history has been
drawn from the Proceedings (1828 to 1846) of the Ayuntamiento or Municipal Council of Los
Angeles. These proceedings, written in provincial Spanish, have hitherto been inaccessible to
those not understanding that language, and consequently have been but little consulted by our
local historians. Their recent translation into English by order of the city council has made
them available for research to the English reader.

The City and County Archives from 1850 to 1900 have been examined and valuable data
culled from them. The collection of Spanish Manuscripts in possession of the Historical Society
of Southern California, some of them dating back to the first years of the century, have also
furnished valuable original material.

In the preparation of the historical sketch of Pasadena for this volume I found that
Dr. H. A. Reid, in his History of Pasadena, had harvested the field of its local history.

PREPACK.

Indeed, so thoroughly has Dr. Reid reaped the field that he has .scarcely left a .straw to the
gleaners who may come after him. Few cities can boast of so correct and so complete a hijlory
as Pasadena.

Much of the material from which the story of Los Angeles has been derived was collected
from interviews and conversations with early pioneers. Among the deceased pioneers from whom,
while living, I obtained historical data, I recall the names of the following : Col. J. J. Warner,
ex-Governor Pio Pico; Don Antonio F. Coronel, Andronica Sepulveda, Col. John O. Wheeler,
Hon. Henry Hamilton, Col. J. J. Avers, Hon. Stephen C. Fo.ster, J. R. Brierly, Dr. William
F. Edgar and J. W. Potts.

To the following named pioneers I tender my thanks for information received on various
historical topics: Henry D. Barrows, Judge B. S. Eaton, Hon. William H. Workman, E. H.
Workman, Charles M. Jenkins, Oscar Macy, Mrs. Laura Evertsen King, William W. Jenkins,
J. Frank Burns, Theodore Rimpau, J. W. Venable, Major Horace Bell, Don Eulogio de Celis,
Rev. J. Adam, V. G., J. R. Toberman, James D. Durfee, U. F. Ouinn, George W. Hazard
and Louis Roeder.

Among the many sources from which information in regard to the events and happenings
in the American period of our city's history has been drawn, none has been so bountiful in
returns as the examination of newspaper files. In the preparation of this work I have scanned
thousands of newspaper pages. The following named papers, constituting a complete file from
June 20, 1854, to November i, 1900, are a few of the many that have been searched for items
of information and records of the city's daily life : Soii^/ion Califomian, Los Angeles Star, Los
Angeles Nncs, Los Angeles Evening Express, Los Angeles Daily Herald, Los Angeles Commercial,
Los Angeles Republican, Los Angeles Daily Times, Los Angeles Tribune, Los Angeles Daily
Record, Western Graphic, The Capital, Pomona Progress, Pomona Times, Pasadena Daily News,
Pasadena Star and Downey Champion.

A list of all the books and periodicals consulted in the preparation of the historical part
of this volume would be altogether too lengthy for insertion here. To the authors from whom
I have quoted credit has been given, either in the body of the work or in foot notes.

For information on special topics I wi.sh to return my thanks to Frank Wiggins, the
efi&cient secretary of the Chamber of Commerce; Prof. Melville Dozier, of the State Normal School;
Prof. E. T. Pierce, president of the State Normal School: C. H. Hance, city clerk; T. E. Nichols,
county auditor; Prof. James A. Foshay, superintendent Los Angeles city schools; Dr. H. A. Reid,
historian of Pasadena; Hon. Walter S. Melick, editor Pasadena News; Dr. J. A. Munk; Rev.
Frank L. Ferguson, president Pomona College; Rev. Guy Wadsworth, president Occidental
College; W. R. Ream, of the Los Angeles Record; and Miss Celia Gleason, assistant librarian
of the Los Angeles Public Library.

The subject matter of the historical part of this volume has been presented by topic, a
chapter usually being devoted to some certain phase of our city's history. The topical plan, in
the author's opinion, is preferable to a chronological presentation of events for the following
reasons : First, it presents in a consecutive narrative all that has been said on some certain
topic; and second, it renders it easy for the seeker after information on any certain topic to find
what has been said, without reading over pages of matter foreign to the subject he is investigating.

The author has endeavored to present his readers with an unbiased history of the civic,
the social and the industrial life of Los Angeles — to tell the story of its evolution from a pueblo
of tule-thatched huts a hundred and twenty years ago, to the magnificent city of to-day. How
well he has succeeded his readers will judge for themselves.

J. M. GUINN.

Los Angeles, November 12, 1900.

(HISTORIAN.)

. y^Oi/2^^'<?^

CHAPTER L

SPANISH DISCOVERIES ON THE PACIFIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA.

/riDMIRAL CERVERA, just before sailing
l\ from Cape Verde Islands, on the expedition
r~l which ended in the destruction of his fleet
' ' by Admirals Sampson and Schle}' at San-
tiago de Cuba, in an address to his ofl^cers and
men, said, "Then, when I lead you to battle, have
confidence in your chiefs; and the nation whose
eye is upon you will see that Spain to-day is the
Spain of all time.'' Cervera's address was in-
tended to stimulate the courage of his men by
reference to the glorious achievements of their
nation in the past and to arouse their patriotic
impulses to emulate the daring deeds of their
heroic ancestors. His appeal no doubt touched
a responsive chord in the breasts of his men, for
whatever else the Spaniard may have let go in
the decadence of his nation there is one thing that
he has clung to with a tenacious grip, and that is
his pride of country. It requires a lively imagina-
tion to trace a resemblance between "Spain to-
day," beaten in war, torn by dissensions and
discords at home and shorn of every vestige of
her once vast colonial possessions, and the Spain
of three hundred years ago; yet Spanish pride,
no doubt, is equal to the task.

The unparalleled success of our army and navy
in our recent war with Spain has bred in us a
contempt for the Spani.sh soldier and sailor: and,
in our overmastering Anglo-Saxon conceit, we
are inclined to consider our race the conservator
of enterprise, adventure and martial valor; while
on the other hand we regard the Spanish Celt a
prototype of indolence, and as lacking in energy
and courage.

And yet there was a time when these race con-
ditions were seemingly reversed. There was a
time when "Spain to-day," moribund, dying of
political conservatism, ignorance and bigotry,
was the most energe-tic, the most enterprising and
the most adventurous nation of Europe.

A hundred years before our Pilsjrim Fathers
landed on Plymouth Rock, Spain had flourishing
colonies in America. Ei.s;hty-five years before
the first cabin was built in Jamestown, Cortes had
conquered and made tributary to the Spanish
crown the empire of Mexico — a country more

populous and many times larger than Spain her-
self Ninety years before the Dutch had planted
the germ of a settlement on Manhattan Island —
the site of the future metropolis of the new world
— Pizarro, the swineherd of Truxillo, with a
handful of adventurers, had conquered Peru, the
richest, most populous and most civilized empire
of America.

In less than fifty years after the discovery of
America by Columbus, Balboa had discovered
the Pacific Ocean; Magellan, sailing through the
straits that still bear his name and crossing the
wide Pacific, had discovered the Islands of the
Setting Sun (now the Philippines) and his ship
had circumnavigated the globe; Alvar Nunez
(better known as Cabeza de Vaca), with three
companions, the only survivors of three hundred
men Narvaez landed in Florida, after years of
wandering among the Indians, had crossed the
continent overland from the Atlantic to the
Pacific; Coronado had penetrated the interior of
the North American continent to the plains of
Kansas; Alarcon had reached the head of the
Gulf of California and sailed up the Rio Colorado;
and Cabrillo, the discoverer of Alta California,
had explored the Pacific Coast of America to the
44th parallel of North Latitude.

While the English were cautiously feeling their
way along the North Atlantic Coast of America
and taking possession of a few bays and harbors,
the Spaniards had possessed themselves of nearly
all of the South American continent and more
than one third of the North American. When
we consider the imperfect arms with which the
Spaniards made their conquests, and the lumber-
ing and unseaworthy craft in which they explored
unknown and uncharted seas, we are surprised
at their success and astonished at their enterprise
and daring.

The ships of Cabrillo were but little better than
floating tubs, square rigged, high decked, broad
bottomed— they sailed almost equally well with
broadside as with keel to the wave. Even the
boasted galleons of Spain were but little better
than caricatures of maritime architecture — huge,
clumsv, round-stemmed vessels, with sides from

HIST(1RICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the water's edge upward sloping inward, and
built up at stem and stern like castles— they
rocked and rolled their waj- across the ocean.
Nor were storms and shipwreck on unknown seas
the mariner's greatest dread nor his deadliest
enemies. That fearful scourge of the high seas,
the dreaded escorbuto, or scurvy, always made
its appearance on long voyages and sometimes
exterminated the entire ship's crew. Sebastian
Viscaino, in 1602, with three ships and two hun-
dred men, sailed out of Acapulco to explore the
Coast of California. At the end of a voyage of
eleven months the San Tomas returned with nine
men alive. Of the crew of the Tres Keys (Three
Kings) only five returned; and his flag ship, the
San Diego, lost more than half her men.

A hundred and sixty-seven years later Galvez
fitted out an expedition for the colonization of
California. He despatched the San Antonio and
the San Carlos as a complement of the land expe-
ditions under Portola and Serra. The San An-
tonio, after a pro.sperous voyage of fifty-seveu
days from Cape San Lucas, anchored in San
Diego harbor. The San Carlos, after a tedious
voyage of one hundred and ten days from La Paz,
drifted into San Diego Bay, her crew prostrated
with scurvy, not enough able-bodied men to man
a boat to reach the shore. When the plague
had run its course, of the crew of the San Carlos
one sailor and a cook were all that were alive.
The San Jose, despatched several months later
from San Jose del Cabo with mission supplies
and a double crew to supply the loss of men on
the other vessels, was never heard of after the
day of her sailing. Her fate was doubtless that
of many a gallant ship before her time. Her
crew, prostrated by the .scurvy, none able to man
the ship, not one able to wait on another, dying,
dying, day by day until all are dead — then the
vessel, a floating charnel house, tossed by the
winds and buffeted by the waves, sinks at last
into the ocean's depths and her ghastly tale of
horrors forever remains untold.

It is to the energy and adventurous spirit of
Hernan Cortes, the conqueror of Mexico, that we
owe the discovery of California at so early a period
in the age of discoveries. Scarcelj- had he com-
pleted the conquest of Mexico before he began
preparation for new conquests. The vast un-
known regions to the north and northwest of
Mexico proper held within them possibilities of
illimitable wealth and spoils. To the explora-
tion and conquest of these he bent his energies.

In 1522, but three years after his landing in
Mexico, he had established a .shipyard at Zaca-
tula, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and began
building an exploring fleet. But from the very
beginning of his enterprise "unmerciful disaster

followed him fast and followed him faster." His
warehouse at Zacatula, filled with ship-building
material, carried at great expense overland from
Vera Cruz, was burned. Shipwreck and mutiny
at sea; disasters and defeat of his forces on land;
treachery of his subordinates and jealousy of
royal officials thwarted his plans and wasted his
substance. After expending nearly a million
dollars in explorations and attempts at coloniza-
tion, disappointed, impoverished, fretted and
worried by the ingratitude of a monarch for whom
he had sacrificed so much, he died in 1547, at a
little village near Seville, in Spain.

It was through a mutiny on one of Cortes' ships
that the peninsula of California was discovered.
In 1533 Cortes had fitted out two new ships for
exploration and discoveries. On one of these,
commanded by Becerra de Mendoza, a mutiny
broke out headed by Fortuuo Ximenez, the chief
pilot. Mendoza was killed and his friends forced
to go ashore on the coast of Jalisco, where they
were abandoned. Ximenez and his mutinous
crew sailed directly away from the coast and after
being at sea for a number of days discovered what
they supposed to be an island. They landed at a
place now known as La Paz, in Lower California.
Here Ximenez and twenty of his companions were
reported to have been killed by the Indians. The
remainder of the crew navigated the ship back
to Jalisco, where they reported the discovery.
In 1535 Cortes lauded at the same port where
Ximenez had been killed. Here lie attempted to
plant a colony, but the colony scheme was a fail-
ure and the colonists returned to Mexico.

The last voyage of exploration made under the
auspices of Cortes was that of Francisco de Ulloa
in 1539-40. He sailed up the Gulf of California
to its head, skirting the coast of the main land,
then turning he sailed down the eastern shore of
the peninsula, doubled Cape San Lucas and sailed
up the Pacific Coast of Lower California to Cedros
Island, where, on account of head winds and his
provisions being nearly exhausted, he was forced
to return. His voyage proved that what hitherto
had been considered an island was a peninsula.
The name California had been applied to the pen-
insula when it was supposed to be ati island,
some time between 1535 and 1539. The name
was undoubtedly taken from an old Spanish ro-
mance, "The Sergas de Esplandian," written bj-
Ordonez de Montalvo, and published in Seville
about 1510. This novel was quite popular in the
times of Cortes and ran through several editions.
This romance describes an island "on the right
hand of the Indies, very near the Terrestrial Para-
dise, which was peopled with black women with-
out any men among them, because they were
accustomed to live after the fashion of Amazons. ' '

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

The supposition that the Indies lay at no great
distance to the left of the supposed island no
doubt suggested the fitness of the name, but who
first applied it is uncertain.

So far the explorations of the North Pacific
had not extended to what in later years was known
as Alta California. It is true Alarcon, the dis-
coverer of the Colorado River in 1540, may pos-
sibly have set foot on Californian soil, and
Melchoir Diaz later in the same year may have
done so when he led an expedition to the mouth
of the Colorado, or Buena Guia, as it was then
called^ but there were no interior boundary lines,
and the whole country around the Colorado was
called Pimeria. Alarcon had returned from his
voyage up the Gulf of California without accom-
plishing any of the objects for which he had been
sent by Viceroy Mendoza. Coronado was still
absent in search of Ouivera and the fabulous
seven cities of Cibola. Mendoza was anxious to
prosecute the search for Ouivera still further.
Pedro de Alvarado had arrived at Navidad from
Guatemala with a fleet of 12 ships and a license
from the crown for the discovery and conquest
of islands in the South Seas. Mendoza, by sharp
practice, had obtained a half interest in the pro-
jected discoveries. It was proposed before begin-

ning the voyage to the South Seas to employ
Alvarado's fleet and men in exploring the Gulf
of California and the country to the north of it,
but before the expedition was ready to sail an
insurrection broke out among the natives of
Nueva Galacia and Jalisco. Alvarado was sent
with a large part of his force to suppress it. In
an attack upon a fortified stronghold he was
killed by the insurgents. In the meantime Cor-
onado's return dispelled the myths of Ouivera
and the seven cities of Cibola; disapproved Padre
Niza's stories of their fabulous wealth and dissi-
pated Mendoza's hopes of finding a second Mex-
ico or Peru in the desolate regions of Pimeria.
The death of Alvarado had left the fleet at Navi-
dad without a commander, and Mendoza having
obtained full possession of the fleet it became
necessary for him to find something for it to do.
Five of the ships were despatched under command
of Ruy Lopez deVillalobos to the IslasdePoniente
or the Islands of the Setting Sun (on this voyage
Villalobos changed the name of these islands to
the Philippines) to establish trade with the
islanders, and two of the ships under Cabrillo
were sent to explore the northwest coast of the
mainland of North America.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER IL

THE DISCOVERY OF NUEVA OR ALTA CALIFORNIA.

3UAN RODRIGUEZ CABRILLO (generally
reputed to be a Portuguese by birth, but of
this there is no positive evidence) sailed
from Navidad, June 27, 1542, with two
ships, the San Salvador and Vitoria. On the
20th of August he reached Cabodel Engano, the
Cape of Deceit, the highest point reached by
UUoa. From there he sailed on unknown seas. On
the 28th of September he discovered "a land
locked and very good harbor," which he named
San Miguel, now supposed to be San Diego.
Leaving there, October 3 he sailed along the
coast eighteen leagues to the islands some seven
leagues from the mainland. These he named
after his ships, San Salvador and Vitoria, now
Santa Catalina and San Clemente. On the 8th
of October he crossed the channel between the
islands and the mainland and sailed into a port
which he named Bahia de Los Fumos, the Bay
of Smokes. The bay and the headlands were
shrouded in a dense cloud of smoke, hence the
name.

The Bahia de Los Fumos, or Fuegos, is now
known as the Bay of San Pedro. Sixty-seven
years before Hendrick Hudson entered the Bay
of New York, Cabrillo had dropped anchor in the
Bay of San Pedro, the future port of Los Angeles.
After sailing six leagues farther, on October 9
Cabrillo anchored in a large ensenada or bight,
which is supposed to be what is now the Bay of
Santa Monica. It is uncertain whether he landed
at either place. The next day he sailed eight
leagues to an Indian town, which he named the
Pueblo de Las Canoas (the town of canoes), this
was probably located near the present site of
San Bvienaventura. Continuing his voyage up
the coast he passed through the Santa Barbara
Channel, discovering the Islands of Santa Cruz,
Santa Rosa and San Miguel. He discovered and
entered Monterey Bay and reached the latitude
of San Francisco Bay, when he was forced by
severe storms to return to the island now known
as San Miguel, in the Santa Barbara Channel.
There he died, January 3, 1543, from the effects
of a fall, and was buried on the island.

The di.scoverer of California sleeps in an un-
known grave in the land he discovered. No
monument commemorates his virtues or his deeds.
His fellow voyagers named the island where he
was buried Juan Rodriguez after their brave com-
mander, but subsequent navigators robbed him
of even this slight honor. Bartolome Ferrelo,
his chief pilot, continued the exploration of the
coast and on March i, 1543, discovered Cape
Blanco, in the southern part of what is now
Oregon. His provisions being nearly exhausted
he was compelled to turn back. He ran down
the coast, his ships having become .separated in
a storm at San Clemente Island; they came to-
gether again at Cerros Island and both safely
reached Navidad, April 18, 1543, after an ab-
sence of nearly a year. Cabrillo' s voyage was
the last one undertaken as a private enterprise
by the Viceroys of New Spain. The law giving
licenses to subjects to make explorations and
discoveries was changed. Subsequent explora-
tions were made under the auspices of the kings
of Spain.

For nearly seventy years the Spaniards had
held undisputed sway on the Pacific Coast of
America. Their isolation had protected the
cities and towns of the coast from the plundering
raids of the buccaneers and other sea rovers.
Immunity from danger had permitted the build-
ing up of a flourishing trade along the coast and
wealth had flowed into the Spanish coffers. But
their dream of securitj- was to be rudely broken.

Francis Drake, the bravest and most daring of
the sea kings of the i6th century, had early won
wealth and fame by his successful raids in the
Spanish West Indies. When he propo.sed to fit
out an expedition against the Spanish settlements
on the Pacific, although England and Spain were
at peace with each other, he found plenty of
wealthy p.qtrons to aid him, even Queen Eliza-
beth herself taking a share in his venture. He
sailed from Plymouth, England, December 13,
7577, with five small vessels. When he reached
the Pacific Ocean by way of the Straits of Magel-
lan he bad but one — the Golden Hind— a ship of

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

one hundred tons. All the others had turned
back or been left behind. Sailing up the Coast of
South America he spread terror among the Span-
ish settlements, robbing towns and capturing
ships, until, in the quaint language of a chronicler
of the expedition, he ' 'had loaded his vessel with
a fabulous amount of fine wares from Asia,
precious stones, church ornaments, gold plate
and so mooch silver as did ballas the Goulden
Hinde." With treasure amounting to "eight
hundred, sixty sixe thousand pezos (dollars) of
silver * * * a hundred thousand pezos of gold
* * * and other things of great worth he
thought it not good to returne bj' the (Magellan)
streights * * '•' least the Spaniards should
there waite, and attend for him in great numbers
and strength whose hands, he being left but one
ship, he could not possibly escape."

B}' the first week in March, 1579, he had
reached the entrance to the Bay of Panama.
Surfeited with spoils and loaded with plunder it
became necessary for him to find as speedy a pas-
sage homeward as possible. To return by the
way he had come was to invite certain destruc-
tion. So he resolved to seek for the fabled
Straits of Aniau, which were believed to connect
the Atlantic and Pacific. Striking boldly out on
the trackless ocean he sailed more than a thou-
sand leagues northward. Encountering contrary
winds and cold weather, he gave up his search
for the straits and turning he ran down the coast
to latitude 38°, where "hee found a harborow for
his ship." He anchored in it June 17, 1579.
This harbor is now known as Drake's Bay and
is situated about half a degree north of San
Francisco under Point Reyes.

Fletcher, the chronicler of Drake's voyage, in
his narrative "The World Encompassed," says:
"The 3d day following, viz. the 21st, our ship
having receeived a leake at sea was brought to
anchor neerer the shoare that her goods being
landed she might be repaired; but for that we
were to prevent any danger that might chance
against our safety our Generall first of all landed
his men with all necessary provision to build
tents and make a fort for the defense of ourselves
and goods; and that we might under the shelter
of it with more safety (whatever should befall)
end ourbusines.se."

The ship was drawn upon the beach, careened
on its side, caulked and refitted. While the crew
were repairing the ship the natives visited them
in great numbers. From some of their actions
Drake inferred that the natives regarded himself
and his men as gods; to disabuse their minds of
such a false impression he had his chaplain,
Francis Fletcher, perform divine service accord-
ing to the English Episcopal ritual. After the

service they .sang psalms. The Indians enjoyed
the singing, but their opinion of Fletcher's ser-
mon is not known. From certain ceremonial
performances of the Indians Drake imagined that
they were olFering him the sovereignty of their
country ;he accepted the gift and took formal pos-
session of it in the name of Queen Elizabeth. He
named it New Albion "for two causes; the one in
respect of the white bankes and cliffes which ly
towardes the sea; and the other because it might
have someafiinitie with our own countrey in name
which sometimes was so called."*

After the necessary repairs to the ship were
made, "our Generall, with his company, made a
journey up into the land. ' ' "The inland we found
to be farre different from the shoare, a goodly
country and fruitful soyle, stored with many
blessings fit for the use of man; infinite was the
companyof very large and fat deere which there we
saw by thousands as we supposed in a heard."*
They saw also great numbers of small burrowing
animals which they called conies, but which were
probably ground squirrels, although the narrator
describes the animal's tail as "like the tayle of a
rat eceeding long." Before departing, Drake
caused to be set up a monument to show that he
had taken possession of the country. His monu-
ment was a post sunk in the ground to which
was nailed a brass plate engraven with the name
of the English Queen, the day and year of his
arrival and that the king and people of the coun-
try had voluntarily become vassals of the English
crown. A new sixpence was also nailed to the
post to show her highness' picture and arms.
On the 23d of July, 1579, Drake sailed away,
much to the regret of the Indians, who "took a
sorrowful farewell of us but being loathe to leave
us they presently runne to the top of the hils to
keepe us in sight as long as they could, making
fires before and behind and on each side of them
burning therein sacrifices at our departure."*

He crossed the Pacific Ocean and by way of
the Cape of Good Hope reached England Sep-
tember 26, 1580, after an absence of nearly three
years, having encompassed the world. He be-
lieved himself to be the first discoverer of the
country he called New Albion. ' 'The Spaniards, ' '
says Drake's chaplain, Fletcher, in his World
Encompassed, "never had any dealings or so
much asset a foote in this country, the utmost
of their discoveries reaching onlj' to man}- degrees
southward of this place." The English had not
3-et begun planting colonies in the new world, so
no further attention waspaid to Drake's discovery
of New Albion, and California remained a Span-
ish possession.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

SL^ty i'ears have passed since Cabrillo's visit
to California, and in all these years Spain has
made no effort to colonize it. Only the Indian
canoe has cleft the waters of its southern bays
and harbors. Far out to the westward beyond
the islands the yearly galleon from Manila,
freighted with the treasures of "Ormus and of
Ind," sailed down the coast of California to
Acapulco. These ships kept well out from the
southern coast to escape those wolves of the high
seas — the buccaneers; for, lurking near the coast
of Las Californias, these ocean robbers watched for
the white sails of the galleou, and woe to the
proud ship if they sighted her. She was chased
down by the robber pack and plundered of her
treasures. Sixty years have passed but the In-
dians of the Coast still keep alive the tradition of
bearded men floating in from the sea on the backs
of monster white winged birds, and they still
watch for the return of their strange visitors.
Sixty years pass and again the Indian watcher
by the sea discerns mysterious white winged ob-
jects floating in the waters of the bay. These
are the ships of Sebastian Viscaino's fleet. They
enter the bay now known as San Pedro and
anchor in its waters, November 26, 1602.

Whether the faulty reckoning of Cabrillo left
Viscaino in doubt of the points named by the
first discoverer or whether it was that he might
receive the credit of their discovery — Viscaino
changed the names given by Cabrillo to the
islands, bays and headlands along the coast:
San Miguel of Cabrillo became San Diego, so
named for Viscaino's flag ship; San Salvador and
La Vitoria became Santa Catalina and San
Clemente; and Cabrillo's Bahia de Los Fumos
appears on Viscaino's map as the Ensenada de
San Andres — the bight or cove of St. Andrew;
but in a description of the voyage compiled by
the cosmographer, Cabrera Bueno, it is named
San Pedro. It is not named for the apostle St.
Peter, as is generally supposed, but for St. Peter,
Bishop of Alexandria, whose day in the Catholic
calendar is November 26, the day of the month
Mscaino anchored in the bay. St. Peter, Bishop
of Alexandria, lived in the third century after
Christ. He was beheaded by order of the African
proconsul, Galerius Maximus, during the per-
secution of the Christians under the Roman
Emperor Valerian. The day of his death was
November 26, A. D. 258.

Viscaino found clouds of smoke hanging over
the headlands and bays of the coast just as
Cabrillo had sixty years before, and for centuries
preceding, no doubt, tlie same phenomenon
might have been seen in the autumn days of
each year. The .smoky condition of the at-
mosphere was caused by the Indians burning the

dry grass of the plains. The California Indian
of the coast was not like Nimrod of old, a mighty
hunter. He seldom attacked any fiercer animal
than the festive jack rabbit. Nor were liis futile
weapons always sure to bring down the fleet-
footed conejo. So, to supply his larder, he was
compelled to resort to strategy. When the sum-
mer heat had dried the long grass of the plains
and rendered it exceedingly inflammable the
hunters of the Indian villages set out on hunting
expeditious. Marking out a circle on the plains
where the dried vegetation was the thickest they
fired the grass at several points in the circle.
The fire eating inward drove the rabbits and
other small game back and forth across the nar-
rowing area until, blinded with heat and scorched
by the flames, they perished. When the flames
had subsided the Indian secured the spoils of the
chase, slaughtered and readj- cooked. The
scorched and blackened carcasses of the rabbits
might not be a tempting tit bit to an epicure, but
the Indian was not an epicure.

Viscaino sailed up the coast, following very
nearly the same route as Cabrillo. Passing
through the Santa Barbara Channel he found
many populous Indian mnc/ii-n'ns on the main-
land and the islands. The inhabitants were ex-
pert seal hunters and fishermen, and ^vere pos-
sessed of a number of large, finely constructed
canoes. From one of the villages on the coast
near Point Reyes the chief visited him on his
ship and among other inducements to remain in
the country he offered to give to each Spaniard
ten wives. \'iscaino declined the chief's prof-
fered hospitality and the wives. Viscaino's ex-
plorations did not extend further north than
those of Cabrillo and Drake. The principal ob-
ject of his explorations was to find a harbor of
refuge for the Manila galleons. These vessels
on their outward voyage to the Philippine Islands
kept within the tropics, but on their return they
sailed up the Asiatic Coast to the latitude of
Japan, where, taking advantage of the westerly
winds and the Japan current, they crossed over
to about Cape Mendocino and then ran down the
Coast of California and Mexico to Acapulco.
Viscaino, in the port he named Monterey after
Conde de Monterey, the then Viceroy of New
Spain (Mexico), claimed to have discovered the
desired harbor.

In a letter to the King of Spain written by
Viscaino from the City of Mexico May 23, 1603,
he gives a glowing description of California. As
it is the earliest known specimen of California
boom literature I transcribe a portion of it:
"Among the ports of greater consideration
which I discovered was one in thirty-seven de-
grees of latitude which I called Monterey. As I

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

wrote to Your Majesty from that port on the
2Sth of December (1602) it is all that can be de-
sired for commodiousness and as a station for
ships making the voj'age to the Philippines, sail-
ing whence they make a landfall on this coast.
This port is sheltered from all winds, while on
the immediate coast there are pines, from which
masts of any desired size can be obtained, as well as
live oaks and white oaks, rosemarj', the vine, the
rose of Alexandria, a great variet}- of game, such
as rabbits, hares, partridges and other sorts and
species found in Spain and in greater abundance
than in the Sierra Morena (Mts. of Spain) and fly-
ing birds, of kinds differing from those to be found
there. This land has a genial climate, its waters
are good, and it is very fertile, judging from the
varied and luxuriant growth of trees and plants;
for I saw some of the fruits, particularly chestnuts
and acorns, which are larger than those of Spain.
And it is thickly settled with people, whom I
found to be of gentle disposition, peaceable and
docile, and who can be brought readily within
the fold of the holy gospel and into subjection to
the Crown of Your Majest}'. Their food consists
of seeds, which they have in abundance and
variety, and of the flesh of game, such as deer,
which are larger than cows, and bear, and of
neat cattle and bisons and many other animals.
The Indians are of good stature and fair com-
plexion, the women being somewhat less in size
than the men and of pleasing countenance. The
clothing of the people of the coast lands consists
of the skins of the sea wolves (otter), abounding
there, which they tan and dress better than is
done in Castile; thej' possess also in great quan-
tity, flax like that of Castile, hemp and cotton,
from which they make fishing lines and nets for
rabbits and hares. They have vessels of pine-
wood very well made, in which they go to sea
with fourteen paddle men of a side with great
dexterity, even in very stormy weather. I was

informed bj' them and by nianj' others I met with
in great numbers along more than eight hundred
leagues of a thickly settled coast that inland
there are great communities, which they invited
me to visit with them. They manifested great
friendship for us, and a desire for intercourse; were
well aifected towards the image of Our Lady
which I showed to them, and very attentive to
the sacrifice of the mass. They worship difi'erent
idols, for an account of which I refer to said re-
port of your viceroy, and they are well acquainted
with silver and gold and said that these were
found in the interior. "

When Sebastian Viscaino took his pen in hand
to describe a country he allowed his imagination
full play. He was a veritable Munchausen for
exaggeration. Many of the plants and animals
he describes were not found in California at
the time of his visit. The natives were not
clothed in well tanned sea otter skins, but in their
own sun tanned skins, with an occasional smear
of paint to give variety to the dress nature had
provided them. The hint about the existence of
gold in California is very ingeniously thrown in
to excite the cupidity of the king. The object of
Viscaino's^boom literature of three hundred years
ago was similar to that sent out in modern times.
He was agitating a scheme for the colonization
of the country he was describing. He visited
Spain to obtain permission and means from the
king to plant colonies in California. After many
delays Philip III. ordered the Viceroy of New
Spain in 1606 to immediately fit out au expedi-
tion to be commanded by Viscaino for the occupa-
tion and settlement of the port of Monterey. Be-
fore the expedition could be gotten ready Viscaino
died and the colonization scheme died with him.
Had it not been for his untimely death the set-
tlement of California would have antedated that
of Jamestown, Virginia.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER IIL

MISSION COLONIZATION-FOUNDING OF SAN GABRIEL.

6^H E aggraudizemeiit of Spain's empire,
fQ whether bj- conquest or colonization, was
\k\ alike the work of state and church. The
^^ sword and the cross were equally the em-
blems of the conquistador (conqueror) and the
poblador (colonist). The king sent his soldiers
to conquer and hold, the church its well-trained
servants to proselyte and colonize. Spain's pol-
icy of exclusion, which prohibited foreigners
from settling in Spani.sh-Anierican countries,
retarded the growth and development of her
colonial possessions. Under a decree of Philip
II. it was death to any foreigner who should
enter the Gulf of Mexico or any of the lands bor-
dering thereon. It was — as the Kings of Spain
found to their cost — one thing to utter a decree,
but quite another to enforce it. LTnder such a
policy the only means left to Spain to hold her vast
colonial possessions was to proselyte the natives
of the countries conquered and to transform them
into citizens. This had proved effective with the
semi-civilized natives of Mexico and Peru, but
with the degraded Indians of California it was a
failure.

After the abandonment of Viscaino's coloniza-
tion scheme of 1606 a hundred and sixty-two
years passed before the Spanish crown made
another attempt to utilize its vast possessions in
Upper California. Every year of this long inter-
val the Manila' ships had sailed down the coast,
but none of them, so far as we know, with one
exception (the San Augustin was wrecked in
Sir Francis Drake's Bay), had ever entered its
bays or its harbors. Spain was no longer a first-
class power on land or sea. Those brave old sea
kings — Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher — had
destroyed her invincible Armada and burned her
ships iu her very harbors, the English and Dutch
privateers had preyed upon her commerce on the
high seas, and the buccaneers had robbed her
treasure ships and devastated her settlements 011
the islands and the Spanish main, while the
freebooters of many nations had time and again
captured her Manila galleons and ravished her
colonies on the Pacific Coast. The profligacy

and duplicity of her kings, the avarice and in-
trigues of her nobles, the atrocities and inhuman
barbarities of her holy inqui-sition had sapped the
vitalit)' of the nation and subverted the character
of her people. Although Spain had lost prestige
and her power was steadily declining she still
held to her colonial possessions. But these were
in danger. England, her old-time enemy, was
aggressive and grasping; and Russia, a nation
almost unknown when Spain was iu her prime,
was threatening her possessions on the northwest
coast of the Pacific. The scheme to provide ports
of refuge for the Manila ships on their return
voyages, which had been held in abeyance for a
hundred and sixty years, was again revived, and
to it was added the project of colonizing Califor-
nia to resist Russian aggression.

The sparsely inhabited colonial dominions of
Spain can furnish but few immigrants. Califor-
nia, to be held, must be colonized. So again
church and state act in concert for the physical
and spiritual conquest of the country. The sword
will convert where the cross fails. The natives
who prove tractable are to be instructed in the
faith and kept under control of the clergy until
they are trained for citizenship; those who resist,
the soldiers convert with the sword and the bullet.

The missions established by the Jesuits on the
peninsula of Lower California between 1697 and
1766 had, by royal decree, been given to the
Franciscans and the Jesuits expelled from all
Spanish countries To the Franciscans was en-
trusted the conversion of the gentiles of the north.
In 176S the visitador-geueral of New Spain, Jos^
de Galvez, began the preparation of an expedition
to colonize LTpper or New California. The state,
iu this colonization scheme, was represented by
Governor Gaspar de Portola, and the church by
Father Junipero Serra. Two expeditions were
to be sent by land^and two by sea. On the 9th
of January, 1769, the San Carlos was despatched
from La Paz, and the San Antonio from San
Lucas on the 15th of February. The first vessel
reached the port of San Diego in no days, and
the second in 57 days. Such were the uncertain-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ties of ocean travel before the age of steam. On
the 14th of Ma}- the first laud expedition reached
San Diego and found the San Antonio and San
Carlos anchored there. On the ist of July the
last laud expedition, with which came Governor
Portola and Father Junipero Serra, arrived.

On the 1 6th of Juh- the mission of San Diego
was founded, and thus, two hundred and twenty-
seven years after its discovery, the first effort at
the colonization of California was made.

The ravages of the scurvy had destroyed the
crew of one of the vessels and crippled that of the
other, so it was impossible to proceed by sea to
Monterey, the chief objective point of the expe-
dition. A land force, composed of seventy-five
officers and soldiers and two friars, was organized
under Governor Gaspar de Portola and on the
14th of July set out for Monterey Bay. On the
2d of August, 1769, the explorers discovered a
river which thej' named the Porciuncula (now
the Los Angeles). That night they encamped
within the present limits of the city of Los An-
geles. Their camp was named Neustra Seflora
de Los Angeles. They proceeded northward, fol-
lowing the coast, but failed to find Monterey Bay;
Viscaino's exaggerated description deceived them.
They failed to recognize in the open ensenada
his land-locked harbor. Passing on they discov-
ered the Bay of San Francisco. On their return,
in January, they came down the San Fernando
Valley, crossed the Arroyo Seco, near the present
siteof Garvanza, passed over into the San Gabriel
Valley and followed down a river they called the
San Miguel, and crossing it at the Paso de Bar-
tolo and thence by their former trail they returned
to San Diego. In 1770 Governor Portola, with
another expedition, again passed through the
Los Angeles Valley by his former route, on his
journey to Monterey. There, on the 3d of June,
1770, Father Junipero Serra, who had come by
sea from San Diego, founded the mission of San
Carlos Borromeode Monterey, the second mission
founded in California, and Portola took posses-
sion of the country in the name of the king of
Spain. The founding of new missions progressed
steadily. At the close of the century eighteen
had been founded, and a chain of these mission-
ary establishments extended from San Diego to
the Ba\' of San Francisco. The neophyte popu-
lation of these, in 1800, numbered fourteen thou-
sand souls.

The history of the founding and upbuilding of
one of these missionary establishments — San Ga-
briel Arcangel — is so intimately connected with
that of Los Angeles that I shall devote considera-
ble space to an account of its founding, its growth
and to its importance as a factor in the subsequent
settlement of the Los Angeles Valley.

On the 6th of August, 1771, from the presidio
of San Diego, a small cavalcade, consisting of
fourteen soldiers and two priest.s — Padres Cambon
and Somero — with a supply train of pack mules
and four muleteers, set forth to found a new mis-
sion. They followed the route northward taken
by Governor Portola's' expedition in 1769. It
was their intention to locate on the river Jesus of
the Earthquakes,^- now the Santa Ana, but
finding no suitable location they passed on to the
Rio San Miguel, now the San Gabriel. Here
they selected a well wooded and watered spot
near the river for the .site of the new mission.
The river San Miguel was also known as the Rio
de Los Temblores (the river of earthquakes).
Bancroft claims that the Santa Ana River, then
known as the Rio Jesus, was the real River of
Earthquakes, but both Warner and Hugo Reid
call the San Gabriel the Rio de Los Temblores.
Reid says, "The present site of the San Gabriel
Mission was not chosen until some time after a
building had been erected at the old mission,
which was to have been the principal establish-
ment. The now San Gabriel River was named
Rio de Los Temblores, and the building was
referred to as the Mission de Los Temblores.
Those names were given from the frequency of
convulsions at that time and for many years after
These convulsions were not only monthly and
weekly, but often daily. The mission brand for
marking animals was a T, with an S on the shank
like an anchor and entwined cable, to express
Temblores. Even after the new San Gabriel was
founded no other iron was ever adopted."

A stockade of poles was built around the site
selected. A church roofed with boughs and tule-
covered buildings were erected. On the 8th of
September, 1771, the mission was formally dedi-
cated with the usual ceremonies. The Indians,
who at the coming of the Spaniards were docile
and friendly, a few days after the founding of the
mission suddenly attacked two soldiers who were
guarding the horses. One of these soldiers had
outraged the wife of the chief who led the attack.
The soldier who had committed the outrage killed
the chieftain with a musket ball, and the Indians,
terrified by the discharge of firearms, fled. The
soldiers cut off the chief's head and fastened it
on a pole at the presidio gate. From all accounts
the soldiers were a worse lot of savages than the
Indians. The site selected for the planting fields
was on low ground. The river overflowed and
destroyed their crops the first year. The mission
supplies had failed to reach them, and the padres
and the garrison were reduced almost to the

*It was named bv PortoWs expetlitioti, "Rio del Dulcisimo
Nonibre de Jesus de I,os Temblores," or, the River of the sweetest
name of Jesus of the Earthquakes.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

verge of starvation. The excesses and outrageous
conduct of the soldiers kept the Indians away
from the mission. At the end of the second year
only 73 children and' adults had been baptized.
Such were the inauspicious beginnings ol what
in later years became or.e of the most powerful
and important missions of Alta Calitornia. In
the library of the Cathedral of St. \'ibiana, of
this city, is a register of the Mission San Gabriel
Arcangel, kept by Father Francisco Palou.
The record begins with October 9, 1773. In it is
given a description of the buildings at the Mis-
sion Vieja. I am indebted to llie Very Rev.
J. Adam, \'. G., for a translation of the record.
"The primitive church {oi the Mission Vieja)
was forty-five feet long by eighteen wide, built of
logs and covered with tule thatch. There was a
sacristy behind the altar."

"There was a second building, also built of
logs, forty-five feet long and seventeen and a- half
wide, roofed with tules; this house was divided
into two rooms by a door of wood."

"The third building, also of logs, was thirty-
six feet long by fifteen wide, covered with tules."

"The fourth log building, 36 feet long by 18
feet wide, was used to store seeds and grain.
This house had an earthen roof for greater pro-
tection against fire. There was also a building
15 feet square, of wood, with an earthen roof.
This room was used for a kitchen. Besides these
there were nine small wooden buildings, with
mud roofs, dwellings for the neophytes. There
were two houses of lumber built for the soldiers'
barracks. ' '

"All these buildings stood within an enclosure
60 varas square, enclosed by palisades. There
were gates to the fort, which were clo.sed at
night. Adjoining this square was the corral for
their cattle. In 1776, five years after the first
settlement, the mission was moved from its first
location to the new site. " The record states that
this was done because the new location was better
adapted for mission purposes than the former site.

The fir.st building erected at the new site was
an adobe house, 50 varas long, 6 wide and 3I2
high. It was divided into three rooms — one for
keeping seeds and stores, the second one for tools
and farming implements, and the third for the
fathers to dwell in. They also built a chapel
ten varas long and six wide, roofed with tules.
This was probably of wood. A church soon after
replaced the chapel. It was built of adobes and
roofed with tiles. Its dimensions were 108 feet
in length by 21 in width. From this account it
will be seen that the present church building at
San Gabriel is the fourth erected by the mission
fathers.

Reid says, "The new site occupied by the prin-

cipal buiklings of the mission, the vineyard and
gardens, was, at the time of the first settlement
of the country, a complete forest of oaks with
considerable underwood. The lagoon, near the
mission, on which the mill was afterwards built,
was a complete thicket formed of sycamore, Cot-
tonwood, larch, ash and willow, besides brambles,
nettles, palmacristi, wild rose and wild vines; and
on the banksof this lagoon stood the Indian town
of Sibagua, one of the largest villages in the
valley."

To clear the mission site of its forest and erect
new buildings was a slow and tedious undertak-
ing with the small and unskilled band of natives
who had been gathered into the mission fold. A
capilla, or chapel, was first built on the new site.
This stood on the north side of the square. The
stone church was built on the southeast corner of
the square. It was, no doubt, a long time in
course of erection. In 1794 the foundations had
been laid and the walls partly built. In 1800 it
was not completed. ' 'In 1S04 the walls were up
and an arched roof put on it. But cracks had
appeared in the walls: these had been repaired,
but had been opened wider than before by an
earthquake, so that the arched roof had to be
torn down, the walls repaired and a roof of wood
substituted." =•=

The first site — the Mission Vieja — was proba-
bly not entirely abandoned before the close of the
first decade after its settlement. It is probable
that from the Mission Vieja Zuniga's pobladores
came, on the morning of September 4, 1781, to
found the pueblo of Los Angeles. On account
of smallpox among them at the time of their
arrival in the country they had been quarantined
at some distance from the mission.

The chief historic interest that clusters around
the Mission Vieja is the fact that it is the spot
where the first settlement by white men was made
in the Los Angeles Valley; the place where the
first church was built, the first dwelling erected,
the first Indian convert baptized and the first
land cultivated.

The spot where the first germ of civilization
was planted in our valley is a forgotten landmark.
The adobe ruins on the Garvey Rancho, pointed
out to visitors as the foundations of the old
church, Stephen C. Foster informed me, are the
debris of buildings built after he came to the
country. The buildings of the Mission Vieja
were ail of wood. There is a secondary historic
interest that attaches to San Gabriel Mission that
makes it, from an ethnological standpoint, the
most interesting of any in the system. Within
this mission, under the rule of Zalvadea, the
ethnic or race problem of the evolution of a civ-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ilized, self-supporting man from the rude Ijurba-
rian came the nearest to being worked out to a
successful solution. Under his rule San Gabriel
became the most perfect t\pe of the niissionar}-
establishments of Alta California and the best
illustration of what the nnssion system under the
most favorable circumstance could and did ac-
complish for the Indian.

Padre Zalvadea came to the mission in 1806
and was removed to Capistrano in 1826. He was
a clerical Napoleon — a man born to rule in anj'
sphere of life into which he might be thrown.
Hugo Reid says, "He possessed a powerful mind,
which was as ambitious as it was powerful, and
as cruel as it was ambitious. He remodeled the
general system of government at the mission,
putting everything in order and placing every
person in his proper station. Everything under
him was organized and that organization kept up
with the lash."

"Theneophytes were taught trades; there were
soap makers, tanners, shoemakers, carpenters,
blacksmiths, bakers, fishermen, brick and tile
makers, cart makers, weavers, deer hunters, sad-
dle makers, shepherds and vaqueros. Large soap
works were erected, tannery yards established,
tallow works,, cooper, black.smith, carpenter and
other shops, all in operation. Large spinning
rooms, where might be seen 50 or 60 women turn-
ing their spindles merrily; and there were looms
for weaving wool, cotton and flax. Storehouses
filled with grain, and warehouses of manufactured
products testified to the industry of the Indians."

The Mission San Gabriel became the large.st
manufacturing center in California. Zalvadea in
a short time mastered the language of the natives
and preached to them every Sunday in their own
tongue. He looked closely after their morals
and instilled industry into them with the lash.
Reid says, "He seemed to consider whipping as
meat and drink to them, for they had it night
and morning." The mission furni.shed besides
its own workmen laborers for the rancheros and
the pueblo of Los Angeles. The old Church of
our Lady of the Angeles was built by neophyte
laborers and mechanics from the mission, hired
out at the compensation of one real (12^2 cents)
a da)-.

It would seem, from the industrial training the
natives had received through the three genera-
tions that came on the stage of action in mission
life between 1771 and 1S26, thatthey might have
become self-dependent and self supporting ; that
they might have become capable of self-govern-
ment and fitted for citizenship under Spain, which
was the purpose for which the missions were estab-
lished; and yet we find them, in little more than
a decade from the time when Zalvadea had raised
this mission to such industrial eminence, helpless
and incapable — the serf and the slave of the
white man, or savage renegades in the mountains.

The causes that brought about the seculariza-
tion of the missions, the defects in the mission
system, and the decline and fall of the neophyte
will be di-scussed in a subsequent chapter.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER IV,

THE INDIANS OF THE LOS ANGELES VALLEY.

<^0 THEORIZE upon the origin of the Cali-
f Q fornia Indians would be as unprofitable as
I g\ to attempt the solution of the ethnological
^^ problem of why, living in a countrj- wUh a
genial climate, a productive soil and all the requi-
sites uecessary to develop a superior race, the
aborigines of California should have been among
the most degraded specimens of the North
American Indians.

In 1542, when Cabrillo sailed along the coast
of California, he found villages of half-naked sav-
ages subsisting by fishing and on the natural
products of the soil. Two hundred and twenty-
seven years later, when Portola led his expedi-
tion from San Diego to Monterey, he found the
natives existing under the same conditions. Two
centuries had wrought no change in them for the
better; nor is it probable that ten centuries would
have made any material improvement in their
condition. They seemed incapable of evolution.

The Indians of the interior valleys and those
of the coast belonged to the same general family.
There were no great tribal divisions like those
that existed among the Indians east of the Rocky
Mountains. Each ranchcria was to a certain
extent independent of all others, although at
times they were known to combine for war or
plunder. Although not warlike, they sometimes
resisted the whites in battle with bravery and
intelligence.

Each village had its own territory in which to
hunt and fish and its own section in which to
gather nuts, seeds and herbs. While their mode
of living was somewhat nomadic, they seem to
have had a fixed location for their rancherias.
Some of these rancherias, or towns, were quite
large. Hugo Reid places the number of their
towns within the limits of what is now Los
Angeles County at forty. "Their huts," he
says, "were made of sticks covered in around
with flag mats worked or plaited, and each village
generally contained from 500 to 1,500 huts.
Suanga (near what is now the site of Wilming-
ton) was the largest and most populous village,
being of great extent." If these huts were all

occupied by families Reid's estimate of the size of
the Indian towns is evidently too large. Por-
tola's expedition found no very populous towns
when it passed through this section in 1769.

The Indian village of Yang na was located
within the present limits of Los Angeles City.
It was a large town, as Indian towns go. Its
location was between what is now Aliso and First
Street, in the neighborhood of Alameda Street.
Father Crespi, one of the two Franciscan friars
who accompanied Portold's expedition, in his
diary thus describes the first meeting of the white
men and the Indian inhabitants of Yang-na:
"Immediately at our arrival about eight Indians
came to visit us from a large ranchcria situated
pleasantly among the woods on the river's bank.
The gentiles made us jiresents of trays heaped
with pinales, chia* and other herbs. The captain
carried a string of shell beads and they threw us
three handfuls. Some of the old men smoked
from well-made clay bowls, blowing three times,
smoke in our faces. We gave them some tobacco
and a few beads and they retired well satisfied."

On the evening of August 2, the expedition had
encamped on the east side of the river near the
point where the Downey Avenue bridge now
crosses it.

Father Crespi continues, "Thursday (August
3, 1769), at half past six, we set out and forded
the Porciuncula River, where it leaves the mount-
ains to enter the plain." (This would be about
where the Buena Vista Street bridge now spans
the river.) "After crossing the river we found
ourselves in a vineyard among wild grape vines
and numerous rose bushes in full bloom. The
ground is of a rich, black, clayish soil, and will
produce whatever kind of grain one may desire
to cultivate. We kept on our road to the west,
passing over like excellent pastures. After one-
half league's march we approached the ranchcria

• Chi.n, which Falher Crespi frequeiUly mentions in his diary,
is a small, grpy. oblonp seed, proctired from a plant having a num-
ber of seed vessels on a straight stalk, one above another, like wild
saae This, roasted and ground into meal, was eaten with cdd
w.iter. being of a g'utinons citisistency and very cooling. It was
:i f.ivorite article of food with the Indians.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of this locality. Its Indians came out to meet us
howling like waives. We also greeted them, and
they wanted to make us a gift of seeds, but not
having at hand wherein to carry it we did not
accept their present. The Gentiles, seeing our
refusal, threw a few handfuls on the ground and
scattered the rest to the winds."

The aborigines of Los Angeles seem to have
been a hospitable race. From their throwing
away their gifts when the Spaniards refused them
it would seem that it was a violation of the rules
of Indian etiquette to take back a present.
Throughout their march Portola's explorers were
treated hospitably by the savages. The Indians
lived to regret their kindness to the Spaniards.

After the founding of San Gabriel the Indian
dwellers of Yang-na were gathered into the
mission fold, and no doubt many a time they
howled louder under the lash of the Mission
Mayordomos than they did when with their tribal
yell they welcomed the Spaniards to their
rancheria in the woods by the river called
Porciuncula.

Hugo Reid, in the series of letters referred to
in a previous chapter of this volume, has left us
an account of the mode of life, the religion, the
manners, customs, myths and traditions of the
aborigines who once inhabited what is now Los
Angeles County. From these letters I briefly
collate some of the leading characteristics of these
Indians.

GOVERNMENT.

"Before the Indians belonging to the greater
part of this county were known to the whites
they comprised, as it were, one great family
under distinct chiefs; they spoke nearly the same
language, with the exception of a few words, and
were more to be distinguished by a local into-
nation of the voice than anything else. Being
related by blood and marriage, war was never
carried on between them. When war was conse-
quently waged against neighboring tribes of no
affinity it was a common cause. •'• '■- *

"The government of the people was invested in
the hands of their chiefs, each captain command-
ing his own lodge. The command was heredi-
tary in a family. If the right line of descent ran
out they elected one of the same kin nearest in
blood. Laws in general were made as required,
with some few standing ones. Robbery was
never known among them. Murder was of rare
occurrence and punished with death. Incest wa.s
likewise punished with death, being held in such
abhorrence that marriages between kinsfolk were
not allowed. The manner of putting to death
was hy shooting the delinquent with arrows. If
a quarrel ensued between two parlies the chief

of the lodge took cognizance in the case and de-
cided according to the testimony produced. But
if a quarrel occurred between parties of distinct
lodges, each chief heard the witnesses produced
by his own people, and then, associated with the
chief of the opposite side, they passed sentence.
In case they could not agree an impartial chief
was called in, who heard the statements made by
both and he alone decided. There was no appeal
from his decision. Whipping was never resorted
to as a punishment. AH fines and sentences
consisted in delivering shell money, food and
skins."

RELIGION.

"They believed in one God, the Maker and
Creator of all things, whose name was and is held
so sacred among them as hardly ever to be used,
and when used only in a low voice. That name
is Qua-o-ar. When they have to use the name
of the Supreme Being on an ordinary occasion
they substitute in its stead the word Y-yoha-
ring-naiii, or 'the Giver of Life.' They have
only one word to designate life and soul."

' 'The world was at one time in a state of chaos,
until God gave it its present formation, fixing it
on the shoulders of seven giants, made expressly
for this end. They have their names, and when
they move themselves an earthquake is the con-
sequence. Animals were then formed, and lastly
man and woman were formed, separatelj' from
earth, and ordered to live together. The man's
name was Tobohar and the woman's Pobavit.
God ascended to Heaven immediately afterwards,
where he receives the souls of all who die. They
had no bad spirits connected with their creed, and
never heard of a 'devil' or a 'hell' until the com-
ing of the Spaniards. They believed in no resur-
rection whatever. Having nothing to care about
their souls it made them stoical in regard to
death."

jr.\RRIAGE.

"Chiefs had one, two or three wives, as their
inclination dictated, the subjects only one. When
a person wished to marry and had selected a suit-
able partner, he advertised the same to all his
relatives, even to the nineteenth cousin. On a
day appointed the male portion of the lodge
brought in a collection of money beads. All the
relations having come in with their share, they
(the males) proceeded in a body to the residence
of the bride, to whom timely notice had been
given. All of the bride's female relations had
been assembled and the money was equally
divided among them, the bride receiving nothing,
as it was a sort of purchase. After a few days
the bride's female relations returned the compli-
ment by taking to the bridegroom's dwelling

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

baskets of meal made of cbia, which was distrib-
uted among the male relatives. These prelimi-
naries over, a day was fixed for the ceremony,
which consisted in decking out the bride in in-
numerable strings of beads, paint, feathers and
skins. On being ready she was taken up in the
arms of one of her strongest male relatives, who
carried her, dancing, toward her lover's habita-
tion. All of her family, friends and neighbors
accompanied, dancing around, throwing food and
edible seeds at her feet every step, which were
collected in a scramble as best they could by the
spectators. The relations of the man met them
half way, and, taking the bride, carried her them-
selves, joining in the ceremonious walking dance.
On arriving at the bridegroom's (who was sitting
within his hut) she was inducted into her new
residence by being placed alongside of her hus-
band, while baskets of seeds were liberally
emptied on their heads to denote blessing and
plent}'. This was likewise scrambled for by the
spectators, who, on gathering up all of the bride's
seed cake, departed, leaving them to enjoj* their
honeymoon according to usage. A grand dance
was given on the occasion, the warriors doing
the dancing; the young women doing the sing-
ing. The wife never visited her relations from
that day forth, although they were at liberty to
visit her."

BURIALS.

"When a person died all the kin collected to
mourn his or her loss. Each one had his own
peculiar mode of crying or howling, as easily dis-
tinguished the one from the other as one song is
from another. After lamenting awhile a mourn-
ing dirge was sung in a low, whining tone, ac-
companied by a shrill whistle produced by blowing
into the tube of a deer's leg bone. Dancing can
hardly be said to have formed a part of the rites,
as it was merely a monotonous action of the foot
on the ground. This was continued alternately
until the body showed signs of decay, when it
was wrapped up in the covering used in life. The
hands were crossed upon the breast and the body
tied from head to foot. A grave having been
dug in their burial ground, the body was depos-
ited with .seeds, etc., according to the means of
the family. If the deceased were the head of a
family or a favorite son, the hut in which he
lived was burned up, as likewise all his personal
effects. ' '

FIU'D.S— THE SONG FIGHTS.

"Animosity between persons or families was of
long duration, particularly between tho.se of dif-
ferent tribes. These feuds descended from father
to sou, until it was impossible to tell for how
many generations. They were, however, harm-

less in themselves, being merely a war of songs,
composed and sung against the conflicting party,
and they were all of the most obscene and inde-
cent language imaginable. There are two fam-
ilies at this day (1851) whose feud commenced
tjefore Spaniards were even dreamed of, and they
still continue yearly singing and dancing against
each other. The one resides at the Mission of
San Gabriel and the other at San Juan Capis-
trano; they both lived at San Bernardino when
the quarrel commenced. During the singing they
continue stamping on the ground to express the
pleasure they would derive from tramping on the
graves of their foes. Eight days was the dura-
tion of the song fight."

"From the bark of nettles was manufactured
thread for nets, fishing lines, etc. Needles, fish-
hooks, awls and many other articles were made
of either bone or shell; for cutting up meat a
knife of cone was invariabl}- used. Mortars and
pestles were made of granite. Sharp stones and
perseverance were the only things u.sed in their
manufacture, and so .skillfully did they combine
the two that their work was always remarkably
uniform. Their pots to cook in were made of
soap stone of about an inch in thickness, and
procured from the Indians of Santa Catalina.
Their baskets, made out of a certain species of
rush, were used only for dry purposes, although
they were waterproof. The vessels in use for
liquids were roughly made of rushes and plastered
outside and in with bitumen or pitch, called
by them 'sanot.' "

MYTHOLOGY.

"The Indians of the Los Angeles Valley had an
elaborate mythology. The Cahuilla tribes have
a tradition of their creation. According to this
tradition the primeval Adam and Eve were cre-
ated by the Supreme Being in the waters of a
northern sea. They came up out of the water
upon the land, which they found to be soft and
miry. They traveled southward in search of land
suitable for their sustenance and residence, which
they found at last upon the mountain ridges of
Southern California."

Of their myths and traditions, Hugo Reid says:
' 'They were of incredible length and contained
more metamorphoses than Ovid could have en-
gendered in his brain had he lived a thousand
years."

Some of these Indian myths, when divested of
their crudities and the ideas clothed in fitting
language, are as beautiful and as poetical as those
of Greece or Scandinavia.

In the myth given below there is, in the moral,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a marked similarity to the Grecian fable of Or-
pheus and Eur3'dice. The central thought in
each is the inipossibilit}' of the dead returning to
earth. To more clearly illustrate the parallelism
of ideas, I give a brief outline of the Grecian myth :

Eurydice, stung by an adder, dies, and her
spirit is borne to the Plutonian realms. Orpheus,
her husband, seeking her, enters the dread abode
of the god of the lower world. He strikes his
wonderful lyre, and the sweet music charms the
denizens of hades. They forget their sorrows and
cease from their endless tasks. Pluto, charmed,
allows Eurydice to depart with her lover on one
condition, Orpheus is not to look upon her until
they reach the upper world. He disobeys, and
she is snatched from him. Disconsolate, he wan-
ders over the earth till death unites him to his
loved one.

Ages ago, so runs the Indian myth, a powerful
people dwelt on the banks of the Arroyo Seco,
and hunted over the hills and plains of what are
now our modern Pasadena and the Valley of San
Fernando. They committed a grievous crime
against the Great Spirit. A pestilence destroyed
them, all save a boy and a girl, who were saved
by a foster mother possessed of supernatural
powers. The}' grew to manhood and woman-
hood, and became husband and wife. Their de-
votion to each other angered the foster mother,
who fancied herself neglected. She plotted to
destroy the wife. The young woman, divining
her fate, told her husband that should he at any
time feel a tear drop on his shoulder, he might
know that she was dead. While he was away
hunting the dread signal came. He hastened
back to destroy the hag who had brought death
to his wife, but the sorceress escaped. Discon-
solate, he threw himself on the grave of his wife.
For three days he neither ate nor drank. On the
third day a whirlwind arose from the grave and
moved toward the south. Perceiving in it the
form of his wife, he hastened on until he over-
took it. Then a voice came out the cloud say-
ing: "Whither I go thou canst not come. Thou
art of earth, but I am dead to the world. Re-
turn, my husband, return!" He plead pite-
ously to be taken with her. She consenting, he
was wrapt in the cloud with her and borne across
the illimitable sea that separates the abode of the
living from that of the dead. When they reached
the realms of ghosts a spirit voice said: "Sister,
thou comest to us with an order of earth; what
dost thou bring?" Then she confessed that she
had brought her living hu.sband. "Take him
away!" said a voice, 'stern and commanding.
She plead that he might remain, and recounted
his many virtues. To test his virtues, the spirits
gave him four labors. First, to bring a feather

from the top of a pole so high that its summit was
invisible. Next, to split a hair of great length
and exceeding fineness; third, to make on the
ground a map of the Constellation of the Lesser
Bear, and locate the North Star, and last, to slay
the celestial deer that had the form of black
beetles and were exceedingly swift. With the
aid of his wife he accomplished all the tasks. But
no mortal was allowed to dwell in the abodes of
death. ' 'Take thou thy wife and return with her
to the earth," said the spirit. "Yet remember,
thou shalt not speak to her; thou shalt not touch
her until three suns have passed. A penalty
awaits thy disobedience." He promised. They
pass from the spirit land and travel to the con-
fines of matter. By day she is invisible, but by
the flickering light of his campfire he sees the dim
outline of her form. Three days pass. As the
sun sinks behind the western hills he builds his
campfire. She appears before him in all the
beauty of life. He stretches forth his arms to
embrace her. She is snatched from his grasp.
Although invisible to him, yet the upper rim of
the great orb of day hung above the western
verge. He had broken his promise. Like Or-
pheus, disconsolate, he wandered over the earth,
until, relenting, the spirits sent their servant
Death, to bring him to Tecupar (heaven).

The following bears a resemblance to the
Norse myth of Gyoll, the River of Death and its
glittering bridge, over which the spirits of the
dead pass to Hel or the land of the spirits. The
Indian, however, had no idea of any kind of a
bridge except a foot log across a stream. The
myth in a crude form was narrated to me many
years ago by an old pioneer.

According to this ni3'th when an Indian died
his spirit form was conducted b}- an unseen guide
over a mountain trail unknown and inaccessible
to mortals to a rapidly flowing river that separ-
ated the abode of the living from that of the dead.
As the trail descended to the river it branched to
the right and the left. The right hand path led
to a foot bridge made of the massive trunk of a
rough-barked pine which spanned the Indian
Styx; the left led to a slender, fresh-pealed birch
pole that hung high above the roaring torrent.
At the parting of the trail an inexorable fate
forced the bad to the left, while the spirit form of
the good passed on to the right and over the
rough-barked pine to the happy hunting grounds,
the Indian heaven. The bad, reaching the
river's brink and gazing longingly upon the de-
lights beyond, essayed to cross the slipper}- pole
— a slip, a slide, a clutch at empty space, and
the ghostly spirit form was hurled into the mad
torrent below, and was borne by the rushing
waters into a \-ast Lethean lake, where it sunk

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

beneath the waves and was blotted from exist-
ence forever.

The Rev. Walter Colton, in his "Three Years
in California," writing of the Indians in the
neighborhood of Monterey- in 1846, says: "The
wild Indians here have a vague belief in the
soul's immortality. 'They say as the moon dieth
and Cometh to life again so man, though he die,
will live again.' But their future state is ma-
terial. The wicked are to be bitten by serpents,
scorched by lightning and plunged down cata-
racts, while the good are to hunt their game
with bows that never lose their vigor, with

arrows that never miss their aim, and in forests
where crystal streams roll over golden sands.
Immortal youth is to be the portion of each, and
age and pain and death are to be no more."

After the secularization of the mission, for
some cause that does not appear in the records,
many of the Indians migrated from the missions
where they had formerly belonged. Those of
San Gabriel and San Fernando went to Monterey
and Santa Barbara, while those from San Diego
and San Luis Rev came to Los Angeles. Col-
ton's account probably applies to Indians from
the south.

CHAPTER V.

FOUNDING OF THE PUEBLO DE LOS ANGELES.

C^^HE history of the founding of our American
fn cities shows that the location of a city, as
y5\ "^^'^^^ ^^ ^^^ plan, is as often the result of
^^ accident as of design. Neither chance nor
accident entered into the selection of the site, the
plan or the name of Los Angeles. All these had
been determined upon years before a colonist
had been enlisted to make the settlement. The
Spanish colonist, unlike the American backwoods-
man, was not free to locate on the public domain
wherever his caprice or his convenience dictated.
The Spanish poblador (founder or colonist)
went where he was sent by his government. He
built his pueblo after a plan designated by royal
reglamento. His planting and his sowing, the
size of his fields and the shape of his house lot
were fixed by royal decree. He was a dependent
of the crown. The land he cultivated was not
his own, except to use. If he failed to till it, it
was taken from him and he was deported from the
colony. He could not buy the land he lived on
nor could he even exercise that privilege so dear
to the Anglo-Californian — the right to mortgage
it. Once located by royal order he could not
change his location without permission nor could
he visit his native land without a passport.
He could not change his political opinions — tliat
is if he had any to change. He could not change
his religion and survive the operation. Envir-

oned and circumscribed by limitations and restric-
tions on all sides it is not strange that the Spanish
colonists were non-progressive.

The pueblo plan of colonization so common
in Spanish-American countries did not originate
with the Spanish American colonists. It was
older even than Spain herself. In early Euro-
pean colonization, the pueblo plan, the common
square in the center of the town, the house lots
grouped round it, the arable fields and the com-
mon pasture lands beyond, appears in the Aryan
village, in the ancient German mark and in the
old Roman prsesidium. The Puritans adopted
this form in their first settlements in New Eng-
land. Around the public square or common
where stood the meeting house and the town
house, they laid off their home lots and beyond
these were their cultivated fields and their com-
mon pasture lands. This form of colonization
"was a combination of communal interests and
individual ownership. Primarily, no doubt, it
was adopted for protection against the hostile
aborigines of the country, and secondly for social
advantage. It reversed the order of our own
western colonization. The town came first, it
was the initial point from which the settlement
radiated; while with our western pioneers the
town was an afterthought— a center jioint for the
convenience of trade.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

When it had been decided to send colonists to
colonize California the settlements natiirall}' took
the pueblo form. The difficulty of obtaining
regular supplies for the presidios from Mexico,
added to the great expense of shipping such a
long distance, was the principal cause that influ-
enced the government to establish pueblos de
gente de razon. The presidios received their
shipments of grain for breadstuff from San Bias
by sailing vessels. The arrival of these was un-
certain. Once when the vessels were unusually
long in coming, the padres and the soldiers at the
presidios and missions were reduced to living on
milk, bear meat and what provisions they could
obtain from the Indians. When Felipe de Neve
was made governor of Alta or Nueva California
in 1776, he was instructed by the viceroy to make
observations on the agricultural possibilities of
the country and the feasibility of founding
pueblos where grain could be produced to supply
the military- establishments.

On his journey from San Diego to San Fran-
cisco in 1777, he carefulh' examined the country;
and as a result of his observations recommended
the founding of two pueblos: one on the Rio de
Porciuncula in the south, and the other on the
Rio de Guadalupe in the north. On the 29th
day of November, 1777, the Pueblo of San Jose
de Guadalupe was founded. The colonists were
nine of the presidio soldiers from San Francisco
and Monterey, who had some knowledge of
farming and five of Anza's pobladores, who had
come with his expedition the previous year to
found the presidio of San Francisco. From the
fact that the founders, in part, of the first pueblo
in California were soldiers has originated the fic-
tion that the founders of the second pueblo, Los
Angeles, were soldiers also; although this fiction
has been contradicted repeatedly, it reappears in
nearly every newspaper write-up of the early his-
tory of Los Angeles.

From various causes the founding of the sec-
ond pueblo had been delayed. In the latter part
of 1779, active preparations were begun for car-
rying out the plan of founding a presidio and
three missions on the Santa Barbara Channel and
a pueblo on the Rio Porciuncula to be named
"Reyna de Los Angeles." The Comandante-
General of the Four Interior Provinces of the
West (which embraced the Californias, Sonora,
New Mexico and Viscaya") , Don Teodoro de Croix
or "El Cavallero de Croix," "The Knight of the
Cross," as he usually styled himself, gave in-
structions to Don Fernando de Rivera y Moncada
to recruit soldiers and settlers for the proposed
presidio and pueblo in Nueva California. He,
Rivera, crossed the Gulf and began recruiting in
Sonora and Sinaloa. His instructions were to

secure twenty-four settlers, who were heads of
families. They must be robust and well behaved,
so that they might set a good example to the
natives. Their families must accompany them
and unmarried female relatives must be encour-
aged to go, with the view of marrying them to
bachelor soldiers.

According to the Regulations drafted by Gov.
Felipe de Neve June ist, 1779, for the Govern-
ment of the Province of California and approved
by the King, in a roj'al order of the 24th of Octo-
ber, 1781, settlers in California from the older
provinces were each to be granted a house lot
and a tract of land for cultivation. Each pobla-
dor in addition was to receive $116.50 a 3'ear for
the first two years, "the rations to be luiderstood
as comprehended in this amount, and in lieu of
rations for the next three years they will receive
sixty dollars j'early."

Section 3 of Title 14 of the Reglamento pro-
vided that "To each poblador and to the com-
munity of the Pueblo there shall be given under
condition of repayment in horses and mules fit to
be given and received, and in the payment of the
other large and small cattle at the just prices,
which are to be fixed by tariff, and of the tools
and implements at cf;st, as it is ordained, two
mares, two cows and one calf, two sheep and two
goats, all breeding animals, and one yoke of oxen
or steers, one plow point, one hoe, one spade,
one axe, one sickle, one wood knife, one musket
and one leather shield, two horses and one cargo
mule. To the community there shall likewise
be given the males corresponding to the total
number of cattle of different kinds distributed
amongst all the inhabitants, one forge and anvil,
six crowbars, six iron spades or shovels and the
necessary tools for carpenter and cast work."
For the government's assistance to the pobladores
in starting their colony the settlers were required
to sell to the presidios the surplus products of
their lands and herds at fair prices, which were
to be fixed by the government.

The terms offered to the settler were certainly
liberal, and by our own hardy pioneers, who in
the closing years of the last century were making
their way over the Alleghany Mountains into
Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, they would have
been considered munificent; but to the indolent
and energyle.ss mixed breeds of Sonora and
Sinaloa they were no inducement. After spend-
ing nearly nine nronths in recruiting, Rivera was
able to obtain only fourteen pobladores, but little
over half the number required, and two of these
deserted before reaching California. The soldiers
that Rivera had recruited for California, fort}--
tvvo in number, with their families, were ordered
to proceed overland from Alamos, in Sonora, by

HISTORICAL AND HIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

way of Tucson and the Colorado River to San
Gabriel Mission. These were commanded by
Rivera in person.

Leaving Alamos in April, 1781, they arrived
in the latter part of June at the junction of the
Gila and Colorado Rivers. After a short delay
to rest the main company was sent on to San
Gabriel Mi.ssion. Rivera, with ten or twelve
soldiers, remained to recruit his live stock before
crossing the desert. Two missions had been
established on the California side of the Colorado
the previous year. Before the arrival of Rivera
the Indians had been behaving badly. Rivera's
large herd of cattle and horses destroyed the
mesquite trees and intruded upon the Indians'
melon patches. This, with their previous quar-
rel with the padres, provoked the savages to an
uprising. They, on July 17, attacked the two
missions, massacred the padres and the Spanish
settlers attached to the missions and killed Rivera
and his soldiers — forty-six persons in all. The
Indians burned the mission buildings. These
were never rebuilt nor was there any other at-
tempt made to convert the Yumas. The hostility
of the Yumas practically closed the Colorado
route to California for many years.

The pobladores who had been recruited for the
founding of the new pueblo, with their families
and a military escort, all under the command of
Lieutenant Jose Zuiiiga, crossed the gulf from
Guaynias to Loreto, in Lower California, and by
the 1 6th of May were ready for their long journey
northward. In the meantime two of the recruits
had deserted and one was left behind at Loreto.
On the 1 8th of August the eleven who had re-
mained faithful to their contract, with their
families, arrived at San Gabriel. On account of
smallpox among some of the children the com-
pany was placed in quarantine about a league
from the mission.

On the 26th of August, 1781, from San Gabriel,
Gov. de Neve issued his instructions for the
founding of Los Angeles, which gave some addi-
tional rules in regard to the distribution of lots
not found in the royal reglamento previously
mentioned.

On the 4th of September, 17S1, the colonists,
with a military escort headed by Governor Felipe
de Neve, took up their line of march from the
Mission San Gabriel to the site selected for their
pueblo on the Rio de Porciuncula. There, with
religious ceremonies, the Pueblo de Nuestra
Sefiora La Reina de Los Angeles was formally
founded. A mass was said by a priest from the
Mission San Gabriel, assisted bv the chori.sters
and musicians of that mission. There were salvos
of musketry and a procession with a cross, candle-
sticks, etc. At the head of the procession the

soldiers bore the standard of Spain and the
women followed bearing a banner with the image
of our Lady the Queen of the Angels. This pro-
cession made a circuit of the plaza, the priest
blessing it and the building lots. At the close of
the services Governor de Neve made an address
full of good advice to the colonists. Then the
Governor, his military escort and the priests re-
turned to San Gabriel and the colonists were, left
to work out their destiny.

Few of the great cities of the land have had
such humble founders as Los Angeles. Of the
eleven pobladores who built their huts of poles
and tule thatch around the plaza vieja one hun-
dred and nineteen j'ears ago, not one could read
or write. Not one could boast of an unmixed
ancestry. They were mongrels in race — Cauca-
sian, Indian and Negro mixed. Poor in purse,
poor in blood, poor in all the sterner qualities of
character that our own hard\- pioneers of the
west possessed, they left no impress on the citj-
thej' founded; and the conquering race that pos-
sesses the land they colonized has forgotten them.
No street or landmark in the city bears the name
of any one of them. No monument or tablet
marks the spot where they planted the germ of
their settlement. No Forefathers' day preserves
the memory of their services and sacriOces. Their
names, race and the number of persons in each
family have been preserved in the archives of
California. They are as follows:

1. Jose de Lara, a Spaniard (or reputed to be
one, although it is doubtful whether he was of
pure blood) had an Indian wife and three chil-
dren.

2. Jose Antonio Navarro, a Mestizo, forty-
two years old; wife a mulattress; three children.

3. Basilio Rosas, an Indian, si.-^ty-eight years
old; had a mulatto wife and two children.

5. Antonio Felix \'illavicencio, a Spaniard,
thirty years old; had an Indian wife and one child.

6. Jose ^'anegas, an Indian, twenty-eight
years old; had an Indian wife and one child.

7. Alejandro Rosas, an Indian, nineteen years
old and had an Indian wife. (In the records,
"wife Coyote-Indian.")

8. Pablo Rodriguez, an Indian, twenty-five
years old; had an Indian wife and one child.

9. Manuel Camero, a mulatto, thirty years
old; had a mulatto wife.

10. Luis Ouintero, a negro, fifty-five years
old and had a mulatto wife and five children.

1 1 . Jose Morena, a mulatto, twenty-two years
old and had a mulatto wife.

Antonio Miranda, the twelfth per.son described
in the padron (list) as a Chino, fifty years old
and having one child, was left at Loreto when
the expedition marched northward. It would

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

have beeu impossible for him to have rejoined
the colonists before the founding. Presumablj-
his child remained with him, consequently there
were but forty-four instead of "forty-six persons
in all." Col. J. J. Warner, in his "Historical
Sketch of Los Angeles," originated the fiction
that one of the founders (Miranda, the Chino)
was born in China. Chino, while it does mean
a Chinaman, is also applied in Spanish-American
countries to persons or animals having curly
hair. Miranda was probably of mixed Spanish
and Negro blood, and curly haired. There is no
record to show that Miranda ever come to Alta
California.

Another fiction that frequently appears in
newspaper "write-ups" of Los Angeles is the
statement that the founders were "discharged
soldiers from the Mission San Gabriel." None
of them had ever seen San Gabriel before they
arrived there with Zuiiiga's expedition on the
iSth of August, 1 78 1, nor is there a probability
that any one of them ever was a soldier. When
Jose de Galvez was fitting out the expedition
for occupying San Diego and Monterey, he is-
sued a proclamation naming St. Joseph as the
patron saint of his California colonization scheme.
Bearing this fact in mind, no doubt. Gov. deNeve,
when he founded San Jose, named St. Joseph its
patron saint. Having named one of the two
pueblos for San Jose it naturally followed that
the other should be named for Santa Maria, the
Queen of the Angels, wife of San Jose.

On the ist of August, 1769, Portola's expedi-
tion, on its journey northward in search of Mon-
terey Bay, had halted in the San Gabriel Valley
near where the Mission Yieja was afterwards
located, to reconnoiter the country and "above
all," as Father Crespi observes, "for the purpose
of celebrating the jubilee of Our Lady of the
Angels of Porciuncula." Next day, August 2,
after traveling about three leagues (nine miles),
Father Crespi, in his diary, says: "We came to
a rather widecafiada having a great many cotton-
wood and alder trees. Through it ran a beautiful
river toward the north-northeast and curving
around the point of a clifi" it takes a direction to
the south. Toward the north-northeast we saw
another river bed which must have been a great
overflow, but we found it dry. This arm unites
with the river and its great floods during the
rainy season are clearly demonstrated by the
many uprooted trees scattered along the banks."
(This dry river is the Arroyo Seco. ) "We
stopped not very far from the river, to which we
gave the name of Porciuncula." Porciuncula is
the name of a hamlet in Italy near which was
located the little church of Our Lady of the
Angels, in which St. Francis of Assisi was pray-

ing when the jubilee was granted him. Father
Crespi, speaking of the plain through which the
river flows, says: "This is the best localitj' of all
those we have yet seen for a mission, besides
having all the resources required for a large
town." Padre Crespi was evidently somewhat of
a prophet.

The fact that this locality had for a number of
years borne the name of "Our Lady of the Angels
of Porciuncula" may have influenced Governor
de Neve to locate his pueblo here. The full name
of the town. El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La
Reyna de Los Angeles, was seldom used. It
was too long for everyday use. In the earlier
j-ears of the town's history it seems to have had
a variety- of names. It appears in the records as
El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles,
as El Pueblo de La Reyna de Los Angeles and
as El Pueblo de Santa Maria de Los Angeles.
Sometimes it was abbreviated to Santa Maria, but
it was most commonly spoken of as El Pueblo —
the town. At what time the name of Rio Por-
ciuncula was changed to Rio Los Angeles is un-
certain. The change no doubt was gradual.

The site selected for the pueblo of Los Angeles
was picturesque and romantic. From where
Alameda street now is to the eastern bank of the
river the land was covered with a dense growth
of willows, cottonwoods and alders; while here and
there, rising above the swampy copse, towered
a giant aliso (sycamore). Wild grape vines fes-
tooned the branches of the trees and wild roses
bloomed in profusion. Behind the narrow shelf
of mesa land where the pueblo was located rose
the brown hills, and in the distance towered the
lofty Sierra Madre Mountains.

For ages the Indians had roamed up and down
the valley, but the Indian is so ardent a lover of
nature that he never defaces her face bj' attempt-
ing to make improvements — particularly if it re-
quires exertion to make the changes. For cen-
turies within the limits that Neve had marked
out for his pueblo had "stood the Indian village
of Yang-na or rather a succession of villages of
that name. When the accretions of filth en-
croached upon the red man's dwelling and the
increase of certain kinds of live stock, of name
oftensive to ears polite, had become so great and
their appetites so keen that even the phlegmatic
Digger could no longer endure their aggressive
attacks, then the poor Indian resorted to a heroic
method of house-cleaning. On an appointed day
the portable property was removed from the
wickeups, the village was set on fire and myriads
on myriads of piojos and pulgas were cremated in
the conflagration. After purification by fire poor
Lo built a new village on the old site — a new
town with the same old name, Yang-na. Probably

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

all of the Indians of Vang-na had been gathered
into the misson fold at San Gabriel before Neve's
pobladores built their huts on the banks of the
Rio Porciuncula, still there seems to have been

fears of an attack by hostile Indians, for the col-
onists built a guard house and barracks and a
guard of soldiers was stationed at the pueblo for
man}- years after its founding.

CHAPTER VL

LOS ANGELES IN THE SPANISH ERA.

CVN THE previous chapter we had a description
I of the founding of the pueblo and the dedi-
I cation of the house lots and the plaza. The
•^ plaza is an essential feature in the plan of
Spanish-American towns. It is usually the geo-
graphical center of the pueblo lands. The old
plaza of El Pueblo de Nuestra Seflora La Reina
de Los Angeles, as designated by Gov. P'elipe de
Neve, in his " Instruccion para La Fundaccion
de Los Angeles," was a parallelogram one hun-
dred varas in length by seventy -five in breadth.
It was laid out with its corners facing the cardi-
nal points of the compass, and with three streets
running perpendicularly to each of its four sides,
so that no street would be swept by the winds.
The Governor evidently supposed that the winds
would always blow from the orthodox four cor-
ners of the earth; therefore, he cut out his town
on the bias, so as to outwit old Boreas.

The usual area of a pueblo in California was
four square leagues, or about 17,770 acres (a
Spanish square league contains 4.444 4-9 acres).
The pueblo lands were divided into solares, or
house lots, suertes* — planting fields, dehesas, out-
sidepasture lauds; ejidos, or commons, lands near-
est the town where the mustangs were tethered
and the goats roamed at pleasure ffrom the ejidos,
solares or house lots may be granted to new com-
ers); propios— public lands that may be rented
or leased, and the proceeds used to defray mu-
nicipal expen.ses; realanges, or royal lands, also
used for raising revenue, and from these lands
grants were made to new settlers. In addition
there was also certain communal property
known as Bienes Concejiles, which term has been
defined as "that which, in respect of ownership,
belongs to the public or council of a city, village

•Suerte— cliaucc or lot. The fields were called sueitesbtc.Tii.se

or town, and in respect of its use belongs to
every one of its inhabitants, such as fountains,
woods, the pastures, waters of rivers for irriga-
tion, etc."

After the pobladores had built their rude huts
they turned their attention to the preparation of
their fields for cultivation. A toma, or dam, and
an irrigating ditch were constructed. This ditch
pa.ssed along the east side and close to those lots
on the southeastern corner of the square. It not
only supplied the settlers with water for irrigat-
ing their fields, but also for drinking and house-
hold purposes. It was the first water .system of
Los Angeles. According to Neve's "Instruc-
tions," the suertes, or planting fields, were to be
located at least 200 varas from the house lots that
surrounded the square. This instruction, if com-
plied with, located the western line of these fields
about where Alameda street now is.

The following description of the colonists'
planting fields is taken from the first Los Angeles
directorv, published in 1872 bv A.J. King and
A. Waite:

"Thirty fields for cultivation were also laid
out. Twenty-six of these fields contained each
40,000 square varas (equal to about eight acres) .
They were, with the exception of four (which
were 300 by 100 varas) 200 varas square, and
separated by lanes three varas wide. The fields
were located between the irrigating ditch and the
river, and mostly above a line running direct and
nearly east from the town site to the river. (The
fields covered the present site of Chinatown and
that of the lumber yards, and possibly extended
up to the San Fernando, or river station depot. )
The distance from the irrigating ditch to the
river across the.se fields was upwards of 1,200
varas. At that time the river ran along where
now (1872) stands the houses of Julian Chavez

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and Elijah Moultou. It was evident that when
the town was laid out the bluff bank, which in
modern times extended from Aliso street up by
the Stearns (now Capitol) mill to the toma, did
not exist, but was made when the river ran near
the town."

The streets of the pueblo were each ten varas
(about 28 feet) wide. The boundaries of the
Plaza Vieja, or old plaza, as nearl}- as it is possi-
ble to locate them now, are as follows: "The
southeast corner of Upper Main and Marches-
sault streets for the southern or southeastern
corner of the square; the east line of Upper Main
street from the above-named corner, 100 varas,
in a northerly direction for the east line of the
square; the eastern line of new High street for
the western line of the square; and the northern
line of Marchessault street for the southern line
of the square."* Upon three sides of this paral-
lelogram were the house lots, each 40x20 varas,
except the two corner lots, which, fronting in part
on two sides of the square, were L shaped.

The eastern half of the southwestern side was
left vacant; the western half of this side was de-
signed for the public buildings — a guard-house, a
town-house and a public granary.

While the house lots, the tilling- fields and a
certain part of the live stock belonged in sever-
alty to each head of a family, and to the care and
cultivation of which he was supposed to devote
his time and attention, there were also certain
community interests of which each was required
to perform his part, such as building the guard-
house, the public granaries and the irrigating
works, standing guard and herding the village
flocks. It was discovered before long that there
were shirks among the colonists — men who would
not do their part of the community labor. Early
in 1782 Jose deLara, one of the two Spaniards,
Antonio Mesa and Luis Ouintero, the two ne-
groes, were deported from the colony and their
property taken from them by order of the gover-
nor, they being "useless to the pueblo and to
themselves. ' ' As their families went with them,
by their deportation the population of the pueblo
was reduced to twenty-eight persons. The re-
maining colonists went to work. Before the close
of 1784 they had replaced most of their tule-
thatched and mud-daubed huts of poles, with
adobe houses. They had built the public build-
ings required and had begun the erection of a
chapel. All of these were built of adobe and
covered with thatch.

In 1785 Jose Francisco Sinova, a laborer, who
for a number of years had lived in California,

Historical sketch of Los .\ngeles Co.

applied for admission into the pueblo and was ad-
mitted on the same terms as the original pobla-
dores.

In 1786 Alferez (Lieut.) Jose Argiiello, who
had been detailed for that purpose by Governor
Pages, the successor of de Neve, put the nine
settlers who had been faithful to their trust in
legal possession of their house, lots and sowing
fields. Corporal Vicente Felix and Private Roque
de Cota acted as legal witnesses. Each colonist
in the presence of the others received a grant of
a house, lot and three sowing fields, and he was
given a branding-iron to distinguish his live
stock from that of his neighbors.

It is probable that there had from the beginning
been some understanding of what was the indi-
vidual property of each one. Each of the nine
settlers signed his grant or agreement with a
cross; not one of them could write. Lieut.
Argiiello spent but little time over surveys, and
probably set up no landmarks to define bounda-
ries. The propios were said to extend southerly
2,200 varas from the toma or dam (which was
located near the point where the Buena Vista
Street bridge now crosses the river) to the limit
of the distributed lands. The realenges, or royal
lands, were located on the eastern ^de of the
river. 12^76^7

The exterior boundaries of the pueblo were
not fixed then, nor were they ever defined while
the town was under the domination of Spain. As
we shall find later on, this occasioned controver-
sies between the missionaries of San Gabriel and
the settlers of Los Angeles.

The local government of the pueblo was a com-
bination of the military and the civil forms. The
civil authority was vested in an alcalde and two
regidores (councilmen) ; the military in a corporal
of the guard. There was another office, that of
comisionado, which was quasi-military. The
principal duty of this officer was to apportion the
pueblo lands to new settlers.

The corporal of the pueblo guard seems to have
been the ranking officer in the town government,
and, in addition to his military command, had
supervision over the acts of the regidores and the
alcalde.

The civil authorities were at first appointed by
the governor; later on they were elected by the
people. The territory of California was divided
into military districts, corresponding in number
to the presidios. Each military district was
under the command of a military officer (captain
or lieutenant), who reported to the governor,
who was also an arm)' officer, usually a lieuten-
ant-colonel or colonel.

At the time of the founding of Los Angeles

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

there were three presidios, viz. : San Diego, Mon-
terey and San Francisco. Los Angeles was at first
attached to San Diego. After the founding of
Santa Barbara presidio it was placed in that mil-
itary district.

The corporal of the pueblo guard reported to
the commander of his district, and the command-
er to the comandaiite-general or governor.
Vicente Felix, who assisted Lieut. Argiiello in
the distribution of the pueblo lands to the set-
tlers in 1786, was the first corporal of the pueblo
guard, which was furnished from the presidio
of San Diego, and consisted of four or five
soldiers of the regular army. All the male in-
habitants of the pueblo over eighteen years were
subject to military service, both at home in keep-
ing order, and in the field in case of foreign in-
vasion or an Indian outbreak. These civilian
soldiers reported to the corporal of the guard for
duty. Each was required to provide himself with
a horse, a musket and a cuera or shield of bull
hide.

For fifty years after the founding of the pueblo
a guard was kept on duty at the cuartel or guard-
house that stood just above the church of Our
Lady of the Angels, on what is now the north-
west corner of Upper Main and Marchessault
streets; and nightly armed sentinels patroled the
town.

Los Angeles, like all pioneer settlements of
America, had her Indian question to settle.
There are no records of Indian massacres, but
Indian scares occurred occasionally. In 1785 we
find from the provincial records that 35 pounds
of powder and 800 bullets were sent to Los An-
geles as a reserve supply of ammunition for the
settlers in case of an attack. There was not
much danger from the valley Indians, who had
been tamed by mission training and subjugated
by the lash, but the mountain Indians were pred-
atory and hostile. At one time the Mojaves
made an incursion into the valley with the design
of sacking the mission and attacking Los Angeles.
They penetrated within two leagues of the mis-
sion, where they killed a neophyte, but hearing
that there was a company of soldiers at Los
Angeles prepared to attack them, they fled back
to the mountains.

Between 17S6 and 1790 the number of families
increased from 9 to 30. An estado, or census of
the pueblo, taken August 17, 1790, gives its
total population 141, divided as follows: Males,
75: females, 66; unmarried, 91; married, 44;
widowed, 6; under 7 years, 47; 7 to 16 years, 33;
16 to 29 years, 12; 29 to 40 years, 27: 40 to 90
years, 13; over 90 years, 9; Europeans, i; Span-
ish (this probably means Spanish-Americans),
72; Indians, 7; Mulattoes, 22; Mestizos, 39.

The large percentage of the population over 90
years of age is rather remarkable. The mixed races
still constituted a large proportion of the pueblo
population. The increase of inhabitants came
largelj- from discharged soldiers of the presidios.

It was the policy of the government to encour-
age marriages between the bachelor soldiers ar.d
neophyte women, and thus increase the popula-
tion of the territory without the expense of im-
porting colonists from Mexico. Spain evidently
looked more to the quantity of her colonists than
to the quality.

Of the social life of the pueblo we know but
little. The inhabitants were not noted for good
behavior; they were turbulent and quarrelsome.
The mixture of races was not conducive of har-
mony and good citizenship.

Corporal Felix seems to have been moderately
successful in controlling the discordant elements.
The settlers complained of his severity, but the
governor sustained him, and he retained his posi-
tion to the close of the century. If Padre
Salazar's opinions of the colonists of California
were correct, they were a hard lot; but the padres
were opposed to all efforts at the colonization of
California by gente derazon, and the priest's
picture of pueblo life may be overdrawn. He
asserted that "the inhabitants of the pueblos
were idlers, and pay more attention to gambling
and playing the guitar than to tilling their lands
and educating their children. The pagans did
most of the work, took a large part of the crop,
and were so well supplied thereby that they did
not care to be converted and live at the missions.
The friars attended to the spiritual needs of the
settlers free of charge, and their tithes did Cali-
fornia no good. Young men grew up without
restraint and wandered among the rancherias,
setting the Indians a bad example and indulg-
ing in excesses, that were sure sooner or later
to result in disaster."

Notwithstanding Salazar's doleful picture of
the pueblos, that of Los Angeles had made fair
progress. In 1790 the earlier settlers had all re-
placed their huts of poles with adobe houses.
There were twenty-nine dwellings, a town hall,
barrack, cuartel and granaries built of adobe, and
around these was a wall of the same material.
Whether the wall was built as a defense against
hostile Indians or to prevent incursions of their
herds into the village does not appear. In 1790
their crop of grain amounted to 4.500 bushels,
and their cattle had increased to 3,000 head.
During the decade between 1790 and 1800 the
population increased from 141 to 315. The in-
crease came chiefly from the growing up of chil-
dren and from the discharged soldiers of the pre-
.sidios. Horses and cattle increased from 3.000

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to 12,500 head, and the production of grain
reached 7,800 bushels in 1796. In iSoo the}-
offered to enter into an agreement to supply 3,400
bushels of wheat peryear, at $1.66 per bushel, for
the San Bias market. Taxes were low, and were
payable in grain. Each settler was required to
give annually two fanegas of maize or wheat for a
public fund to be expended for the good of the
community.

The decade between 1800 and 18 10 was as de-
void of noteworthy events as the preceding one.
Life in the pueblo was a monotonous round of
commonplace occurrences. The inhabitants had
but little communication with the world beyond
their own narrow limits. There was a mail be-
tween Mexico and California but once a month.
As not more than half a dozen of the inhabitants
could read or write, the pueblo mail added little
weight to the budget of the soldiers' correras
(mail carriers).

The .settlers tilled their little fields, herded
their cattle and sheep, and quarreled among them-
selves. During thedecade drunkenness and other
excesses were reported as alarminglj- on the in-
crease, and, despite the effortsof the comisionado,
the pobladores could not be controlled. The jail
and the stocks were usually well filled. Vicente
Felix was no longer commissioner. Javier
Alvarado, a sergeant of the army, was comis-
ionado in 1809, and probably had filled the office
the preceding years of the decade. Population
increased slowly during the decade. In 1810
there were 365 persons in the pueblo; fifty had
been recruited from the town for military service
in the presidios. This would make a total of 415,
or an increase of 100 in ten years.

The decade between iSio and 1820 was marked
by a greater increase in population than the pre-
ceding one. In 1820 the population of the pueblo,
including the few ranchos surrounding it which
were under its jurisdiction, was 650. The rule
of Spain in Mexico was drawing to an end. The
revolutionary war begun by Hidalgo at the
pueblo of Dolores in 1810 was carried on with
varying success throughout this decade. About
all that was known of it in California was that
some disturbance in New Spain prevented sup-
plies being sent to the missions and the presidios.
The officers and soldiers received no pay. There
was no money at the presidios to buy the prod-
ucts of the pueblos, and there were hard times
all along the line. The common people knew
little or nothing of what was going on in Mexico,
and probably cared less. They had no aspira-

tions for independence and were unfit for any bet-
ter government than they had. The friars were
strong adherents of the Spanish crown and bitter-
ly opposed to a republican form of government.
If the revolution succeeded it would be the down-
fall of their power in California.

The most exciting event of the decade was the
appearance on the coast of California, in Novem-
ber, 1818, of the "pirate Buchar," as he was
commonly called by the Californians. Bouchard
was a Frenchman, in the service of the revolu-
tionists of Buenos Ayres, and carried letters of
marque, which authorized him to prey on Spanish
commerce. Bouchard, with two ships, carrying
65 guns and 350 men, attacked Monterey, and
after an obstinate resistance by the Californians,
it was captured and burned. He next pillaged
Ortega's ranch and burned the buildings; then,
sailing down the coast, he scared the Santa Bar-
barans, looked into San Pedro Bay, but finding
nothing there to tempt him, he kept on to San
Juan Capistrano. Here he landed and robbed
the mission of a few articles and drank the
padres' wine; then he sailed away and disap-
peared from the coast. Los Angeles sent a com-
pany of soldiers to Santa Barbara to fight the
insurgents. The Santa Barbara and Los Angeles
troops reached San Juan the day after Bouchard
pillaged the mission. Los Angeles lost nothing
by the insurgents, but on the contrary gained
two citizens — Joseph Chapman, of Massachusetts,
and an American negro named Fisher. Joseph
Chapman was the first English-speaking resident
of Los Angeles. He and Fisher were captured
at Monterey, and not at Ortega's rancho, as stated
by Stephen C. Foster. Chapman married and
located at the Mission San Gabriel, where he be-
came Padre Sanchez' man of all work, and built
the first mill in Southern California.

The first year of the third decade of the century
witnessed the downfall of Spanish domination
in Mexico. The patriot priest Hidalgo had, on
the 15th of September, 18 10, struck the first blow
for independence. For eleven years a fratricidal
war was waged — cruel, bloody and devastating.
Hidalgo, Allende, Miiia, Morelos, Aldama, Rayon,
and other patriot leaders sacrificed their lives for
the liberty of their country. Under Iturbide, in
September, 1S21, the independence of Mexico
was finally achieved. It was not until Septem-
ber, 1822, that the flag of Spain was supplanted
by that of Mexico in California, although the
oath of allegiance to the imperial government of
Mexico was taken in April by Sola and others.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER VIL

THE PUEBLO UNDER MEXICAN RULE.

r^ABLO VICENTE de SOLA was governor
\jf of Alta California when the transition came
IC from the rule of Spain to that of Mexico.
'^ He liad received his appointment from
Viceroy Calleja in 1814. Calleja, the butcher of
Guanajuato, was the crueliest and the most
bloodthirsty of the vice-regal governors of New
Spain during the Mexican Revolution. Sola
was thoroughly in sympathy with the loyalists
and bitterly opposed to the revolutionary party
of Mexico. To his influence and that of the
friars was due the adherence of California to the
cause of Spain. Throughout the eleven years of
internicine war that deluged the soil of Mexico
with blood, the sympathies of the Californians
were not with those who were struggling for
freedom.

Of the political upheavals that shook Spain in
the first decades of the century only the faintest
rumblings reached far distant California. Not-
withstanding the many changes of rulers that
political revolutions and Napoleonic wars gave the
mother country, the people of California remained
loyal to the Spanish Crown, although at times
they must have been in doubt who wore the
crown. The succe.ss of the Revolutionary move-
ment in Mexico was no doubt bitterly disappoint-
ing to Sola, but he gracefully submitted to the
inevitable.

For half a century the Spanish flag had floated
in California. It was lowered and in its place
washoi.sted the imperial standard of the Mexican
Empire. A few months pass and the flag of the
empire is supplanted by the tricolor of the Re-
public of Mexico. Thus the Californians, in little
more than one year, have passed under three dif-
ferent forms of government — that of a kingdom,
an empire and a republic, and Sola, from a loyal
Spanish governor, has been transformed into a
Mexican Republican.

The transition from one form of government to
another was not marked by any radical changes.
Under the empire a beginning was made towards
a representative government. California was
given a "diputacion provincial" or provincial

legislature, composed of a president and six
vocales or members. This territorial legislature
met at Monterey November 9, 1822. Los Angeles
was represented in it by Jose Palomares and Jose
Antonio Carrillo. The diputacion authorized the
organization of ayuntamientos or town councils
for the pueblos of Los Angeles and San Jose,
and the election of regidores or councilmen b)-
the people.

Under the empire California also was entitled
to send a diputado or delegate to the imperial
cortes, to be selected by the people. Upon the
overthrow of his "Most Serene Majesty, Au-
gustin I. by Divine Providence and by the Con-
gress of the Nation, first Constitutional Emperor
of Mexico" and the downfall of his short lived
empire, the Republic of Mexico was established
and went into effect November 19, 1823, by the
adoption of a constitution similar to that of the
United States. The federation was composed of
nineteen states and four territories. Alta Cali-
fornia was one of the territories. The territories
were each allowed a diputado in the Mexican
Congress. The governors of the territories were
appointed by the president of the Republic. The
ayuntamiento of Los Angeles which had been
formed in November, 1822, under the empire,
was continued under the Republic, with the ad-
dition of a secretary and a sindico (treasurer).
The quasi-military ofiice of comisionado, which
had existed almost from the founding of the
pueblo, was abolished, but the old soldiers who
compo.sed a considerable portion of the town's
population did not take kindly to this innovation.
The military commandant of the district, with the
approval of Governor Argiiello, who had suc-
ceeded Sola, appointed Sergeant Guillermo Cota
to control the unruly element of the pueblo, his
authority being similar to that formerly exercised
by the comisionados. Then there was a clash
between the civil and military authorities. The
alcalde and the ayuntamiento refused to recognize
Cota's authority. They had progressed so rapidly
in republican ideas that they denied the riglit of
any military officer to exercise his power over the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

free citizens of Angeles. The town had a bad
reputation in the territory. There was an unruly
element in it. The people generally had a poor
opinion of their rulers, both ci\-il and military , and
the ruler reciprocated in kind. The town had a
large crop of aspiring politicians and it was noted
for its production of wine and brandy. There-
suit of mixing these two was disorder, dissen-
sions and brawls. Rotation in office seems to
have been the rule. No one could hold the office
of alcalde two years in succession, nor could he
vote for himself. In 1826 Jose Antonio Carrillo
was elected alcalde, but nine citizens protested
that his election was illegal because as an elector
he had voted for himself and that he could not
hold the office twice within two years. A new
election was ordered. At another election Vicente
Sanchez reported to Governor Echeandia that
the election was void because the candidates were
"vagabonds, drunkards and worse."

The population of the pueblo in 1S22, when it
passed from under the domination of Spain, was
770. It was exclusively an agricultural com-
munity. The only manufacturing was the con-
verting of grapes into wine and brandy. The
tax on wine and brandy retailed in 1829 was
$339 and the fines collected were $158. These,
the liquor tax and the fines, constituted the
principal sources of municipal revenue.

The cattle owned by the citizens of the pueblo
in 1S21 amounted to 10,000 head. There was a
great increase in live stock during the decade be-
tween 1S20 and 1830. Tlie increased demand
for hides and tallow stimulated the raising of
cattle. In 1830 the cattle of the pueblo had in-
creased to 42,000 head, horses and mules num-
bered 3,000 head and sheep 2,400. A few-
foreigners had settled in Los Angeles. The first
English speaking person to locate here was Jose
Chapman, captured at Monterey when the town
was attacked and burned by Bouchard, as pre-
viously mentioned. He arrived at Los Angeles
in 1818. Chapman was the only foreign-born
resident of the pueblo under Spanish rule.
Mexico, although jealous of foreigners, was notso
proscriptive in her policy toward them as Spain.
As opportunity for trade opened up foreigners
began to locate in the town. Between 1822 and
1830 came Santiago McKinley, John Temple,
George Rice, J. D. Leandry, Jesse Fergu.son,
Richard Laughlin, Nathaniel Pryor, Abel
Stearns, Louis Bouchette and Juan Domingo.
These adopted the customs of the country, mar-
ried and became permanent residents of the town.
Of these McKinley, Temple, Stearns and Rice
were engaged in trade and kept stores. Their
principal business was the purchase of hides for
exchange with the hide droghers. The hide

droghers were vessels fitted out in Boston and
freighted with assorted cargoes to exchange for
hides and tallow. The embarcadero of San Pedro
became the principal entrepot of this trade. It
was the port of Los Angeles and of the three
missions, San Gabriel, San Fernando and San
Juan Capistrano.

Alfred Robinson in his "Life in California"
thus describes the methods of doing business at
vSan Pedro in 1829. "After the arrival of our
trading vessel our friends came in the morning
flocking on board from all c^uarters; and soon a
busy scene commenced, afloat and ashore. Boats
were passing to the beach, and men, women and
children partaking in the general excitement.
On shore all was confusion, cattle and carts laden
with hides and tallow, gente de razon and In-
dians busily employed in the delivery of their
produce and receiving in return its value in goods.
Groups of individuals seated around little bon-
fires upon the ground, and horsemen racing over
the plains in every direction." "Thus the day
passed, some arriving, some departing — till long
after sunset, the low white road, leading across
the plains to the town, appeared a living panora-
ma." Next to a revolution there was no other
event that so stirred up the social elements of the
old pueblo as the arrival of a hide drogher at San
Pedro. "On the arrival of a new vessel from the
United States," says Robinson, "every man,
woman, boy and girl took a proportionate share
of interest as to the qualities of her cargo. If
the first inquired for rice, sugar or tobacco, the
latter asked for prints, silks and satins; and if
the boy wanted a Wilson's jack-knife the girl
hoped that there might be some satin libbons for
her. Thus the whole population hailed with
eagerness an arrival. Even the Indian in his
unsophisticated style asked for Panas Colorodos
and Abalaris — red handkerchiefs and beads."

Robinson describes the pueblo as he saw it in
1829. "The town of Los Angeles consisted at
this time of about twenty or thirty houses scat-
tered about without any regularity or any
particular attraction, excepting the numbers of
vineyards located along the lowlands on the
borders of the Los Angeles River. There were
but two foreigners in the town at that time, na-
tives of New England, namely: George Rice and
John Teniple, who were engaged in merchandis-
ing in a small way, under the firm name of Rice
& Temple." The following description, taken
from Robinson's Life in California, while written
of Monterey, applies equally well to Los Angeles
and vicinity. "Scarce two houses in the town
had fireplaces; then (1829) the method of heating
the houses was by placing coals in a roof tile,
which was placed in the center of the room."

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RFX'ORD

"This iiK-lhud we rouiul I'oiiiiiiuii ihroiiylioul.
the couuti)'. There were no windows; and in
place of tlie ordinary wooden door a dried bullock
hide was substituted, which was the case as a
general thing in nearly all the ranches on the
coast, as there was no fear of intrusion excepting
from bears that now and then prowled about and
were easily frightened away when they ventured
too near. The bullock hide was used almost uni-
versally in lieu of the old fashioned bed ticking
being nailed to the bedstead frame and served
every purpose for which it was intended and was
very comfortable to sleep upon." At the close
of the third decade of the century we find but
little change in the manners and customs of the
colonLsts from those of the pobladores who nearly
fifty years before built their primitive habitations
around the plaza vieja. In the half century the
town had slowly increased in population, but there
had been no material improvement in the manner
of living and but little advancement in intelligence.
The population ofthe pueblo was largely made up
of descendants of the founders who had grown to

nianhoud and womanhood in the place of their
birth. Lsolated from contact with the world's
activities they were content to follow the anti-
quated customs and to adopt the nonprogressive
ideas of their fathers. They had passed from
under the domination of a monarchy and become
the citizens of a republic, but the transition was
due to no eifort of theirs nor was it of their own
choosing. With the assistance of the missions
they had erected a new church, but neither by
the help of the missions or by their own exertions
had they built a .schoolhouse. In the first half
century of the pueljlo's existei-iCe, if the records
are correct, there were but three terms of school.
Generations grew to manhood during the vaca-
tions. "A little learning is a dangerous thing."
The learning obtained at the pueblo school in
the brief term that it was open never reached
the danger point. The limited foreign immigra-
tion that had come to the country after it had
passed from the rule of Spain had as yet made
no change in its customs.

CHAPTER VIIL

MISSION SECULARIZATION AND THE PASSING OF THE NEOPHYTE.

IT IS not my purpose in this volume to devote
much space to the subject ofthe Secularization
ofthe Missions. Any extended discu.ssion of
that theme would be out of place in a local
history.

I introduce the subject here because the sec-
ularization of three of these missionary establish-
ments—San Gabriel, San Fernando and San Juan
Capistrano— had a direct influence in stimulating
the growth and advancement of Los Angeles; and
also because the history of the three named is
closely identified with that ofthe pueblo. Much
has been written in recent years on the subject of
the Franciscan Mi.ssions of Alta California, but
the writers have added nothing to our knowledge of
these establishments beyond what can be obtained
from the works of Bancroft, Hittell, Forbes and
Robinson. Some of the later writers, carried
away by .sentiment, are very misleading in their
statements. Such expre.s.sions as "The Robber

Hand of Secularization" and "the brutal and thiev-
ish dis establishment of the missions" emanate
from writers who look at the question from its sen-
timental side only and who know little or nothing
ofthe causes which brought about secularization.
It is an historical fact known to all acquainted
with California history that these establishments
were not intended by the Crown of Spain to
become permanent institutions. The purpose for
which the Spanish government fostered and pro-
tected them w-as to christianize the Indians and
make of them self supporting citizens. Very
early in its history Governor Borica, Fages and
other intelligent Spanish officers in California
discovered the weakness of the mission system.
Governor Borica writing in 1796, said: "According
to the laws the natives are to be free from tutelage
at the end of ten years, the Missions then be-
coming doctrinairs, but those of New California
at the rate they are advancing will not reach the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

goal in toi anlurics; the reason God knows and
men, too, know something about it." Spain,
early in the present century, had formulated a
plan for their secularization, but the war of
Mexican Independence prevented the enforce-
ment of it.

With the downfall of Spanish domination in
Mexico came the beginning of the end of mission-
ary rule in California. The majority of the
mission padres were Spanish born. In the war
of Mexican independence their sympathies were
with their mother country, Spain. After Mexico
attained her independence, some of them refused
to acknowledge allegiance to the Republic. The
Mexican authorities feared and distrusted them.
In this, in part, they found a pretext for the dis-
establishment of the missions and the confiscation
of the mission estates. There was another cause
or reason for secularization more potent than the
loyalty of the padres to Spain. Few forms of
land monopoly have ever exceeded that in vogue
under the mission system of California. From
San Diego to San Francisco Bay the twenty
missions established under Spanish rule mon-
opolized the greater part of the fertile land
between the Coast Range and the sea. There
was but little left for other settlers. A settler
could not obtain a grant of land if the padres of
the nearest mission objected.

The twenty-four ranchos owned by the Mission
San Gabriel contained about a million and a half
acres and extended from the sea to the San
Bernardino Mountains. The greatest neophyte
population of San Gabriel was in 1817, when it
reached 1701. Its yearly average for the first
three decades of the present century did not ex-
ceed 1,500. It took a thousand acres of fertile
land under the mission system to support an
Indian, even the smallest papoose of the mission
flock. It is not strange that the people clamored
for a subdivision of the mission estates; and sec-
ularization became a public necessity. The n}Ost
enthusiastic admirer of the missions to-day , had he
lived in California seventy years ago, would no
doubt have been among the loudest in his wail
against the mi.ssion system. The Reglamento
governing the secularization of the missions
published by Governor Echeandia in 1830, but
not enforced, and that formulated by the diputa-
cion under Governor Figueroa in 1S34, approved
by the Mexican Congress and finally enforced in
1835, were humane measures. The regulations
provided for the colonizations of the neophytesinto
pueblos or villages. A portion of the personal
property and a part of the lands held by the mis-
sions were to be distributed among the Indians as
follows: "Article 5 — To each head of a family
and all who are more than twentv vears old, al-

though without families, will be given from the
lands of the mission, whether temporal (lands de-
pendent on the seasons) or watered, a lot of
ground not to contain more than four hundred
varas (yards) in length, and as many in breadth
not less than one hundred. Sufficient land for'
watering the cattle will be given in connnon. The
outlets or roads shall be marked out by each
village, and at the proper time the corporation
lands shall be designated." This colonization of
the neophytes into pueblos would have thrown
large bodies of the land held by the missions open
to settlement by white settlers. The personal
property of missionary establishments was to have
been divided among their neophyte retainers thus:
"Rule 6. Among the said individuals will be
distributed, ratably and justly, according to the
discretion of the political chief, the half of the
movable property, taking as a basis the last in-
ventory which the missionaries have presented of
all descriptions of cattle. Rule 7. One-half
or less of the implements and seeds indispensable
for agriculture shall be allotted to them."

The political government of the Indian pueblos
was to be organized in accordance with existing
laws of the territory governing other towns. The
neophyte could not sell, mortgage or dispose
of the land granted him; nor could he sell his
cattle. The regulations provided that "Religious
missionaries shall be relieved from the administra-
tion of temporalities and shall only exercise the
duties of their ministry so far as they relate to
spiritual matters." The nunneries or the houses
where the Indian girls were kept under charge of
a duefia until they were of marriageable age were
to be abolished and the children restored to their
parents. Rule seven provided that "What is
called the 'priesthood' shall immediately cease,
female children whom they have in charge being
handed over to their fathers explaining to them
the care they should take of them, and pointing
out their obligations as parents. The same shall
be done with the male children."

Commissioners were to be appointed to take
charge of the mission property and superintend
its subdivision among the neophytes. The con-
version of ten of the missionary establishments
into pueblos was to begin in August, 1835. That
of the others was to follow as soon as possible.
San Gabriel, San Fernando and San Juan Capi.s-
trano were among the ten that were to be sec-
ularized first. For years secularization had
threatened the missions, but hitherto something
had occurred at the critical time to avert it. The
missionaries had used their influence against it,
had urged that the neophytes were unfitted for self-
support, had argued that the emancipation of the
natives from mission rule would result in disaster

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to them. Through all the agitation of the
question in previoiLS \ears the padres had labored
on in the preservation and upbuilding of their
establishments; but with the issuing of the sec-
ularization decree by the Mexican Congress,
'August 17, 1833, the organization of the Hijar
Colon\- in Me.xico and the instructions of acting
president Frarias to Hijar to occupy all the prop-
erty of the missions and subdivide it among the
colonists on their arrival in California, convinced
the missionaries that the blow could no longer be
averted. The revocation of Hijar's appointment
as governor and the controversy which followed
between him and Governor Figueroa and the
diputacion for a time delayed the enforcement of
the decree.

In the meantime, with the energy born of
despair, eager at any cost to outwit those who
sought to profit by their ruin, the mission fathers
hastened to destroy that which through more
than half a century thousands of human beings
had spent their lives to accumulate.

"Hitherto, cattle had been killed only as their
meat was needed for use, or, at intervals
perhaps, for the hides and tallow alone, when an
overplus of stock rendered such action necessar\-.
Now they were slaughtered in herds by contract
on equal shares, with any who would undertake
the task. It is claimed by some writers that not
less than 100,000 head of cattle were thus slain
from the herds of San Gabriel Mission alone.
The same work of destruction was in progress at
every other mission throughout the territory and
this vast country, from end to end, was become a
mighty shambles, drenched in blood and reeking
with the odor of decaying carcasses. There was
no market for the meat and this was considered
worthless. The creature was lassoed, thrown, its
throat cut, and while yet writhing in death agony
its hide was .stripped and pegged upon the ground
to dry. There were no vessels to contain the
tallow and this was run into great pits dug for
that purpose, to be spaded out anon, and shipped
with the hides to market — all was haste."

"Whites and natives alike revelled in gore,
and vied with each other in destruction. So
many cattle were there to kill, it seemed as though
this profitable and pleasant work must last for-
ever. The white .settlers were especially pleased
with the turn affiiirs had taken, and many of
them did not scruple unceremoniou.sly to ap-
propriate herds of young cattle wherewith to
stock their ranches. "■■= So great was the stench
from the rotting carcas.ses of the cattle on the
plains that a pestilence was threatened. The
ayuntamiento of Los Angeles, November 15,
1833, passed an ordinance compelling all persons

•nislorv ori,os Aiigele.i C.uillly, by J. Alhcrt Wilson.

slaughtering cattle for the hides and tallow to
cremate the carcasses.

Hugo Reid in the "Letters" (previously
referred to in this volume) says of this
period at San Gabriel, "These facts (the decree
of secularization and the distribution of the
mission property) being known to* Padre
Tomas (Estenaga), he, in all probability by order
of his superior, commenced a work of destruction.
The back buildings were unroofed and the timber
converted into fire wood. Cattle were killed on
the halves by people who took a lion's share.
Utensils were disposed of, and goods and other
articles distributed in profusion among the
neophytes. The vineyards were ordered to be cut
down, whicli, however, the Indians refused to
do." After the mission was placed in charge of
an administrator. Padre Tomas remained as min-
ister of the church at a stipend of $1,500 per
annum, derived from the Pious Fund.

Hugo Reid says of him, "As a wrong im-
pression of his character may be produced from
the preceding remarks, in justice to his memory
be it stated that he was a truly good man, a sin-
cere Christian and a despiser of hypocrisy. He
had a kind, unsophisticated heart, so that he be-
lieved every word told him. There has never
been a purer priest in California. Reduced in
circumstances, annoyed on manj- occasions by the
petulancy of administrators, he fulfilled his
duties according to his conscience, with benev-
olence and good humor. The nuns, who when
the secular movement came into operation, had
been set free, were again gathered together under
his supervision and maintained at his expense, as
were also a number of old men and women."

The experiment of colonizing the Indians in
pueblos was a failure and they were gathered
back into the mission, or as many of them as
could be got back, and placed in charge of ad-
ministrators. "The Indians," says Reid, "were
made happy at this time in being permitted to
enjoy once more the luxury of a tule dwelling,
from which the greater part had been debarred
for so long; they could now breathe freely again."
(The close adobe buildings in which they had
been housed in mission days were no doubt one
of the causes of the great mortality among them.)

"Administrator followed administrator until the
mission could support no more, when the system
was broken up." * * * "The

Indians during this period were continually
running off. Scantily clothed and still more
.scantily -supplied with food, it was not to be
wondered at. Nearly all the Gabrielinos went
north, while those of San Diego, San Luis and
San Juan overrun this country, filling the Angeles
and surrounding ranchos with more servants than

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

were required. Labor, in consequence; was very
cheap. The different missions, however, had
alcaldes continually on the move hunting them
up and carrying them back, but to no purpose; it
was labor in vain."

"Even under the dominion of the church in
mission days," Reid says, "the neophytes were
addicted both to drinking and gaming, with an
inclination to steal"; but after their emancipation
they went from bad to worse. Those attached to
the ranchos and those located in the town were
virtually slaves. They had bosses or owners and
when they ran away were captured and returned
to their master. The sindico's account book
for 1840 contains this item "For delivery of two
Indians to their boss, $12.00."

The Indian village on the river between what
is now Aliso and First streets was a sink hole of
crime. It was known as the "pucblito'' or little
town. Time and again the neighboring citizens
petitioned for its removal. In 1846 it was de-
molished and the Indians removed to the "Spring
of the Abilas" across the river, but their removal
did not improve their morals.

In 1847, when the American soldiers were
stationed here, the new pueblito became so vile
that Colonel Stevenson ordered the city author-
ities either to keep the dissolute characters out of
it or destroy it. The authorities decided to allot
land to the families on the outskirts of the city,
keeping them dispersed as much as possible.
Those employing Indian servants were required
to keep them on their premises; but even these
precautions did not prevent the Indians from
drunkenness and debauchery. Vicente Guerrero,
the sindico, discussing the Indian question before
the ayuntamientosaid: "The Indians are so utterly
depraved that no matter where they may settle
down their conduct would be the same, since they
look upon death even with indifference, provided
they can indulge in their pleasures and vices."

After the downfall of the missions some of the
more daring of the neophytes escaped to the
mountains. Joining the wild tribes there, they
became leaders in frequent predatory excursions
on the horses and cattle of the settlers in the
valleys. They were hunted and shot down like
wild beasts.

After the discovery of gold and American
immigration began to pour into California the
neophyte sunk to lower depths. The vineyards
of Los Angeles became immensly profitable,
grapes retailing at twenty-five cents a pound in
San FrancLsco. The Indians constituted the
labor element of Los Angeles, and many of them
were skillful viiieyardists Unprincipled em-
ployers paid them off in aguardiente, a fiery liquid
distilled from grapes. Even when paid in money

there were unscrupulous wretches ready to sell
them strong drink; the consequences w^ere that
on Saturday night after they received their pay
they assembled at their rancherias and all, young
and old, men and women, spent the night in
drunkenness, gambling and debauchery. On-
Sunday afternoon the marshal with his Indian
alcaldes, who had been kept sober by being
locked up in jail, proceeded to gather the drunk-
en wretches into a big corral in the rear of the
Downey Block. On Monday morning they were
put up at auction and sold for a week to the viiie-
yardists at prices ranging from one to three dol-
lars, one third of which was paid to the slave at
the end of the week, usually in aguardiente.
Then another Saturday night of debauchery, fol-
lowed by the Monday auction and in two or three
years at most the Indian was dead. In less than
a quarter of a century after the American occupa-
tion, dissipation and epidemics of smallpox had
settled the Indian question in Los Angeles —
settled it by the extinction of the Indian.

What became of the vast mission estates? As
the cattle were killed off the different ranchos of
the mission domains, settlers petitioned the ay-
untamiento for grants. If upon investigation it
was found that the land asked for was vacant the
petition was referred to the Governor for his ap-
proval. In this way the vast mission domains
passed into private hands. The country im-
proved more in wealth and population between
1836 and 1846 than in the previous fifty years.
Secularization was destruction to the mission and
death to the Indian, but it was beneficial to the
country at large. The passing of the neophyte
had begun long before the decrees of secular-
ization were enforced. Nearlv all the missions
passed their zenith in population during the sec-
ond decade of the century. Even had the mis-
sionary establishments not been secularized they
would eventually have been depopulated. At no
time during mission rule were the number of
births equal to the number of deaths. When re-
cruits could no longer be obtained from the
Gentiles or wild Indians the decline became more
rapid. The mission annals show that from 1769
to 1834, when secularization was enforced — an
interval of 65 years —79,000 converts were bap-
tized and 62,000 deaths recorded. The death
rate among the neophytes was about twice that
of the negro in this country and four times that
of the white race. The extinction of the neo-
phyte or mission Indian was due to the enforce-
ment of that inexorable law or decree of nature,
the Survival of the Fittest. Where a stronger race
comes in contact with a weaker there can be but
one ending to the contest — the extermination of
the weaker.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER IX,

A DECADE OF REVOLUTIONS.

6^ HE decade between 1830 and 1840 was the
fn era of California revolutions. Los Angeles
\G\ ^^'^^ '^'*^ storm center of the political dis-
^^ tiirbances that agitated the territory. Most
of them originated there, and those that had their
origin in some other quarter veered to the town
before their fur)' was spent. The town produced
prolific crops of statesmen in the '30s, and it must
be said that it still maintains its reputation in
that line. Tlie Augeleiios of that day seemed to
consider that the safety of the territory and the
liberty of its inhabitants rested on them. The
patriots of the south were hostile to the office-
holders of the north and yearned to tear thestaie
in two, as they do to-day, in order that there
might be more offices to fill. A history of Los
Angeles, with the story of its revolutions left out,
would be like the play of Hamlet with Hamlet
left out.

From the downfall of Spanish domination in
California in 1 822 to the close of that decade there
had been but few disturbances. The only politi-
cal outbreak of any consequence had been Solis'
and Henera's attempt to revolutionize the terri-
tory in the interest of Spain. Argiiello, who had
succeeded Sola as governor, and Echeandia, who
filled the office from 1825 to the close of the dec-
ade, were men of liberal ideas. They had to
contend against the Spanish-born missionaries,
who were bitterly opposed to republican ideas.
Serria, the president of the Missions, and a num-
ber of the priests under him, refused to swear
allegiance to the Republic. Serria wassuspended
from office and one or two of the friars deported
from the country. Their disloyalty brought about
the beginning of the movement for secularization
of the missions, as narrated in the previous chap-
ter. Echeandia, in 1829. had elaborated a plan
for their secularization, but was superseded by
Victoria before he could put it in operation.

Manuel Victoria was appointed governor in
March, 1830, but did not reach California until
the last month of the year. \'ictoria very soon
became unpopular. He undertook to overturn
the civil authority and substitute military rule.
He recommended the abolition of the ayuntamien-
tos and refused to call together the territorial

diputacion. He exiled Don Abel Stearns and
Jose Antonio Carrillo; and at different times, on
trumped-up charges, had half a hundred of the
leading citizens of Los Angeles incarcerated in
the pueblo jail. Alcalde \'icente Sanchez was
the petty despot of the pueblo who carried out the
tyrannical decrees of his master, Victoria. Among
others who were imprisoned in the cuartel was
Jose Maria Avila. Avila was proud, haughty
and overbearing. He had incurred the hatred of
both \'ictoria and Sanchez. Sanchez, under or-
ders from Victoria, placed Avila in prison, and
to humiliate him put him in irons. Avila brooded
over the indignities inflicted upon him and vowed
to be revenged.

Victoria's persecutions became so unbearable
that Pio Pico, Juan Bandini and Jo.se Antonio
Carrillo raised the standard of revolt at San Diego
and issued a pronunciamiento, in which they set
forth the reasons why they felt themselves
obliged to rise against the tyrant, \'ictoria. Pablo
de Portilla, comandante of the presidio of San
Diego, and his officers, with a force of fifty sol-
diers, joined the revolutionists and marched to
Los Angeles. Saiichez' prisoners were released
and he was chained up in the pueblo jail. Here
Portilla'sforce was recruited to two hundred men.
Avila and a number of the other released prison-
ers joined the revolutionists, and all marched
forth to meet Victoria, who was moving south-
ward with an armed force to suppress the insur-
rection. The two forces met on the plains of
Cahuenga, west of the pueblo, at a place known
as the Lomitas de la Canada de Breita. The
sight of his persecutor so infuriated Avila that
alone he rushed upon him to run him through
with his lance. Captain Pacheco, of Victoria's
staflf, parried the lance thrust. Avila shot him
dead with one of his pistols and again attacked
the governor and succeeded in wounding him,
when he himself received a pistol ball that un-
horsed him . After a desperate .struggle (in which
he seized \'ictoria by the foot and dragged him
from his horse) he was shot by one of Victoria's
soldiers, Portilla's army fell back in a panic to
Los Angeles and Victoria's men carried the
wounded governor to the Mission San Gabriel,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI^ RECORD.

where his wounds were dressed b}- Joseph Chap-
man, who to his inan\^ other accomplishments
added that of amateur surgeon. Some citizens
who had taken no part iu the fight brought the
bodies of Avila and Pacheco to the town. "The}'
were taken to the same house, the same hands
rendered them the last sad rites, and the}- were
laid side bj- side. Side by side knelt their widows
and mingled their tears, while sympathizing
countrymen chanted the solemn prayers of the
church for the repose of the soul.s of these un-
timely dead. Side by side beneath the orange
and the. olive in the liltle churchyard upon one
plaza sleep the slayer and the slain. "*

Next day, Victoria, supposing himself mortally
wounded, abdicated and turned over the gover-
norship of the territory to Echeandia. He re-
signed the office December 9, 1831, having been
governor a little over ten months. When Vic-
toria was able to travel he was sent to San Diego,
from where he was deported to Mexico, San
Diego borrowing $125 from the ayuntamiento of
Los Angeles to pa)' the expense of shipping him
out of the countr}'. Several years afterwards the
mone)' had not been repaid, and the town council
began proceedings to recover it, but there is no
record in the archives to show that it was ever
paid. And thus it was that California got rid of
a bad governor and Los Angeles incurred a bad
debt.

January 10, 1832, the territorial legislature met
at Los Angeles to choose a "gefe politico," or
governor, for the territory. Echeandia was in-
vited to preside, but replied from San Juan Ca-
pistrano that he was busy getting Victoria out of
the country. The diputacion, after waiting some
time and receiving no satisfaction from Echean-
dia whether he wanted the office or not, declared
Pio Pico, by virtue of his office of senior vocal,
"gefe politico."

No sooner had Pico been sworn into office than
Echeandia discovered that he wanted the office
and wanted it badly. He came to Los Angeles
from San Diego. He protested against the action
of the diputacion and intrigued against Pico.
Another revolution was threatened. Los Angeles
favored Echeandia, although all the other towns
in the territory had accepted Pico. (Pico at that
time was a resident of San Diego.) A mass-
meeting was called on February 12, 1S32, at Los
Angeles to discuss the question whether it should
be Pico or Echeandia. I give the report of the
meeting in the quaint language of the pueblo ar-
chives:

"The town, acting in accord with the Most
Illustrious Ayuntamiento, answered in a loud
voice, saying they would not admit Citizen Pio

Pico as 'gefe politico,' but desired that Lt. Col.
Citizen Jose Maria Echeandia be retained in office
until the supreme government appoint. Then
the president of the meeting, seeing the determi-
nation of the people, asked the motive or reason
of refusing Citizen Pio Pico, who was of unblem-
shed character. To this the people responded
that while it was true that Citizen Pio Pico was
to some extent qualified, yet they preferred Lt.
Col. Citizen Jose Ma. Echeandia. The president
of the meeting then asked the people whether
they had been bribed, or was it merely insubor-
dination that they opposed the resolution of the
Most Eccellent Diputacion ? Whereupon the
people answered that they had not been bribed
nor were they insubordinate, but that they op-
posed the proposed 'gefe politico' because he had
not been named by the supreme government."

At a public meeting on February 19 the matter
was again brought up. Again the people cried
out, ' 'they would not recognize or obey any other
gefe politico than Echeandia." The Most Illus-
trious Ayuntaiuiento opposed Pio Pico for two
reasons: "First, because his name appeared first
on the plan to oust Gefe Politico Citizen Manuel
Victoria," and "Second, because he, Pico, had
not sufficient capacity to fulfil the duties of the
office." Then Jose Perez and Jose Antonio Car-
rillo withdrew from the meeting, saying they
would not recognize Echeandia as ' 'gefe politico. ' '
Pico, after holding the office for twenty days, re-
signed for the sake of peace. And this was the
length of Pico's first term as governor.

Echeandia, by obstinacy and intrigue, had ob-
tained the coveted office of "gefe politico," but
he did not long enjoy it in peace. News came from
Monterey that Captain Augustin V. Zamorauo
had declared himself governor and was gathering
a force to invade the south and enforce his au-
thority. Echeandia began at once marshaling
his forces to oppose him. Ybarra, Zamorano's
military chief, with a force of one hundred men,
by a forced march reached Paso de Bartolo, on
the >San Gabriel River, where fifteen years later
Stockton fought the Mexican troops under Flores.
Here Ybarra found Captain Borroso posted with a
piece of artillery and fourteen men. He did not
dare to attack him. Echeandia and Borroso
gathered a force of a tliousand 'neophytes at Paso
de Bartolo, where they drilled them in military
evolutions. Ybarra's troops had fallen back to
Santa Barbara, where he was joined by Zamo
rano with reinforcements. Ybarra's force was
largely made up of ex-convicts and other unde-
sirable characters, who took what they needed,
asking no questions of the owners. The Ange-
lefioi, fearing those marauders, gave their adhe-
sion to Zamorano's plan and recognized him as

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

militarj- chief of the territorj'. Captain Borroso,
Echeandia's faithful adheieut, disgusted with the
fickleness of the Angeleiios, at the head of a
thousand mounted Indians, threatened to invade
the recalcitrant pueblo, but at the intercession
of the frightened inhabitants this modern Corio-
lanus turned aside and regaled his neophyte re-
tainers on the fat bullocks of the Mission San
Gabriel, much to the disgust of the mission
padres. The neophyte warriors were disbanded
and sent to their respective missions.

A peace was patched up between Zamorano and
Echeandia. Alta California was divided into two
territories. Echeandia was given jurisdiction
over all south of San Gabriel and Zamorano all
north of San Fernando. This division appar-
ently left a neutral district, or "no man's land,"
between. Whether Los Angeles was in this neu-
tral territory the records do not show. If it was,
it is probable that neither of the governors
wanted the job of governing the recalcitrant
pueblo.

In January, 1833, Governor Figueroa arrived in
California. Echeandia and Zamorano each sur-
rendered his half of the divided territory to the
newly appointed governor, and California was
united and at peace. Figueroa proved to be the
right man for the times. He conciliated the fac-
tions and brought order out of chaos. The two
most important events in Figueroa's term of office
were the arrival of the Hijar Colony in Califor-
nia and the secularization of the missions. These
events were most potent factors in the evolution
of the territory.

In 1S33 the first California colonization scheme
was inaugurated in Mexico. At the head of this
was Jose Maria Hijar, a Mexican gentleman of
wealth and influence. He was a.ssisted in its pro-
mulgation by Jose M. Padres, an adventurer, who
had been banished from California by Governor
Victoria. Padres, like some of our modern real
estate boomers, pictured the country as an earthly
paradise — an improved and enlarged Garden of
Eden. Among other inducements held out to
the colonists, it is said, was the promise of a di-
vision among them of the mission property and a
distribution of the neophytes for servants.

Headquarters were established at the City of
Mexico and two hundred and fifty colonists en-
listed. Each faniilx- received a bonus of $io.co,
and all were to receive free transportation to
California and rations while on the journey. Each
head of a family was promised a farm from the
public domain, live stock and farming imple-
ments; these advances to be paid for on the in-
stallment plan. The original plan was to found
a colony somewhere north of San Francisco Bay,
but this was not carried out. Two vessels were

dispatched with the colonists— the Morelos and
the Natalia. The latter was compelled to put
into San Diego on account of sickness on board.
She reached that port September i, 1S34. A part
of the colonists on board her were sent to San
Pedro and from there they were taken to Los An-
geles and San Gabriel. The Morelos reached
Monterey September 25. Hijar had been ap-
pointed governor of California by President Farias,
but after the sailing of the expedition Santa Anna,
who had succeeded Farias, dispatched a courier
overland with a countermanding order. By one
of the famous rides of history, Amador, the
courier, made the journey from the City of Mex-
ico to Monterey in forty days and delivered his
message to Governor Figueroa. When Hijar ar-
rived he found to his dismay that he was only a
private citizen of the territory instead of its gov-
ernor. The colonization scheme was abandoned
and the immigrants distributed themselves
throughout the territory. Generally they were
a good class of citizens, and man}' of them be-
came prominent in California affairs. Of those
who located in Los Angeles may be named
Ignacio Coronel and his son, Antonio F. Coronel,
Augustin Olvera, the first county judge of Los
Angeles; Victor Prudon, Jose M. Covarrubias
and Charles Baric.

That storm center of political disturbances,
Los Angeles, produced but one small revolution
during Figueroa's term as governor. A party of
fifty or sixty Sonorans, some of whom were
Hijar colonists who were living either in
the town or its immediate neighborhood, as-
sembled at Los Nietos on the night of March
7, 1835. They formulated a pronunciamiento
against Don Jose Figueroa, in which they
first vigorously arraigned him for sins of omis-
sion and commission and then laid down
their plan for the government of the territory.
Armed with this formidable document and a few
muskets and lances, these patriots, heade*d by
Juan Gallado, a coblsler, and Felipe Castillo, a
cigarmaker. in the gray lightof the morning rode
into the pueblo, took possession of the town hall
and the big cannon and the ammunition that had
been stored there when the Indians of San Luis
Rey had threatened hostilities. The .slumbering
inhabitants were aroused from their dreams of
peace by the drum beat of war. The terrified
citizens rallied to thejuzgado, the ayuntamiento
met, the cobbler statesman, Gallado, presented
his plan; it was discussed and rejected. The
revolutionists, after holding possession of the
]nieblo throughout the day, tired, hungry and
disa]ipointed in not receiving their pay for saving
the country, surrendered to the legal authorities
the real leaders of the revolution and disbanded.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

The leaders proved to be Torres, a clerk, and
Apalategui, a doctor, both supposed to be emis-
saries of Hijar. They were imprisoned at San
Gabriel. When news ot the revolt reached
Figueroa he had Hijar and Padres arrested for
complicity in the outbreak. Hijar, with half a
dozen of his adherents, was shipped back to Mex-
ico. And thus the man who the year before had
landed in California with a commission as gov-
ernor and authority to take possession of all the
property belonging to the missions, returned to
his native land an exile. His grand colonization
scheme and his "Compaiiia Cosmopolitana" that
was to revolutionize California commerce were
both disastrous failures.

Governor Jose Figueroa died at Monterej' Sep-
tember 29, 1835. He is generally regarded as
the best of the Mexican governors sent to Cali-
fornia. He was of Aztec extraction and was
proud of his Indian blood. Governor Figueroa
during his last sickness turned over the political
command of the territory to Jose Castro, senior
vocal, who then became "gefe politico." Los
Angeles refused to recognize his authority. By
a decree of the Mexican congress (of which the
following is a copy) it had just been declared a
city and the capital of Alta California:

"His excellency, the president ad interim of the
United States of Mexico, Miguel Barragan.
The president ad interim of the United States
of Mexico, to the inhabitants of the republic.
Let it be known: That the general congress has
decreed the following: That the town of Los
Angeles, LTpper California, is erected to a city
and shall be for the future the capital of that
territory.
B.\SILO Arrillaga,

President House of Deputies.

Antonio Pacheco Leal,
President of the Senate.
Demetrio Del Castillo,

Secretary House of Deputies.

Manuel Mir.anda,

Secretary of the Senate.
3

I therefore order it to be printed and circu-
lated and duly complied with.

Palace of the federal government in Mexico,
May 23, 1835. Miguel Barragan."

The ayuntamiento claimed that as Los An-
geles was the capital the governor should remove
his office and archives to that city. Monterey
opposed the removal, and considerable bitterness
was engendered. This was the beginning of the
"capital war," which disturbed the peace of the
territory for ten years, and increased in bitterness
as it increased in age.

Castro held the office of gefe politico four
months and then passed it on to Colonel Gutier-
rez, military chief of the territory, who held it
about the same length of time. The supreme
government, December 16, 1835, appointed Mari-
ano Chico governor. Thus the territory had four
governors within nine months. They changed
so rapidly that there was not time to foment a
revolution.

Chico reached California in April, 1836, and
began his administration by a series of petty
tyrannies. Just before his arrival in California
a vigilance committee at Los Angeles shot to
death Gervacio Alispaz and his paramour, Maria
del Rosario Villa, for the murder of the woman's
husband, Domingo Feliz. Chico had the leaders
arrested and came down to Los Angeles with the
avowed purpose of executing Prudon, Arzaga
and .\ranjo, the president, secretary and military
commander, respectively, of the Defenders of
Public Security, as the vigilantes called them-
selves. He summoned Don Abel Stearns to
Monterey and threatened to have him shot for
some unknown or imaginary offense. He fulmi-
nated a fierce pronunciamiento against foreigners,
and, in an address before the diputacion, proved
to his own satisfaction that the country was going
to the "demnition bowwows." Exasperated be-
yond endurance, the people of Monterey rose en
masse against him, and so terrified him that he
took passage on board a brig that was lying in
the harbor and sailed for Mexico.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER X,

EL ESTADO LIBRE Y SOBERANO DE ALTA CALIFORNIA.
(The Free and Sovereign State of Alta California.)

6^ HE effort to free California from tht; domiiia-
fn tion of Mexico and make her an independ-
\Q\ enl government is an ahuost unknown
^^ chapterof her history. Los Angeles played
a very important part in California's war for In-
dependence, but unfortunately her efforts were
wrongly directed and she received neither honor
nor profit out of the part she played. Her story
of the part she played in the Revolution is told in
the Pueblo Archives. From these I derive much
of the matter given in this chapter.

The origin of the movement to make California
independent and the causes that led to an out-
break against the governing power were very
similar to those which led to our separation from
our own Mother Country — England — namely, bad
governors. Between 1830 and 1836 the territory
had had six Mexican-born governors. The best
of these, Figueroa, died in office. Of the others
the Californians deposed and deported two; and
a third was made so uncomfortable that he exiled
himself. Many of the acts of these governors
were as despotic as those of the royal governors
of the colonies before our Revolution. Cali-
fornia was a fertile field for Mexican adventurers
of broken fortunes. Mexican officers commanded
the provincial troops. Mexican officials looked
after the revenues and embezzled them and
Mexican governors ruled the territory. There
was no outlet for the ambitious native-born sons
of California. There was no chance for the hijos
del Pais (Sons of the Country) to obtain office,
and one of the most treasured prerogatives of the
free-born citizen of any Republic is the privilege
of holding office.

We closed the previous chapter of the revolu-
tionary decade with the departure of Governor
Marino Chico, who was deposed and virtually
exiled by the people of Monterey. On his de-
parture Colonel Gutierrez for the second time
became governor. He very soon made him.self'
unpopular by attempting to enforce the Central-

ist decrees of the Mexican Congress and by other
arbitary measures. He quarreled with Juan
Bautista Alvarado, the ablest of the native Cali-
fornians. Alvarado and Jose Castro raised the
standard of revolt. They gathered together a
small army of rancheros and an auxiliary force of
twenty-five American hunters and trappers under
Graham, a backwoodsman from Tennessee. By
a strategic movement the}' captured the Castillo
or fort which commanded the presidio where
Gutierrez and the Mexican army officials were
stationed. The patriots demanded the surrender
of the presidio and the arms. The governor re-
fused. The revolutionists had been able to find
but a single cannon ball in the Castillo, but this
was sufficient to do the business. A well-di-
rected shqt tore through the roof of the governor's
house, covering him and his staff with the debris
of broken tiles; this, and the desertion of most of
his soldiers to the patriots, brought him to terms.
On the 5th of November, 1S36, he surrendered
the presidio and his authority as governor. He
and about seventy of his adherents were sent
aboard a vessel lying in the harbor and shipped
out of the country.

With the Mexican governor and his officers out
of the country the next move of Castro and
Alvarado was to call a meeting of the diputacion
or territorial congress. A plan for the independ-
ence of California was adopted. This, which was
known afterwards as the Monterey plan, con-
sisted of six sections, the most important of
which are as follow^s: "First, Alta California here-
by declares itself independent from Mexico until
the Federal System of 1824 is restored. Second,
The same California is hereby declared a Free
and Sovereign vState; establishing a congress to
enact the special laws of the country and the
other necessary supreme powers. Third, The
Roman Apostolic Catholic Religion shall prevail,
no other creed shall be allowed, but the govern-
ment shall not molest anyone on account of his

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

private opinions. ' ' The diputacion issued a Dec-
laration of Independence that arraigned the
Mother Countr}' — Mexico — and her officials verj'
much in the style that our own Declaration gives
it to King George III. and England.

Castro issued a pronunciamiento ending with
Viva La Federacion ! Viva La Libertad ! Viva el
Estado Libre y Soberano de Alta California!
Thus amid Vivas and proclamations, with the
beating of drums and the booming of cannon,
El Estado Libre de Alta California (The Free
State of Alta California) was launched on the
political sea. But it was rough sailing for the
little craft. Her ship of state struck a rock and
for a time shipwreck was threatened.

For years there had been a growing jealousy
between Northern and Southern California. Los
Angeles, as has been stated in the previous chap-
ter, had by a decree of the Mexican Congress
been made the capital of the territory. Monterey
had persistently refused to give up the governor
and the archives. In the movement to make
Alta California a free and independent state, the
Angeleilos recognized an attempt on the part of
the people of the North to deprive them of the
capital. Although as bitterly opposed to Mexi-
can governors, and as active in fomenting revo-
lutions against them as the people of Monterey
the Angeleiios chose to profess loyalty to the
Mother Country. They opposed the plan of
government adopted by the Congress at Monterey
and proiuulgated a plan of their own, in which
they declared California was not free; that the
"Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion shall prevail
in this jurisdiction, and any person publicly
professing any other shall be prosecuted by law
as heretofore." A mass meeting was called to
take measures "to prevent the spreading of •
the Monterey Revolution, so that the progress of
the Nation may not be paralyzed," and to ap-
point a person to take military command of the
Department.

San Diego and San Luis Rey took the part of
Los Angeles in the quarrel, Sonoma and San
Jose joined Monterey, while Santa Barbara, al-
wa}'S conservative, was undecided, but finall)' is-
sued a plan of her own. Alvarado and Castro
determined to suppress the revolutionary An-
geleiios. They collected a force of one hundred
men made up of natives, with Graham's con-
tingent of twenty five American riflemen. With
this army they prepared to move against the
recalcitrant sureiios.

The ayuntamiento of Los Angeles began pre-
parations to resist the invaders. An army of
270 men was enrolled, a part of which was made
up of neophytes. To secure the sinews of war
Jos6 Sepulveda, second alcalde, was sent to the

Mission San Fernando to secure what money
there was in the hands of the mayor domo. He
returned with two packages which when counted
were found to contain $2,000.

Scouts patrolled the Santa Barbara road as far
as San Buenaventura to give warning of the ap-
proach of the enemy, and pickets guarded the
Pass of. Cahuenga and the Rodeo de Las Aguas
to prevent northern spies from entering and
southern traitors from getting out of the pueblo.
The southern army was stationed at San
Fernando under the command of Alferez (Lieut.)
Rocha, Alvarado and Castro pushing rapidly
down the coast reached Santa Barbara, where
they were kindly received and their force re-
cruited to 120 men with two pieces of artillery.
Jose Sepulveda at San Fernando sent to Los
Angeles for the cannon at the town house and
$200 of the mission money to pay his men.

On the i6th of January, 1837, Alvarado from
San Buenaventura dispatched a communication
to the ayuntamiento of Los Angeles and the
citizens telling them what military resources he
had, which he would use against them if it be-
came necessary, but he was willing to confer
upon a plan of settlement. Sepulveda and A.
M. Osio were appointed commissioners and sent
to confer with the governor, armed with several
propositions, the substance of which was that
California shall not be free and the Catholic
Religion must prevail with the privilege to pros-
ecute au)' other religion "according to law as
heretofore." The commissioners met Alvarado
on "neutral ground, "between San Fernando and
San Buenaventura. A long discussion followed
without either coming to the point. Alvarado,
by a coup d'etat, brought it to an end. In the
language of the commissioners' report to the
ayuntamiento: "While we were a certain dis-
tance from our own forces with only four un-
armed men and were on the point of coming to
an agreement with Juan B. Alvarado we saw the
Monterey division advancing upon us and we
were forced to deliver up the in.structions of this
Illustrious Body through fear of being attacked."
They delivered up not only the instructions but
the mission San Fernando. The southern army
was compelled to surrender it and fall back on
the pueblo; Rocha swearing worse than "our
army in Flanders" because he was not allowed
to fight. The southern soldiers had a wholesome
dread of Graham's riflemen. These fellows,
armed with long Kentucky rifles, shot to kill, and
a battle once begun somebody would have died
for his country and it would not have been
Alvarado's riflemen.

The day after the surrender of the mission,
January 21, 1837, the ayuntamiento held a session

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and the members were as obdurate and belliger-
ent as ever. Thej- resolved that it was only in
the interests of humanity that the mission had
b^an surrendered and their army forced to retire.
"This ayuntaraiento, considering the commis-
sioners were forced to comply, annuls all action
of the commissioners and does not recognize this
territory as a free and sovereign state nor Juan
B. Alvarado as its governor, and declares itself in
favor of the Supreme Government of Mexico."
A few days later Alvarado entered the city with-
out opposition, the Angelenian soldiers retiring
to Sau Gabriel and from there scattering to their
homes.

On the 26th of January, an extraordinary ses-
sion of the most illustrious ayuntamiento was
held. Alvarado was present and made a lengthy
speech, in which he said, "the native sons were
subjected to ridicule by the Mexican mandarins
s;nt here, and knowing our rights we ought to
shake off the ominous yoke of bondage." Then
he produced and read the six articles of the Mon-
terey plan, the Council also produced a plan and
a treaty of amity was effected. Alvarado was
recognized as Governor pro tem and peace
reigned. The belligerent sureiios vied with each
other in expressing their admiration for the new
order of things. Pio Pico wished to express the
pleasure it gave him to see a "hijo del pais" in
office. And Antonio Osio, the most belligerent
of the surenos, declared "that sooner than again
submit to a Mexican dictator as governor, he
would flee to the forest and be devoured by wild
beasts." The ayuntamiento was asked to pro-
vide a building for the government, "this being
the capital of the State." The hatchet apparently
was buried. Peace reigned in El Estado Libre.

At the meeting of the town council on the 30th
of January, Alvarado made another speech, but
it was neither conciliatory nor complimentary.
He arraigned the "traitors who were working
against the peace of the country" and urged the
members to take measures "to liberate the city
from the hidden hands that will tangle them in
their own ruin. ' ' The pay of his troops who were
ordered here for the welfare of California is due
"and it is an honorable and preferred debt, there-
r>re the ayuntamiento will deliver to the govern-
ment the San Fernando money," said he. With
a wry face, very much such as a boy wears when
he is told that he has been spanked for his own
good, the alcalde turned over the balance of the
mission money to Juan Bautista, and the governor
took his departure for Monterey, leaving, how-
ever, Col. Jose Castro with part of his army
stationed at Mission vSan Gabriel, ostensibly "to
support the city's authority," but in reality to
keep a close watch on the city authorities.

Los Angeles was subjugated, peace reigned
and El Estado Libre de Alta California took her
place among the nations of the earth. But peace's
reign was brief. At the meeting of the ayun-
tamiento May 27, 1838, Juan Bandini and San-
tiago E. Argtiello of San Diego, appeared with a
pronunciamieiito and a plan — San Diego's plan of
government. Monterey, Santa Barbara and Los
Angeles had each formulated a plan of govern-
ment for the territory and now it was San Diego's
turn. Augustin V. Zamorano, who had been
exiled with Gov. Gutierrez, had crossed the fron-
tier and was made Comandante-General and
Territorial Political Chief ad interim by the San
Diego revolutionists. The plan restored Califor-
nia to obedience to the supreme Government; all
acts of the diputacion and the Monterey plan
were annulled and the northern rebels were to be
arraigned and tried for their part in the revolu-
tion; and so on through twenty articles.

On the plea of an Indian outbreak near San
Diego, in which the red men, it was said, "were
to make an end of the white race, ' ' the big can-
non and a number of men were secured at Los
Angeles to assist in suppressing the Indians, but
in reality to reinforce the army of the San Diego
revolutionists. With a force of 125 men under
Zamorano and Portilla, "the army of the Supreme
Government" moved against Castro at Los
Angeles. Castro retreated to Santa Barbara and
Portilla's army took position at San Fernando.

The civil and military officials of Los Angeles
took the oath to support the Mexican constitution
of 1836 and, in their opinion, this absolved them
from all allegiance to Juan Bautista and his Mon-
terey plan. Alvarado hurried reinforcements to
Castro at Santa Barbara, and Portilla called
loudly for "men, arms and horses," to march
against the northern rebels. But neither military
chieftain advanced, and the summer wore away
without a battle. There were rumors that Mexico
was preparing to send an army of 1,000 men to
subjugate the rebellious Californians. In October
came the news that Josi^ Antonio Carrillo, the
Machiavelli of California politics, had persuaded
President Bustamente to appoint Carlos Carrillo,
Jost^'s brother, governor of Alta California.

Then consternation seized the arribanas (up-
pers) of the north and the abajanos (lowers) of
Los Angeles went wild with joy. It was not that
they loved Carlos Carrillo, for he was a Santa
Barbara man and had opposed them in the late
unpleasantness, but they saw in his appointment
an opportunity to get revenge on Juan Bauti.sta
for the way he had humiliated them. They .sent
congratulatory messages to Carrillo and invited
him to make Los Angeles the seat of his govern-
ment. Carrillo was flattered by their attentions

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and consented. The 6tli of December, 1837, was
set for his iuauguratioii, and great preparations
were made for the event. The big cannon was
brought over from San Gabriel to fire salutes and
the city was ordered illuminated on the nights of
the 6th, 7th and 8th of December. Cards of in-
vitation were issued and the people from the cit}'
and countr}' were invited to attend the inaugura-
tion ceremonies, "dressed as decent as possible,"
so read the invitations.

The widow Josefa Alvarado's house, the finest
in the citj', was secured for the Governor's palacio
(palace). The largest hall in the citj' was se-
cured for the services and decorated as well as it
was possible. The city treasury, being in its
usual state of collapse, a subscription for defray-
ing the expenses was opened and horses, hides
and tallow, the current coin of the pueblo, were
liberally contributed.

On the appointed day, "The Most Illustrious
Ayuntamiento and the citizens of the neighbor-
hood (so the old archives read) met his Excel-
lency, the Governor, Don Carlos Carrillo, who
made his appearance with a magnificent accom-
paniment." The secretary', Narciso Botello,
"read in a loud, clear and intelligible voice, the
oath and the Governor repeated it after him."
At the moment the oath was completed, the
artillerj' thundered forth a salute and the bells
rang out a merr}- peal. The Governor made a
speech, when all adjourned to the church, where
a mass was said and a solemn Te Deum sung;
after which all repaired to the house of His Ex-
cellenc}', where the southern patriots drank his
health in bumpers of wine and shouted them-
selves hoarse in vivas to the new government.
An inauguration ball was held — the "beautj' and
the chivalry of the south were gathered there."
The lamps shown o'er fair women and brave men.
And it was:

"On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till mora, when youth and pleasure meet
To chase the glowing liours with flying feet."

Outside the tallow dips flared and flickered from
the porticos of the houses, bonfires blazed in the
streets and cannon boomed salvos from the old
plaza. Eos Angeles was the capital at last and
had a governor all to herself, for Santa Barbara
refused to recognize Carrillo, although he be-
longed within its jurisdiction.

The Angeleiios determined to subjugate the
Barbarefios. An army of 200 men, under Cas-
tenada, was sent to capture the city. After a few
futile demon.strations, Castefiada's forces fell back
to San Buenaventura.

Then Alvarado determined to subjugate the
Angeleiios. He and Castro, gathering together

an army of 200 men, b}- forced marches they
reached San Buenaventura, and by a strategic
movement captured all of Casteiiada's horses and
drove his army into the Mission Church. For
two days the battle raged and, "cannon to the
right of them," and "cannon in front of them
volle3'ed and thundered." One man was killed
on the northern side and the blood of several
mustangs watered the soil of their native land —
died for their country. The southerners slipped
out of the church at night and fled up the valley
on foot. Next day Castro's caballeros captured
about 70 prisoners. Pio Pico, with reinforce-
ments from San Diego, met the demoralized rem-
nants of Casteiiada's army at the Santa Clara
River, and together all fell back to Los Angeles.
Then there was wailing in the old pueblo, where
so lately there had been rejoicing. Gov. Carlos
Carrillo gathered together what men he could get
to go with him and retreated to San Diego. Alva-
rado's armj' took possession of the southern cap-
ital and some of the leading conspirators were
sent as prisoners to Vallejo's bastile at Sonoma.

Carrillo, at San Diego, received a small rein-
forcement from Mexico, under a Captain Tobar.
Tobar was made general and given command of
the southern army. Carrillo, having recovered
from his fright, sent an order to the northern
rebels to surrender within fifteen days under pen-
alty of being shot as traitors if they refused. In
the meantime Los Angeles was held by the
enemy. The second alcalde (the first, Louis
Aranas, was a prisoner) called a meeting to de-
vise some means "to have his excellency, Don
Carlos Carrillo, return to this capital, as his pres-
ence is very much desired by the citizens to pro-
tect their lives and property'." A committee was
appointed to find Don Carlos.

Instead of surrendering, Castro and Alvarado,
with a force of 200 men, advanced against
Carrillo. The two armies met at Campo de Las
Flores. General Tobar had fortified a cattle
corral with raw hides, carretas and cottonwood
poles. A few shots from Alvarado's artillery
scattered Tobar's rawhide fortifications. Carrillo
surrendered. Tobar and a few of the leaders es-
caped to Mexico. Alvarado ordered the mis-
guided Angeleiiian soldiers to go home and
laehave themselves. He brought the captive gov-
ernor back with him and left him with his (Car-
rillo's) wife at Ventura, who became surety for
the deposed ruler. Not content with his unfor-
tunate attempts to rule, he again claimed the
governorship on the plea that he had been ap-
pointed by the supreme government. But the
Antjeleiios had had enough of him. Disgusted
with his incompetency, Juan Gallardo, at the
session of May 14, 1838, presented a petition

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

praying that this aj'uutamieiito do not recogiii/.e
Carlos Carrillo as governor, and setting forth the
reasons why we, the petitioners, "should declare
ourselves subject to the northern governor" and
why they opposed Carrillo.

"First. In having compromised the people
from San Buenaventura south into a declaration
of war, the incalculable calamities of which will
never be forgotten, not even by the most ignor-
ant."

"Second. Not satisfied with the unfortunate
event of San Buenaventura, he repeated the same
at Campo de Las Fiores, which, only through a
diviue dispensation, California is not to-day in
mourning." Seventy citizens signed the peti-
tion, but the city attorney, who had done time in
Vallejo's bastile, decided the petition illegal be-
cause it was written on common paper when
paper with the proper seal could be obtained.

Next day Gallardo returned with his petition
on legal paper. The ayuntamiento decided to
sound the "public alarm" and call the people to-
gether to give them "public speech." The public
alarm was sounded. The people assembled at
the city hall; speeches were made on both sides;
and when the vote was taken 22 were in favor of
the northern governor, 5 in favor of whatever the
ayuntamiento decides, aud Serbiilo Vareles alone
voted for Don Carlos Carrillo. So the council
decided to recognize Don Juan Bautista Alvarado
as governor and leave the supreme government to
settle the contest between him and Carrillo.

Notwithstanding this apparent burying of the
hatchet, there were rumors of plots and intrigues
in Los Angeles and San Diego against Alvarado.
At length, aggravated beyond endurance, the
governor sent word to the surefios that if they did
not behave themselves he would shoot ten of the
leading men of the south. As he had about that
number locked up in the Castillo at Sonoma, his
was no idle threat.

One by one Alvarado's prisoners of state were
released from Vallejo's bastile at Sonoma and re-
turned to Los Angeles, sadder if not wiser men.
At the session of the ayuntamiento October 20,
183S, the president announced that Senior Regi-
dor Jos(? Palomares had returned from Sonoma,
where he had been compelled to go by rea.son of
"political differences," and that he should be al-
lowed his seat in the council. The request was
granted unanimously.

At the ne.Kl meeting Narciso Bulello, its former
secretary, after five and a half months' imprison-
ment at Sonoma, put in an appearance and claimed
his office and his pay. Although others had
filled the office in the interim the illustrious
ayuntamiento, "ignoring for what offense he was
incarcerated, could not suspend his salary." But
his salary was suspended. The treasury was
empty. The last horse and the last hide had been
paid out to defray the expenses of the inaugura-
tion festivities of Carlos, the Pretender, and the
civil war that followed. Indeed, there was a
treasury deficit of whole caballadas and bales of
hides. Narciso' s back pay was a preferred claim
that outlasted El Estado Libre.

The surenos of Los Angeles and San Diego,
finding that in Alvarado they had a man of cour-
age and determination to deal with, ceased from
troubling him and submitted to the inevitable.

At the meeting of the ayuntamiento October 5,
1839, a notification was received stating that the
supreme government of Mexico had appointed
Juan Bautista Alvarado "Governner of the De-
partment." There was no grumbling or dissent.
On the contrary the records say, "This Illustri-
ous Bod}- acknowledges receipt of the communi-
cation and congratulates His Excellency. It will
announce the same to the citizens to-morrow
(Sunday), will raise the national colors, salute
the same with the required number of volleys,
and will invite the people to illuminate their
houses for a better display in rejoicing at such a
happy appointment." With his appointment by
the supreme government the "Free and sovereign
state of Alta California" became a dream of the
past — a dead nation. Indeed, months before
Alvarado had abandoned his idea of founding an
independent state and had taken the oath of alle-
giance to the constitution of 1836. The loyal
sureiios received no thanks from the supreme
government for all their professions of loyalty,
whilst the rebellious arribanos of the north ob-
tained all the rewards — the governor, the capital
and the offices. The supreme government gave
the deposed governor, Carlos Carrillo, a grant of
the island of Santa Rosa, in the Santa Barbara
Channel, but whether it was given him as a salve
to his wounded dignity or as an Elba or St.
Helena, where, in the event of his stirring up an-
other revolution, he might be banished a la
Napoleon, the records do not inform us.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XL

THE CLOSING YEARS OF MEXICAN RULE.

6^ HE decade of revolutions closed with
fn Alvarado firmly established as Governor of
l^ the Department of the Californias. (By the
^^ constitution of 1836 Upper and Lower Cali-
fornia had been united into a department.)
The liijos del pais had triumphed. A native son
was governor of the department; another native
son was comandante of its military forces. The
membership of the departmental junta, which
had taken the place of the diputacion, was largely
made up of sons of the soil, and natives filled the
minor ofiices. In their zeal to rid themselves of
Mexican oSice-holders they had invoked the
assistance of another element that was ultimately
to be their undoing.

During the revolutionary era just passed the
foreign population had largely increased. Not
only had the foreigners come by sea, but they had
come by land. Captain Jedediah S. Smith, a
New England-born trapper and hunter, was the
first man to enter California by the overland
route. He came in 1826 by the way of Great
Salt Lake and the Rio Virgin, then across the
desert through the Cajon Pass to San Gabriel and
Los Angeles. On his return he crossed the
Sierra Nevadas, and, following up the Humboldt
River, returned to Great Salt Lake. He was
the first white man to cross the Sierra Nevadas.
A number of trappers and hunters came in
the early '30s from New Mexico by way of
the old Mexican trail. This immigration was
largely American, and was made up of a bold,
adventurous class of men, some of them not the
most desirable immigrants. Of this latter class
were most of Graham's followers.

By invoking Graham's aid to put him in power,
Alvarado had fastened upon his shoulders an old
man of the sea. It was easy enough to enlist the
services of Graham's riflemen, but altogether an-
other matter to get rid of them. Now that he was
firmly established in power, Alvarado would, no
doubt, have been glad to be rid entirely of his
recent allies, but Graham and his adherents were
not backward in giving him to understand that he
owed his position to them, and they were inclined
to put themselves on an equality with him. This

did not comport with his ideas of the dignity of
his office. To be hailed by some rough buckskin-
clad trapper with "Ho! Bautista; come here, I
want to speak with you," was an affront to his
pride that the governor of the two Californias
could not quietly pass over, and, besides, like all
of his countrymen, he disliked foreigners.

There were rumors of another revolution, and
it was not difficult to persuade Alvarado that the
foreigners were plotting to revolutionize Califor-
nia. Mexico had recently lost Texas, and the
same class of "malditos extranjeros" (wicked
strangers) were invading California, and would
ultimately possess themselves of the country.
Accordingly, secret orders were sent throughout
the department to arrest and imprison all foreign-
ers. Over one hundred men of different nation-
alities were arrested, principally American and
English. Of these forty-seven were shipped to
San Bias, and from there marched overland to
Tepic, where they were imprisoned for several
months. Through the efforts of the British con-
sul, Barron, they were released. Castro, who
had accompanied the prisoners to Mexico to pre-
fer charges against them, was placed under arrest
and afterwards tried by court-martial, but was
acquitted. He had been acting under orders from
his superiors. After an absence of over a year
twenty of the exiles landed at Monterey on their re-
turn from Mexico. Robinson, who saw them land,
says: "They returned neatly dressed, armed with
rifies and swords, and looking in much better
condition than when they were sent away, or
probably than they had ever looked in their lives
before." The Mexican government had been
compelled to pay them damages for their arrest
and imprisonment and to return them to Califor-
nia. Graham, the reputed leader of the foreign-
ers, was the owner of a distillery near Santa
Cruz, and had gathered a number of hard char-
acters around him. It would have been no loss
had he never returned.

The only other event of imporlance during
Alvarado' s term as governor was the capture of
Monterey by Commodore Ap Catesby Jones, of
the United States navy. This event happened

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

after Alvarado's successor, Miclieltoreua, had
landed in California, but before the government
had been formally turned over to him.

The following extract from the diary of a
pioneer and former resident of Los Angeles who
was an ej-e-witness of the affair, gives a good
description of the capture:

"MoNTEREv, Oct. 19, 1842. — At 2 p. ni. the
United States man-of-war 'United States,' Com-
modore Ap Catesby Jones, came to anchor close
alongside and' inshore of all the ships in port.
About 3 p. m. Captain Armstrong came ashore,
accompanied bj- an interpreter, and went direct
to the governor's house, where he had a private
conversation with him, which proved to be a de-
mand for the surrender of the entire coast of
California, LTpper and Lower, to the United
States government. When he was about to go
on board he gave three or four copies of a proc-
lamation to the inhabitants of the two Califor-
nias, assuring them of the protection of their
lives, persons and property. In his notice to the
governor (Alvarado) he gave him only until the
following morning at 9 a. m. to decide. If he
received no answer, then he would fire upon the
town."

"I remained on shore that night and went
down to the governor's, with Mr. Larkin and
Mr. Eagle. The governor had had some idea of
running awa\' and leaving Monterey to its fate,
but was told by Mr. Spence that he should not
go, and finally he resolved to await the result.
At 12 at night some persons were sent on board
the United States who had been appointed by
the governor to meet the commodore and ar-
range the terras of the surrender. Next morning
at half-past ten o'clock about 100 sailors and 50
marines disembarked'. The sailors marched up
from the shore and took possession of the fort.
The American colors were hoisted. The United
States fired a salute of thirteen guns; it was
returned b}' the fort, which fired twenty-six
guns. The marines in the meantime had
marched up to the government house. The offi-
cers and soldiers of the California government
were discharged and their guns and other arms
taken possession of and carried to the fort. The
stars and stripes now wave over us. Long may
they wave here in California!"

"October 21st, 4 p. m. — Flags were again
changed, the vessels were released, and all was
quiet again. The commodore had received later
news by some Mexican newspapers."

CommodDre Jones had been stationed at Callao
with a squadron of four vessels. An English
fleet was also there, and a French fleet w-as cruis-
ing in the Pacific. Both these were supposed to
have designs on California. Jones learned that

the English admiral had received orders to sail
next day. Surmising that his destination might
be California, he slipped out of the harbor the
night before and crowded all sail to reach Cali-
fornia befoie the English admiral.

The loss of Texas, and the constant influx of
immigrants and adventurers from the United
States into California, had embittered the Mexi-
can government more and more against foreign-
ers. Manuel Micheltorena, who had served un-
der Santa Anna in the Texan war, was appointed
January 19, 1842, comandante-general inspector
and gobernador propietario of the Californias.

Santa Anna was president of the Mexican
Republic. His experience with Americans in
Texas during the Texan war of independence,
in 1836-37, had determined him to use every ef-
fort to prevent California from sharing the fate
of Texas.

Micheltorena, the newly-appointed governor,
was instructed to take wnth him sufficient force
to check the ingress of Americans. He recruited
a force of 350 men, principally convicts enlisted
from the prisons of Mexico. His army of thieves
and ragamuffins landed at San Diego in August,
1842.

Robinson, who was at San Diego when one of
the vessels conveying Micheltorena's cholos land-
ed, thus describes them: "Five days afterward
the brig Chato arrived with ninety soldiers and
their families. I saw them land, and to me they
presented a state of wretchedness and misery
unequaled. Not one individual among them
possessed a jacket or pantaloons, but, naked, and
like the savage Indians, they concealed their
nudity with dirty, miserable blankets. The fe-
males were not much better off, for the .scantiness
of their mean apparel was too apparent for mod-
est observers. They appeared like convicts, and,
indeed, the greater portion of them had been
charged with crime, either of murder or theft."

Micheltorena drilled his Falstafhan army at
San Diego for several weeks and then began his
march northward. Los Angeles made great prep-
arations to receive the new governor. Seven
years had passed since she had been decreed the
capital of the territory, and in all these years she
had been denied her rights by Monterey. A
favorable impression on the new governor might
induce him to make the cuidad hi.s capital. The
national fiesta of September 16 was postponed
until the arrival of the governor. The best
house in the town was secured for him and his
staff. A grand ball was projected and the city
illuminated the night of his arrival. A camp
was established down by the river and the cholos,
who in the meantime had been given white linen
uniforms, were put through the drill and the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

luaiuial uf arms. They wtre incorrigible thieves,
and stole for the very pleasure of stealing. They
robbed the hen roosts, the orchards, the vine-
yards and the vegetable gardens of the citizens.
To the Angeleiios the glory of their city as the
capital of the territory faded in the presence of
their empty chicken coops and plundered
orchards. They longed to speed the departure
of their now unwelcome gue.sts. After a stay of
a month in the city Micheltorena and his army
took up their line of march northwardly. He
had reached a point about twenty miles north of
San Fernando, when, on the night of the 24tli of
October, a messenger aroused him from his
slumbers with the news that tlie capital had been
captured by the Americans. Micheltorena seized
the occasion to make political capital for himself
with the home government. He spent the re-
mainder of the night in fulminating proclama-
tions against the invaders fiercer than the
thunderbolts of Jove, copies of which were dis-
patched post haste to Mexico. He even wished
himself a thunderbolt "that he might fiy over
intervening space and annihilate the invaders."
Then, with his own courage and doubtless that of
his brave cholos aroused to the highest pitch, in-
stead of rushing on the invaders he and his arm5'
fled back to San Fernando, where, afraid to ad-
vance or retreat, he halted until news reached
him that Commodore Jones had restored Monterej-
to the Californians. Then his valor reached the
boiling point. He boldh' marched to Los Angeles,
established his headquarters in the cit)' and
awaited the coming of Commodore Jones and his
officers from Monterey-.

On the 19th of January, 1S43, Commodore
Jones and his stafTcame to Los Angeles to meet
the governor. At the famous conference in the
Palacio de Don Abel, Micheltorena presented his
Articles of Convention. Among other ridiculous
demands were the following: "Article VI. Mr.
Thomas Ap C. Jones will deliver 1500 complete
infantry uniforms to replace those of nearly one-
half of the Mexican force, which have been ruined
in the violent march and the continued rains
while they were on their way to recover the port
thus invaded." "Article VII. Jones to pay
$15,000 into the national treasury for expenses
incurred from the general alarm; also a complete
set of musical instruments in place of those ruined
on this occasion." '■'' Judging from Robinson's
description of the dress of Micheltorena' s cholos
it is doubtful whether there was an entire uni-
form among them.

"The commodore's first impulse," writes a
member of his staff, "was to return the papers
without comment and to refuse further communi-

■ Bancroft History of CaUrorni:i Vc

cation with a man who could have the effronterj^
to trump up such charges as those for which
indemnification was claimed." The commodore
on reflection put aside his personal feelings, and
met the governor at the grand ball in Sanchez Hall
held in honor of the occasion. The ball was a
brilliant affair, "the dancing ceased only with the
rising of the sun next morning." The commo-
dore returned the articles without his signature.
The governor did not again refer to his de-
mands. Next morning, Januar}- 21,1843, Jones
and his officers took their departure from the
city "amidst the beating of drums, the firing of
cannon and the ringing of bells, saluted by the
general and his wife from the door of their
quarters." On the 31st of December Michel-
torena had taken the oath of office in Sanchez'
Hall, which stood on the east side of the plaza.
Salutes were fired, the bells were rung and the
city was illuminated for three evenings. For the
second time a governor had been inaugurated in
Los Angeles.

Micheltorena and his cholo army remained in
Los Angeles about eight months. The Angeleiios
had all the capital they cared for. They were
perfectly willing to have the governor and his
army take up their residence in Monterey. The
cholos had devoured the country like an army of
chapules (locusts) and were willing to move on.
Montere)' would no doubt have gladly trans-
ferred what right she had to the capital if at the
.same time she could have transferred to her old
rival, Los Angeles, Micheltorena's cholos. Their
pilfering was largeh' enforced by their necessities.
They received little or no pay, and they often had
to steal or starve. The leading native Cali-
fornians still entertained their old dislike to
"Mexican dictators" and the retinue of 300
chicken thieves that accompanied the last dictator
intensified their hatred.

Micheltorena, while not a model governor,
had many good qualities and was generally liked
by the better class of foreign residents. He
made an earnest effort to establish a sj'stem of
public education in the territory. Schools were
established in all the principal towns, and terri-
torial aid from the public funds to the amount of
$500 each was given them. The school at Los
Angeles had over one hundred pupils in attend-
ance. His worst fault was a disposition to med-
dle in local afi"airs. He was unreliable and not
careful to keep his agreements. He might have
succeeded in giving California a stable govern-
ment had it not been for the antipathy to his
cholo soldiers and the old feud between the "hijos
del pais" and the Mexican dictators.

These two proved his undoing. The native
sons under Alvarado and Castro rose in rebellion.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Ill November, 1S44, a re\oliilioii was inaugurated
at Santa Clara. The governor marched with
an army of 150 men against the rebel forces
numbering about 200. They met at a place
called the Laguiia de Alvires. A treaty was
signed in which Micheltorena agreed to ship his
cholos back to Mexico.

This treaty the governor deliberately broke.
He then intrigued with Captain John A. Sutter
of New Helvetia and Isaac Graham to obtain as-
sistance to crush the rebels. On the gtli of Jan-
f.ary, 1845, Micheltorena and Sutter formed a
junction of their forces at Salinas — their united
commands numbering about 5C0 men. They
marched against the rebels to crush them. But
the rebels did not wait to be crushed. Alvarado
and Castro, with about 90 men, started for Los
Angeles, and those left behind scattered to their
homes. Alvarado and his men reached Los
Angeles on the night of the 20th of January,
1845. The garrison stationed at the curate's
house was surprised and captured. One man
was killed and several wounded. Lieut. Medina,
of Micheltorena's army, was the commander of
the pueblo troops. Alvarado' s army encamped
on the plaza and he and Castro set to work to
revolutionize tlie old pueblo. The leading An-
gelefios had no great love for Juan Bautista, and
did not readily fall into his schemes. They had
not forgotten their enforced detention in V^allejo's
Bastile during the Civil war. An extroardinary
.session of the ayuntamiento was called January
2 1 . Alvarado and Castro were present and made
eloquent appeals. The records say, "The Ayun-
tamiento listened, and after a short interval of
silence and meditation decided to notify the
senior member of the Departmental Assembly of
Don Alvarado and Castro's wishes.

They were more successful with the Pico
Brothers. Pio Pico was senior vocal, and in case
Micheltorena was deposed, he, by virtue of his
office, would become governor. Through the in-
fluence of the Picos the revolution gained ground.
The most potent influence in spreading the revolt
was the fear of Micheltorena's cholos. Should
the town be captured by them it certainly would
be looted. The departmental assembly was
called together. A peace commission was sent
to meet Micheltorena, who was leisurely march-
ing southward, and intercede with him to give
up his proposed invasion of the south. He re-
fused. Then the assembly pronounced him a
traitor, deposed him by vote and appointed Pio
Pico governor. Recruiting went on rapidly.
Hundredsof saddle horses were contributed, "old
rusty guns were repaired, hacked swords sharp-
ened, rude lances manufactured" and cartridges
made for the old iron cannon, that now .stand

guard at the courthouse. Some fifty foreigners
of the south joined Alvarado's army; not that
they had much interest in the revolution, but to
protect their property against the rapacious in-
vaders— the cholos, and Sutter's Indians, '■'■' who
were as much dreaded as the cholos. On the 19th
of February, Micheltorena reached the Encinos,
and the Angeleuian army marched out through
Cahuenga Pass to meet him. On the 20th the
two armies met on the southern edge of the San
Fernando Valley, about 15 miles from Los
Angeles. Each army numbered about 400
men. Micheltorena had three pieces of artillery,
and Castro two. They opened on each other at
long range and seem to have fought the battle
throughout at very long range. A mustang or a
mule — authorities differ — was killed.

Wilson, Workman and McKinley, of Castro's
army, decided to induce the Americans on the
other side, many of w'hom were their personal
friends, to abandon Micheltorena. Passing up a
ravine they succeeded in attracting the attention
of some of theiii by means of a white flag.
Gantt, Hensley and Bidwell joined them in the
ravine. The situation was discussed and the
Americans of Micheltorena's army agreed to
desert him if Pico would protect them in their
land grants. Wilson, in his account of the
battle, i says: "I knew, and so did Pico, that
these land questions were the point with those
young Americans. Before I started on my jour-
ney or embassy, Pico was sent for; on his arrival
among us I, in a few words, explained to him
what the party had advanced." "Gentlemen,"
said he, "are any of you citizens of Mexico?"
They answered "No." "Then your title deeds
given you by Micheltorena are not worth the
paper they are written on, and he knew it well
when he gave them to you; but if you will aban-
don his cause I will give you my word of honor
as a gentleman and Don Benito Wilson and Don
Juan Workman to carry out what I promise —
that I will protect each one of you in the land
that you now hold, and when you become citi-
zens of Mexico I will issue you the proper titles.
They .said that was all they asked, and promised
not to fire a gun against us. They also asked
not to be required to fight on our side, which
was agreed to.

"Micheltorena discovered (how I do not
know) that his Americans had abandoned
him. About an hour afterwards he raised his
camp and flanked us by going further into the
valley towards San Fernando, then marching
as though he intended to come around the bend

• SnUer had iiiuler Iiis command a company of Indians He
had drilled lhe.se in the use of firearms. The employing of these
savages by Micheltorena was hittcrlv re.senled liy the Californians.
t Piib. Historical .Society of .Southern California, Vol. 3.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

uf the river to the city. The Califoniiaiis and
we foreigners at once broke up our camp and
came back through the Cahuenga Pass, marched
through the gap into the Feliz ranch, on the Los
Angeles River, till we came into close proximit)'
to Micheltorena's camp. It was now night, as it
was dark when we broke up our camp. Here
we waited for daylight, and some ot our men
commenced maneuvering for a fight with the
enemy. A few cannon shots were fired, when a
white flag was discovered flying from Michel-
torena's front. The whole matter then went into
the hands of negotiators appointed by both par-
ties and the terms of surrender were agreed
upon, one of which was that Micheltorena and
his obnoxious officers and men were to march
back up the river to the Cahuenga Pass, then
down to the plain to the west of Los Angeles, the
most direct line to San Pedro, and embark at
that point on a vessel then anchored there to
carry them back to Mexico." Sutter was taken
prisoner, and his Indians, after being corralled for
a time, were sent back to the Sacramento.

The roar of the battle of Cahuenga or ' 'The
Alamo," as it is sometimes called, could be dis-
tinctly heard in Los Angeles, and the people
remaining in the city were greatly alarmed.
William Heath Davis, in his "Sixty Years in
California," thus describes the alarm in the
town : "Directly to the north of the town was a
high hill" (now known as Mt. Lookout). "As
soon as firing was heard all the people remaining
in the town — men, women and children — ran to
the top of this hill. As the wind was blow-
ing from the north the firing was distinctly
heard, five leagues awaj', on the battlefield
throughout the daj'. AH business places in town
were closed. The scene on the hill was a
remarkable one — women and children, with
crosses in their hands, kneeling and praying to
the saints for the safety of their fathers, brothers,
sons, husbands, lovers, cousins — that they might
not be killed in the battle; indifferent to their
personal appearance, tears streaming from their
eyes, and their hair blown about by the wind,
which had increased to quite a breeze. Don
Abel Stearns, myself and others tried to calm
and pacify them, assuring them that there was
probably no danger; somewdiat against our con-
victions, it is true, judging from what we heard
of the firing and from our knowledge of Michel-
torena's disciplined force, his battery, and the
riflemen he had with him. During the day the
scene on the hill continued. The night that fol-
lowed was a gloomy one, caused by the lamenta-
tions of the women and children."

Davis, who was supercargo on the Don
Qui.xote, the vessel on which Micheltorena and

his soldiers were shipped to Mexico, claims that
the general "had ordered his command not to
injure the Californians in the force opposed to
him, but to fire over their heads, as he had no
desire to kill them."

Another Mexican-born governor had been de-
posed and deported— gone to join his fellows
— Victoria, Chico aild Gutierrez. In accordance
with the treaty of Cahuenga and by virtue of his
rank as senior member of the Departmental
Assembly, Pio Pico became governor. The hijos
del pais were once more in the ascendency. Jos6
Castro was made comandante general. Alva-
rado was given charge of the custom house at
Monterey, and Jose Antonio Carrillo was ap-
pointed commander of the military district of the
south. Los Angeles was made the capital,
although the archives and the treasury remained
in Monterey. The revolution apparently had
been a success. In the proceedings of the Los
Angeles ayuntamiento, March i, 1845, appears
this record: "The agreements entered into at
Cahuenga between General Emanuel Micheltorena
and Lieut. -Col. Jose Castro were then read and
as they contain a happy termination of affairs in
favor of the government this Illustrious Body
listened with satisfaction and so answered the
communication."

The people joined with the ayuntamiento in
expressing their "satisfaction" that a "happy
termination" had been reached of the pohtical
disturbances that had distracted the country.
But the end was not yet. Pico did his best to
conciliate the conflicting elements, but the old
sectional jealousies that had di\<ided the people
of the territory would crop out. Jose Antonio
Carrillo, the Machiaveli of the south, hated
Castro and Alvarado and was jealous of Pico's
good fortune. He was the superior of any of
them in ability, but made himself unpopular by
his intrigues and his sarcastic speech. When
Castro and Alvarado came south to raise the
standard of revolt they tried to win him over.
He did assist them. He was willing enough to
plot against Micheltorena, but after the over-
throw of the Mexican he was equally ready to
plot against Pico and Castro. In the summer of
1845 he was implicated in a plot to depose Pico,
who, by the way, was his brother-in-law. Pico
placed him and' two of his fellow conspirators,
Serbulo and Hilario Varela, under arrest. Car-
rillo and Hilario Varela were shipped to Mazatlan
to be tried for their misdeed. Serbulo Varela
made his escape from prison and the two exiles
returned early in 1846 unpunished and ready for
new plots.

Pico was appointed "Gobernador Propietario,"
or Constitutional Governor of California, Sep-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

leiuber 3, 1S45, \iy President Henera. The
Supreme Government of Mexico never seemed to
take offense or harbor resentment against the
Californians for deposing and sending home a
governor. As the officials of the Supreme
Government usually obtained ofiTceby revolution,
they no doubt had a fellow feeling fur the revolt-
ing Californians. When Micheltorena relumed
to Mexico he was coldly received and a commis-
sioner was sent to Pico with dispatches virtualh'
approving all that had been done.

Castro, too, gave Pico a great deal of uneasi-
ness. He ignored the governor and managed the
military affairs of the territory to suit himself.
His headquarters were at Monterey and doubtless
he had the sympathy if not the encouragement of
the people of the north in his course. But the
cause of the greatest uneasiness was the
increasing immigration from the United States.
A stream of immigrants from the western states,
increasing each year, poured down the Sierra
Nevadas and spread over the rich valleys of
California. The Californians recognized that
through the advent of these "foreign adven-
turers," as they were called, the "manifest

destiny" of California was to be absorbed by the
Lnited States. Alvarado had appealed to Mexico
for men and arms and had been answered by the
arrival of Micheltorena and his cholos. Pico
appealed and for a time the Californians were
cheered by the prospect of aid. In the sunnner
of 1S45 a force of 600 veteran soldiers, under
command of Colonel Iniestra, reached Acapuico,
where ships were lying to take them to California,
but a revolution broke out in Mexico and the
troops destined for the defense of California were
used to overthrow President Herrera and to seat
Paredes. California was left to work out her
own destiny unaided or drift with the tide — and
she drifted.

In the early months of 1S46 there was a rapid
succession of important events in her history,
each in passing bearing her near and nearer to a
manifest destiny — the downfall of Mexican domi-
nation in California. These will be presented
fully ill the chapter on the Acquisition of Cali-
fornia by the United States. But before taking
up these we will turn aside to review life in Los
Angele.s in the olden time under Spanish and
Mexican rule.

CHAPTER XIL

PUEBLO GOVERNMENT-MUY ILUSTRE AYUNTAMIENTO.

HOW was the municipality or corporation of
Los Angeles governed under Spanish and
Mexican rule? Very few of its present in-
habitants, I presume, have examined into its
governmental sy.stems before it came into the
possession of the United States: and yet its early
government is a very important question in our
civil afifairs, for the original titles to the waters of
the river that supply our city, to the lots that
some of us own and to the acres that we till, date
away back to the days when King Carlos III.
swayed the destinies of the mighty Spanish em-
pire, or to that later time when the cactus-perched
eagle of the Mexican flag spread its wings over
California. There is a vague impression in the
minds of many, derived, perhaps, from Dana's
"Two Years Before the Mast," and kindred
works; or from the tales and reminiscences of

pioneers who came here after the discovery of
gold that the pueblo had very little government
in the olden days; that it was largely given over
to anarchy and revolution; that life was unsafe
in it and murder a common occurrence. Such
impressions are as false as they are unjust.
There were but comparatively few capital crimes
committed in California under Spanish domination
or under Mexican rule.

The era of crime in California began with the
di.scovery of gold. There were no Joaquin Mur-
retas or Tiburces Vasquezes before the "days of
gold," the days of " '49." It is true, there were
a number of revolutions during the Mexican ri^-
gime, and California had a surplus of governors
at times, but these revolutions were for the nio.'^t
part bloodless affairs. In the half a dozen or
more political uprisings occurring in the fifteen

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

years preceding the American conquest and re-
sulting in four so-called battles, there were in all
but three men killed and five or six wounded.

While there were political disturbances in the
territory' and several governors were deposed b\'
force and shipped back to Mexico from whence
they came, the municipal governments were well
administered. I doubt whether the municipality
of Los Angeles has ever been governed better or
more economically under American rule than it
was during the years that the Most Illustrious
Ayuntamiento controlled the civil affairs of the
town.

Los Angeles had an ayuntamiento, under Span-
ish rule, organized in the first years of her exist-
ence, but it had very little power. The ayunta-
miento, or municipal council, at first consisted of
an alcalde (mayor) and two regidores (council-
men). Over them was a quasi-military officer,
called a comisionado, a sort of petty dictator or
military despot, who, when occasion required, or
his inclination moved him, embodied within him-
self all three departments of government— judi-
ciary, legislative and executive. After Mexico
became a republic the office of comisionado was
abolished. The membership of the Most Illus-
trious Ayuntamiento of Los Angeles was gradual-
ly increased, until, at the height of its power in
the '30s, it consisted of a fir.st alcalde, a second
alcalde, six regidores (councilmen), a secretary'
and a sindico, or syndic, as the pueblo archives
have it. The sindico seems to have been a gen-
eral utilit}' man. He acted as city attorne}', tax
and license collector and treasurer. The alcalde
was president of the council, and acted as judge
of the first instance and as mayor. The second
alcalde took the place of the first when that officer
was ill or absent; or, as sometimes happened,
when he was a political prisoner in durance vile.
The regidores were numbered from one to six
and took rank according to number. The secre-
tary was an important officer; he kept the records
and was the only paid member except the sindico,
who received a commission on his collections.

At the beginning of the j-ear 1840 the a3'unta-
mientos in California were abolished by a decree
of the Mexican congress, none of the towns hav-
ing the population required b}* the decree. In
January, 1844, the ayuntamiento of Los Angeles
was re-established. During the abolition of the
municipal council the town was governed by a
prefect and justices of the peace, and the special
laws, or ordinances, were enacted by the depart-
mental assembly. Much valuable local history
was lost by the discontinuance of the ayuntami-
ento from 1S40 to 1844^ The records of the
ayuntamiento are rich in historical material.

The jurisdiction of the ayuntamiento of Los

Angeles, after the secularization of the missions,
extended from the southern limits of San Juan
Capistrano to and including San Fernando on
the north and eastward to the San Bernardino
Mountains, extending over an area now com-
prised" in four counties and covering a territory
as large as the state of Massachusetts. Its au-
thority was as extensive as its jurisdiction. It
granted town lots and recommended to the gov-
ernor grants of lands from the public domain.
In addition to passing ordinances for the govern-
ment of the pueblo, its members sometimes acted
as executive officers to enforce them. It con-
tained within itself the powers of a board of
health, a board of education, a police commission
and a street department. During the Civil war
between Northern and Southern California in
1837-38, it raised and equipped an army and
assumed the right to govern the southern half of
the territorj'. The members served without pay,
but if a member was absent from a meeting with-
out a good excuse he was fined $3. The sessions
were conducted with great dignity and decorum.
The members were required to attend their pub-
lic functions "attired in black apparel so as to
add solemnity to the meetings."

The ayuntamiento was spoken of as "Most
Illustrious," in the same sense that we speak of
the Honorable City Council, but it was a much
more dignified body than our city council. Tak-
ing the oath of office was a solemn and impressive
affair. The junior regidor and the secretary
introduced the member to be sworn. "When,"
the rules say, "he shall kneel before a crucifix
placed on a table or dais, with his right hand on
the Holy Bible, then all the members of the
ayuntamiento shall rise and remain standing with
bowed heads while the secretary reads the form
of oath prescribed by law, and on the member
saying, 'I swear to do,' etc., the president will
answer, 'If thou so doest God will reward thee;
if thou dost not, may He call thee to account.' "

As there was no pay in the office, and. its duties
were numerous and onerous, there was not a
large crop of aspirants for councilmen in those
days, and the office usuallj' sought the man. It
might be added, that when it caught the right
man it was loath to let go of him.

The tribulations that befell Francisco Pantoja
well illustrate the difficulty of resigning in the
days when office sought the man; not the man
the office. Pantoja was elected fourth regidor of
the ayuntamiento of 1837. In those days wild
horses were very numerous; when the pasture in
the foothills was exhausted they came down into
the valleys and ate up the feed needed for the
cattle. On this account, and because most of
these wild horses were worthless, the rancheros

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

slaughtered them. A large and strong corral
was built, with wings extending out on the right
and left from the main entrance. When the
corral was completed a day was set for a wild
horse drive. The bands were rounded up and
driven into the corral. The pick of the caballa-
das were lassoed and taken out to be broken to
the saddle and the refuse of the bands killed.
The Vejars had obtained permission from the
a3'untamiento to build a corral between the Cer-
ritos and the Salinas for the purpose of coiraling
wild horses for slaughter; and Tomas Talamantes
made a similar request to build a corral on the
Sierra San Pedro. Permission was granted, the
corrals were built, and a time was appointed for
a wild horse rodeo.

Pantoja, being something of a sport, petitioned
his fellow regidores for a twentj- daj's' leave of
absence to join in the wild horse chase. After
considerable debate leave was granted him. A
wild horse chase was wild sport and dangerous,
too. Somebody was sure to get hurt, and Pan-
toja, in this one, was one of the unfortunates.
When his twenty days' leave of absence was up
Pantoja did not return to his duties of regidor,
but, instead, sent his resignation on the plea of
illness. The president of the ayuntamiento re-
fused to accept his resignation and appointed a
committee to hold an investigation on his physical
condition. There were no physicians in Los An-
geles then, so the committee took along Santiago
McKinley, a canny Scotch merchant, who was re-
puted to have some knowledge of surgery. The
committee and the improvised surgeon held an
ante-mortem inquest on what remained of Pan-
toja. The committee reported to the council that
he was a physical wreck; that he could not
mount a horse, nor ride one when mounted. A
native Californian who had reached such a state
of physical dilapidation that he could not mount
a horse might well be excused from official duties.
But there was danger of establishing a precedent.
The ayuntamiento heard the report, pondered
over it, and then sent it and the resignation to
the governor. He took them under advi.sement,
and, after a long delay, accepted the resignation.
In the meantime Pantoja's term had expired by
limitation and he had recovered from his fall.

Notwithstanding the great dignity and formali-
ty of the old-time regidores, they were not like
some of our modern councilmen- above seeking
advice of their constituents; nor did they assume
superior airs as some of our parvenu statesmen
do. There was, in their legislative system, an
upper house, or court of la.st appeal, and that was
the people themselves. When there was a dead-
lock in their council; or when some question of
great importance to the community came before

them and they were divided as to what was best to
do; or when some crafty politician was attempting
to sway their decision so as to obtain personal gain
at the expense of the community, then the a/uniia
pitblica, or the "public alarm," was sounded
by the beating of the long roll on the drum, and
the citizens were summoned to the hall of sessions,
and anyone hearing the alarm and not heeding it
was fined $3. When the citizens were convened
the president of the ayuntamiento, speaking in a
loud voice, stated the question and the people
were given "public speech." Everyone had an
opportunity to make a speech. Rivers of elo-
quence flowed, and, when all who wished to
speak had had their say, the question was decided
by a show of hands. The majority ruled, and
all went home happy to think the country was
safe and they had helped save it.

Some of the ordinances for the government of
the pueblo, passed by the old regidores, were
quaint and amusing, and illustrate the primitive
modes of life and thought sixty and seventy years
ago.

The regidores were particularly severe on the
idle and improvident. The "Weary Willies" of
that day were compelled to tramp very much as
they are to-day. Ordinance No. 4, adopted Jan-
uary 28, 1838, reads: "Every person not having
any apparent occupation in this city, or its juris-
diction, is hereby ordered to look for work within
three days, counting from the day this ordinance
is published; if not complied with he will be
fined $2 for the first offense, $4 for the second
offense, and will be given compulsorj- work for
the third."

If the tramp only kept looking for work, but
was careful not to find it, it seems, from the read-
ing of the ordinance, there could be no offense,
and consequently no fines nor compulsorj- work
for the "Weary Willie."

The ayuntamiento of 1844 passed this ordi-
nance: "Article 2. All persons without occu-
pation or known manner of living, shall be
deemed to come under the law of vagabonds, and
shall be punished as the law dictates."

The ayuntamiento ordered a censusof the vag-
abonds. The census report showed 22 vagabonds
— eight genuine vags and fourteen ordinary ones.
It is to be regretted that regidores did not define
the difference between a genuine and an ordinary
vagabond.

The regidores regulated the .social conditions
of the people. "Article 19. A license of $2 shall
be paid for all dances except marriage dances,
for which permission shall be obtained from the
judges of the city.' '

Here is a trades union regulation more than a
half centurv old;

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

"Article 7. All grocery, clothing and liquor
houses are prohibited from employing any class
of servants foreign to the business without pre-
vious verbal or written stipulations from their
former employers. Anyone acting contrary to
the above shall forfeit all right to claim re-im-
bursement." Occasionally the regidoreshad lists
of impecunious debtors and dead beats made out
and published, and the taierchants were warned
not to give these fellows credit.

Sometimes the ayuntamiento promulgated legal
restrictions against the pastime and pleasures of
the people that seem to be almost as austere as
were the old blue laws of Connecticut.

Ordinance 5 (passed January 20, 1838): "All
individuals serenading promiscuously around the
streets of the city at night without first having
obtained permission from the alcalde, will be
fined $1.50 for the first offen.se, $3 for the.second,
and for the third punished according to law."

Ordinance 6 (same date). "Everj" individual
giving a dance at his house, or at any other
house, without first having obtained permission
from the alcalde, will be fined $5 for the first
offense, and for the second and third punished
according to law."

What the penalty of "punished according to
law" was the ordinances do not define. It is safe
to say that any .serenader who had suffered for a
first and second offen.se without law, was not
anxious to experience a punishment "according
to law" for the third.

The old pueblo had its periodical smallpox
scares. Then the regidores had to act as a board
of health and enforce their hygienic regulations;
there were no physicians in the town then. In
1844 the disease became epidemic and the ayun-
tamiento issued a proclamation to the people and
formulated a long list of hygienic rules to be
observed. The object of the proclamation seemed
to be to paint the horrors of the plague in such
vivid colors that the people would be frightened
into observing the council's rules. The procla-
mation and the rules were ordered read by guards
at the door of each house and before the Indian
huts. I give a portion of the proclamation and a
few of the rules:

"That destructive power of the Almighty,
which occasionally punishes man ibr his numer-
ous faults, destroys not only kingdoms, cities and
towns, leaving many persons in orphanage and
devoid of protection, but goes forth with an ex-
terminating hand and preys upon science, art and
agriculture — this terrible plague threatens this
unfortunate department of the grand Mexican
nation, and seems more fearful b)- rea.son of the
small population, which cannot fill one-twentieth
part of its territory. What would become of her

if this eminently philanthropic ayuntamiento had
not provided a remedy partly to counteract these
ills? It would bereave the town of the arms
dedicated to agriculture (the only industry of the
country), which would cease to be useful, and, in
consequence, misery would prevail among the
rest. The present ayuntamiento is deserving of
praise, as it is the first to take steps beneficial to
the community and the country."

Among the hygienic rules were orders to the
people to refrain from "eating peppers and spices
which stimulate the blood;" "to wash all salted
meats before using;" "all residents in good health
to bathe and cleanse themselves once in eight
days;" "to burn sulphur on a hot iron in their
houses for fumigation." "Saloon-keepers shall
not allow gatherings of inebriates in their saloons,
and all travelers on inland roads must halt at the
distance of four leagues from the towns and wash
their clothes.".

The alcaldes' powers were as unlimited as those
of the ayuntamiento. They judged all kinds of
cases and settled all manner of disputes. There
were no lawyers to worry the judges and no
juries to subvert justice and common sense by
anomalous verdicts. Sometimes the alcalde was
judge, jury and executioner, all in one. In the
proceedings of the ayuntamiento, March 6, 1837,
Jose Sepulveda, second alcalde, informed the
members "That the prisoners, Juliano and Tim-
oteo, had confessed to the murder of Ygnacio
Ortega, which was deliberated and premeditated.
"He had decided to sentence them to capital
piuiishment and also to execute them to-morrow,
it being a holidaj^ when the neighborhood assem-
bles in town. He asked the members of the
Illustrious Ayuntamiento to express their opin-
ion in the matter, which thej- did, and all were
of the same opinion. Sefioi Sepulveda said he
had already solicited the services of the Rev.
Father at San Gabriel, so that he may come to-
day and administer spiritual consolation to the
prisoners."

At the meeting of the ayuntamiento two weeks
later, March 20, 1837, the record reads: "Second
alcalde, Jos^ Sepulveda, thanked the members
for acquiescing in his decision to shoot the pris-
oners, Juliano and Tinioteo, but after sending his
decision to the governor, he was ordered to send
the prisoners to the general government to be
tried according to law by a council of war, and
he had complied with the order." The bluff old
alcalde could see no necessity for trying prison-
ers who had confessed to a deliberate murder;
therefore he proposed to execute them without a
trial.

The prisoners, I infer, were Indians. While
the Indians of the pueblo were virtually slaves to

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORI).

the rancheros and viiiej'ardists, they were allowed
certain rights and privileges bj- the ajHintamiento,
and white men were compelled to respect them.
The Indians had been granted a portion of the
pueblo lands near the river for a ranchcria. They
presented a petition at one time to the aynnta-
miento, stating that the foreigner, Juan Domingo
(John Sunday ), had fenced in part of their land.
The members of the council examined into the
case. They found that John Sunday was guilty
as charged, so they fined Juan $12 and compelled
him to set back his fence to the line. The Indians
were a -source of trouble to the regidores, and
there was always a number of them under sen-
tence for petty misdemeanors. They formed the
chain gang of the pueblo. Each regidor had to
take his weekly turn as captain of the chain gang
and superintend the work of the prisoners.

The Indian village, down by the river between
what are now First street and Aliso, was the
plague spot of the body politic. Petition after
petition came to the council for the removal of
the Indians. Finally, in 1846, thea\untamiento
ordered their removal across the river to the
Aguage de Los .Avilas (the Spring of the Avilas)
and the site of their former village was sold to
their old-time enemy and persecutor, John Sun-
daj', the foreigner, for $200, which was to be
expended for the benefit of the Indians. Gov.
Pio Pico borrowed the $200 from the council to
pay the expenses of raising troops to suppress
Castro, who, from his headquarters at Monterey,
was supposed to be fomenting another revolution,
with the design of making himself governor. If
Castro had such designs the Americans frustrated
them by promptly taking possession of the coun-
try. Pico and his army returned to Los Angeles,
but the Indians' money never came back any
more.

The last recorded meeting of the ayuntamienlo
under Mexican rule was held July 4, 1846, and
the last recorded act was to give Juan Domingo
a title to the pneblito — the lands on wliich the
Indian village stood. Could the irony of fate
have a sharper sting? The Mexican, on the
birthday of American liberty, robbed the Indian
of the last acre of his ancestral lands, and the
American robbed the Mexican that robbed the
Indian.

The ay untaniiento was revived in 1847, afterthe
conquest, but it was not the "Most Illu.strious"
of former days. The heel of the conqueror was
on the neck of the native, and it is not strange
that the old-time motto, Dios y Libertad (God
and liberty), was sometimes abbreviated in the
later records to "God and etc." The secretary
was sure of Dios, but uncertain about libertad.

The revenues of the city were small during the

Mexican era. There was no tax on land, and
the municipal funds were derived principalh'
from taxes on wine and brandy, from fines and
from licenses of saloons and business houses.
The pueblo lands were sold at the rate of 25
cents per front vara, or about 8 cents per front
foot, for house lots. The city treasury was usual-
ly in a slate of financial collapse. \"arious ex-
pedients for inflating were agitated, but the people
were opposed to taxation and the plans never
matured.

In 1837 the financial stringency was so pressing
that the alcalde reported to tiie ayuntamiento
that he was compelled to take country produce
for fines. He had already received eight colts,
six fanegas (about 9 bushels) of corn and 35
hides. The syndic immediately laid claim to the
colts on his back salary. The alcalde put in a
preferred claim of his own for money advanced
to pay the salary of the secretary, and besides,
he said, he had "boarded the colts." After con-
siderable discu.ssion the alcalde was ordered to
turn over the colts to the city treasurer to be
appraised and paid out on claims against the
city. In the meantime it was found that two of
the colts had run away and the remaining six
had demonetized the corn by eating it up — a
contraction of the currency that exceeded in
heinousness the "crime of '73."

The municipal revenue was small; between
1835 and 1845 it never exceeded $1,000 in any
one year, and some years it fell as low as $500 a
year. There were but few salaried ofiices, and
the pay of the officials small. The secretary of
the ayuntamiento received from $30 to $40 a
month; the schoolmaster was paid 515 a month
while school kept, but as the vacations greatly-
exceeded in length the school terms, his compen-
sation was not munificent. The alcaldes, regi-
dores and jueces del canipos (judges of the plains)
took their pay in honors, and honors, it might
be said, were not always easy. The church ex-
penses were paid out of the municipal funds, and
these usually exceeded the amount paid out for
schools. The people were more spiritually in-
clined than intellectually.

The form of electing city officers was similar to
our plan of electing a president and vice-presi-
dent. A primary election was held to choose
electors; these electors met and elected the city
officials. No elector could vote for himself. As
but few of the voters could read or write, the
voting at the primary election was by viva voce,
and at the secondary election by ballot. The
district was divided into blocks or precincts, and
a commissioner or judge of election appointed for
each block. The polls were usually held under
the portico or porch of some centrally located

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

house. Judge of the election was not a coveted
office, and those eligible to the office (persons
who could read and write) often tried to be ex-
cused from serving; but, as in Pantoja's case,
the office usually refused to let go of the man.

Don Manuel Requena was appointed judge of a
certain district. He sent in his resignation on
the plea of sickness. The ayuntamiento was
about to accept it when some one reported that
Don Manuel was engaged in pruning his vine-
yard, whereupon a committee of investigation
was appointed, with Juan Temple, merchant, as
medical expert. The committee and the impro-
vised doctor examined Don Manuel, and reported
that his indisposition did not prevent him from
pruning, but would incapacitate him from serving
as judge of the election. The mental strain of a
primary was more debilitating than the physical
strain of pruning. The right of elective franchise
was not very highly prized by the common peo-
ple. In December, 1S44, the primary election
went by default because no one voted.

The office of jueces del campos, or judges of

the plains, outlived the Mexican era and was
continued for a dozen of years at least after the
American conquest, and was abolished, or rather
fell into decadence, when cattle- raising ceased to
be the prevailing industry. The duties of the
judges were to hold rodeos (cattle gatherings)
and /r((y>(7'«5 (horse gatherings) throughout the
district; to settle all disputes and see that justice
was done between owners of stock.

From 1839 to 1S46 the office of prefect existed.
There were two in the territory, one for northern
California and one for the southern district. The
prefect was a sort of sub or assistant governor.
He was appointed by the governor with the ap-
probation of the departmental assembly. All
petitions for land and all appeals from the de-
cisions of the alcaldes were passed upon by him
before they were submitted to the governor for
final decision. He had no authority to make a
final decision, but his opinions had weight with
the governor in determining the disposal of a
question. The residence of the prefect for the
southern district was Los Angeles.

CHAPTER XIIL

HOMES AND HOME LIFE OF LOS ANGELES IN ITS ADOBE AGE.

gITIES in their growth and development pass
through distinctive ages in the kind of ma-
terial of which they are built. Most of the
cities of the United States began their ex-
istence in the wooden age, and have progressed
successively through the brick and stone age, the
iron age and are now entering upon the steel age.
The cities of the extreme southwest — those of New
Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Southern California-
like ancient Babylon and imperial Rome — began
their existence in the clay or adobe age. It took
Los Angeles three quarters of a centurj- to emerge
from the adobe age. At the time of its final con-
quest by the United States troops (January 10,
1847) there was not within its limits (if I am
rightly informed) a building built of any other
material than adobe, or sun dried brick.

In the adobe age of the old pueblo every man
was his own architect and master builder. He
had no choice of material, or, rather, with his ease-

loving disposition, he chose that which was most
easily obtained, and that was the tough black
clay out of which the sun dried bricks called
"adobes" were made.

The Indian was the brick-maker and he toikd
for his task-masters like the Hebrew of old for the
Egyptian, making bricks without straw — and
without pay. There were no labor strikes in
the building trades then. The Indian was the
builder as well as the brick maker and he did not
know how to strike for higher wages, for the
very good reason that he received no wages. He
took his pittance in food ar.d aguardiente, the
latter of which often brought him to enforced
service in the chain gang. The adobe bricks
were molded into form and set up to dry.
Through the long summer days they baked in
the hot sun, first on one side, then on the other;
and when dried through they were laid in the
wall with mud mortar. Then the walls had to

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

dry, and dry perhaps through another summer
before the house was habitable.

When a new house was needed — and a hou.se
was not built in the adobe age until there was
urgent need for it — the builder selected a site and
applied to the ayuntamiento for a grant of a piece
of the pueblo lands. If no one had a prior claim
to the lot he asked for, he was granted it. If he
did not build a house on it within a given time —
usually a j'ear from the time the grant was made —
anj' citizen could denounce or file on the property
and with permission of the ayuntamiento take
possession of it; but the council was lenient and
almost any excuse secured an extension.

In the adobe age of Los Angeles every man
owned his own house. No houses were built for
rent nor for sale on speculation. The real estate
agent was unknown. There were no hotels nor
lodging houses. When travelers or strangers
from other towns paid a visit to the old pueblo
they were entertained at private houses, or if no
one opened his doors to them they camped out or
moved on to the nearest mission, where they
were sure of a night's lodging.

The architecture of the adobe age had no freaks
or fads in it. Like the laws of the Medes and
Persians it altered not. There was, with but
very few exceptions, but one style of house — the
square walled, flat roofed, one story structure —
looking, as a writer of early times says: "Like so
many brick kilns ready for the burning." Al-
though there were picturesque homes in Cali-
fornia under the Mexican regime and the quaint
mission buildings of the Spanish era were massive
and imposing, yet the average town house of the
native Californian, with its clay-colored adobe
walls, its flat asphaltuni-covered roof, its ground
floor, its rawhide door and its wooden or iron
barred windows, was as devoid of beauty without
as it was of comfort and convenience within.

Imaginative modern writers speak of tlie
"quaint tiled roofs of old Los Angeles" as if they
were a prominent feature of the old pueblo. Even
in the palmiest days of its Mexican era tiled roofs
were the exception. Besides the church and the
cuartel, the other buildings that obtained the dis-
tinction of being roofed with tiles were the Car-
rillo House that stood on the present site of the
Pico House; the house erected by Josi> Maria
Avila on Main street, north of the church; Don
Vicente Sanchez' house, a two storj- adobe on
the east side of the plaza; the Alvarado house,
on First street, between Main and Los Angeles
streets, and the house of Antonio Rocha on the
present site of the Phillips Block, southwest
corner of Franklin and North Spring streets. All
these residences were erected between 1822 and

1828. The old cuartel (guard house) was built
about 1786 and the Plaza Church was begun in
18 14. At the time of the American conquest tile
making was practically a lo.st art. It died out
with the decadence of the missions. It is to be
regretted that the tiled roof of the Church of Our
Lady of the Angels was replaced by a shingled
one when the building was remodeled in 1861.
The fitness of things was violated when the
change was made. It was only the aristocrats
of the old pueblo who could afford to iudulge in
tiled roofs. The prevailing roofing material was
brea or crude asphaltum.

James O. Pattie, a Kentucky trapper, who vis-
ited Los Angeles in 1828, and w^ote a narrative
of his adventures in California, thus describes the
buildings in the pueblo and the manner of roofing
them: "The houses have flat roofs covered with
bituminous pitch brought from a place within four
miles of the town, where this article boils up from
theearth. As the liquid rises, hoUowbubbleslikea
shell of large size are formed. When they burst
the noise is heard distinctly in the town. The
large pieces thus separated with an ax are laid on
the roof previously covered with earth, through
which the pitch cannot penetrate when it is ren-
dered liquid again by the heat of the sun."

This roof factory that Pattie describes seems to
have ceased operations of late years, possibly be-
cause there is no demand for its product. These
boiling springs were still in operation, but prob-
ably not manufacturing roofing material, when
Fremont's battalion passed them in 1847. Lieu-
tenant Bryant in his book, "What I Saw in Cali-
fornia," says: "On the march from Cahuenga
Pass to the City of Angels we passed several
warm springs which throw up large quantities of
bitumen or mineral tar.'' These springs are
located on the Hancock rancho west of the city.

The adobe age of Los Angeles was not an
ciesthetic age. The old pueblo was homely al-
most to ugliness. The clay-colored houses that
marked the lines of the crooked and irregular
streets were, without, gloomy and uninviting.
There was no glass in the windows. There were
no lawns in front, no sidewalks and no shade
trees. The streets were ungraded and uu-
sprinkled and when the dashing Cabalk'ros used
them for race courses, dense clouds of yellow
dust enveloped the houses.

There were no slaughter houses and each
family had its own matanza in close proximity to
the kitchen and in time the ghastly skulls of the
slaughtered bovines formed veritable golgothas
in back yards. The crows acted as scavengers
and when not employed in the street department
removing garbage sat on the roofs of the houses

HLSTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI. RECORD.

aud cawed dismally. They increased and multi-
plied until the "Plague of the Crows" compelled
the ayuntamiento to offer a bounty for their
destruction.

But even amid these homely surroundings there
were aesthetic souls, that dreamed dreams of
beauty and saw visions of better and brighter
things for the old pueblo. The famous speech
of Regidor Leonardo Cota, delivered before the
ayuntamiento nearly sixty years ago, has been
preserved to us in the old pueblo archives. It
stamps the author as a man in advance of the age
in which he lived. It has in it the hopefulness
of boom literature, although somewhat saddened
by the gloom of uncongenial surroundings. ' 'The
time has arrived," said he, "when the city of
Ivos Angeles begins to figure in the political
world, as it now finds itself the capital of the de-
partment. Now, to complete the necessary work
that, although it is but a small town, it should
proceed to show its beauty, its splendor and its
magnificence in such a manner that when the
traveler visits us he may say, 'I have seen the
City of the Angels; I have seen the work of its
street commi.ssion, and all these demonstrate
that it is a Mexican paradise.' It is not so under
the present conditions, for the majority oi its
buildings present a gloomy, a melancholy aspect,
a dark and forbidding aspect that resembles the
catacombs of Ancient Rome more than the hab-
itations of a free people. I present these proposi-
tions:

"First, that the government be requested to
enact measures so that within four months all
house fronts shall be plastered and whitewashed.

"Second, that all owners be requested to re-
pair the same or open the door for the denun-
ciator. If you adopt and enforce these measures,
I shall feel that I have done something for my
city and my country."

Don Leonardo's eloquent appeal moved the de-
partmental assembly to enact a law requiring the
plastering and whitewashing of the house fronts
under a penalty of fines, ranging from $5.00 to
$25.00, if the work was not done within a given
time. For awhile there was a plastering of
cracked walls, a whitening of house fronts and a
brightening of interiors. The sindico's account
book, in the old archives, contains a charge of
twelve reals for a fanega (one and a-half bushels)
of lime, "to whitewash the court."

Don Leonardo's dream of transforming the
"City of the Angels" into a Mexican paradise
was never realized. The fines were never col-
lected. The cracks in the walls widened and
were not filled. The whitewash faded from the
house fronts and was not renewed. The old
pueblo again took on the gloom of the catacombs.

The manners and customs of the people in the
adobe age of the pueblo were in keeping with
its architecture. There were no freaks and fads
in their social life. The fashions in dress and
living did not change suddenly. The few wealthy
people in the town and country dressed well, even
extravagantly, while the many poor people
dressed sparingly — if indeed some were dressed
at all. Robinson describes the dress of Tomas
Yorba, a wealthy ranchero of the upper Santa
Ana, as he saw him in 1829: "Upon his head
he wore a black silk handkerchief, the four cor-
ners of which hung down his neck behind. An
embroidered shirt; a cravat of white jaconet taste-
fully tied; a blue damask vest; short clothes of
crimson velvet; a bright green cloth jacket, with
large silver buttons, and shoes of embroidered
deerskin composed his dress. I was afterwards
informed by Don Manuel (Dominguez) that on
some occasions, such as some particular feast day
or festival, his entire display often exceeded in
value a thousand dollars."

The same authority (Robinson) says of the
women's dress at that time (1829): "The dre,ss
worn by the middle class of females is a chemise,
with short embroidered sleeves, richly trimmed
with lace; a muslin petticoat, flounced with scar-
let and secured at the waist by a silk band of the
same color; .shoes of velvet or blue satin; a cotton
reboso or scarf; pearl necklace and earrings; with
hair falling in broad plaits down the back."

Of the dress of the men in 1829, Robinson says:
"Very few of the men have adopted our mode of
dress, the greater part adhering to the ancient
costume of the past century. Short clothes and
a jacket trimmed with scarlet; a silk sash about
the waist; botas of ornamented deerskin and em-
broidered shoes; the hair long, braided and fas-
tened behind with ribbons; a black silk handker-
chief around the head, surmounted by an oval
and broad brimmed hat is the dress usually worn
by the men of California."

After the coming of the Hijar colony, in 1834,
there was a change in the fashions. The colonists
brought with them the latest fashions from the
City of Mexico. The men generally adopted
calzoneras instead of the knee breeches or short
clothes of the last century. "The calzoneras
were pantaloons with the exterior seam open
throughout its length. On the upper edge was
a strip of cloth, red, blue or black, in which were
the buttonholes. On the other edge were eyelet
holes for the buttons. In some cases the calzonera
was sewn from the hip to the middle of the
thigh; in others, buttoned. From the middle of
the thigh dov^-nward the leg was covered by the
bota or leggings, used by every one, whatever
his dress." The short jacket, with silver or

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

bronze buttons, and the silken sash that served
as a conaecting link between the calzoneras and
the jacket, and also supplied the place of what
the Californians did not wear — suspenders, this
constituted a picturesque costume, that continued
in vogue until the conquest, and with many of
the natives for several )-ears after it. After 1834
the fashionable women of California "exchanged
their narrow skirts for more flowing garments and
abandoned the braided hair for the coil, and the
large combs till then in use, for smaller combs."*
For outer wraps the serapa for men and the re-
boza for women were universally worn. The
texture of these marked the social standing of
the wearer. It ranged from cheap cotton and
coarse serge to the costliest silk and the finest of
French broadcloth.

The legendary' of the hearthstone and the fire-
side, which fills so large a place in the home life
of the Anglo Saxon, had no part in the domestic
system of the Californian, he had no hearthstone
and no fireside: nor could that pleasing fiction of
Santa Clans' descent through the chimney on
Christmas eve, that so delights the young chil-
dren of to-day, have had any meaning to the
youthful Angeleno of the old pueblo days. There
were no chimneys in the old pueblo. The only
means of warming the houses by artificial heat
was a pan of coals set on the floor. The people
lived out of doors in the open air and invigorating
sunshine. The houses were places to sleep in or
shelters from the rain. The kitchens were de-
tached from the living rooms. The better class of
dwellings usually had out of doors or in an open
shed, a beehive shaped earthen oven, in which
the family baking was done. The poorer class of
the pueblanos cooked over a campfire, with a flat
stone (on which the tortillas were baked) and a
few pieces of pottery. The culinary outfit was
not extensive, even in the best appointed kitchens.

Before the mission mill was built near San
Gabriel, the hand mill and the metete, a grinding
stone, were the only means of grinding wheat or
corn. To obtain a supply of flour or meal for a
family by such a process was slow and laborious,
so the family very often dispensed with bread in
the bill of fare. Bread was not the staff of life in
the old pueblo days. Beef was the staple article
of diet.

As lumber was scarce and hard to procure in
the pueblo most of the houses had earthen floors.
The furniture was meagre, a few benches, a raw-
hide bottomed chair to sit on, a rough table, a
chest or two to keep the family finery in, a few
cheap prints of saints on the walls formed the
decorations and furnishings of the li\ing rooms
of the common people. The bed was tlie pride

♦Bancrofts Pasloral California.

and ambition of the housewife and, even in hum-
ble dwellings, sometimes a snowy counterpane
and lace trimmed pillows decorated a couch,
whose base was a bullock's hide stretched on a
rough frame of wood. A shrine dedicated to the
patron saint of the household was a very essential
part of a well-ordered home.

Filial obedience and respect for parental au-
thority were, early impressed upon the minds of
the children. A child was never too old or too
large to be exempt from punishment. Stephen
C. Foster used to relate an amusing case of
parental disciplining he once saw: An old lady
of 60, a grandmother, was belaboring with a
barrel stave, her son, a man of 30 years of age.
The boy had done something that his mother did
not approve of. She sent for him to come over
to the maternal home, to receive his punishment.
He came. She took him out to the metaphorical
wood shed, vv'hich in this ca.se was the portico of
her house, where .she stood him up and proceeded
to administer corporal punishment. With the
resounding thwacks of the stave she would ex-
claim, "I'll teach you to behave yourself! I'll
mend your manners, sir ! Now, you will be
good, won't you?" The big man took his pun-
ishment without a thought of resenting or rebell-
ing;" in fact, he rather seemed to enjoy it. It
was, no doubt, a feeling and forcible reminder of
his boyhood days.

In the earlier days of the pueblo, before revolu-
tionary ideas had perverted the usages of the
people, great respect was shown to those in au-
thority and the authorities were strict in requir-
ing deference from their constituents. In the
Pueblo Archives of 1828 are the records of an
impeachment trial of Don Antonio M. Lugo, held
to depo.se him from the office of Judge of the
Plains. The principal duty of such a judge was
to decide cases of disputed ownership of stray
cattle and horses. Lugo seems to have had a
very exalted idea of the dignity of his office.
Among the complaints was one from young
Pedro Sanchez, who testified that Lugo had tried
to ride his horse over him in the street, because
he, Sanchez, would not take off his hat to the
judge and remain standing uncovered while
Lugo rode past. While the city was under
Mexican domination there was no tax levied on
land and improvements. The municipal funds
were obtained from the revenue on wine and
brandy, from the licenses of saloons and other
business houses, from the tariff" on imports, from
permits to give balls or dances, from the fines of
transgressors and from the tax on bull rings and
cock pits. Then men's plea.sures and vices paid
the cost of governing. Although in the early
'40s the city had a population of 2,ooQ the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

revenues did not exceed $r,ooo a j-ear; yet with
this small amount the municipal authorities ran
a cit)' government and kept out of debt. It did
not cost much then to run a city government.
There was no army of high salaried officials then,
with a horde of political heelers, quartered on
the nuiaicipality and fed from the public crib at
the expense of the taxpayer. Politicians may have
been no more honest then than now, but where
there was nothing to steal there was no stealing.
The old alcaldes and regidores were wise enough
not to put temptation in the way of the politi-
cians, and thus they kept them reasonably hon-
est, or at least they kept them from plundering
the taxpayers, by the simple expedient of hav-
ing no taxpayers. The only salaried officers in
the days when the Most Illustrious Ayun-
tamiento was the ruling power in the city, were
the secretary of that body, the sindicoor revenue
collector and the schoolmaster (that is when
there was one). The highest monthly salary
paid the secretary, who was also ex-officio clerk
of the Alcalde's Court, was ^40; the sindico re-
ceived a commission on collections and the school-
master was paid $15 per month. If like Oliver
Twist he cried for more he was dismissed for
evident unfitness for his duties; his unfitness ap-
pearing in his inability to live on his meagre
salary.

The functions of the various departments of
the city government were most economically per-
formed. Street cleaning and the lighting of the
city were provided for on a sort of automatic
principle. There was an ordinance that required
each owner of a house, every Saturday, to sweep
and clean in front of his premises to the middle
of the street. His neighbor on the opposite side
met him half way and the street was swept with-
out expense to the city. There was another or-
dinance that required each owner of a hou.se
of more than two rooms on a principal street to
hang a lighted lantern in front of his door from
twilight to eight o'clock in winter and to nine in
summer. So the city was at no expen.se for
lighting. There were fines for neglect of
these duties. The crows had a contract for re-
moving the garbage. No garbage wagon w-ith

its aroma of decay scented the atmosphere of the
brown adobe fronts in the days of long ago.
There were no fines imposed upon the crows for
neglect of duty. Evidently they were efficient
city officials.

It is said "that every dog has his day."
There was one day each week that the dogs of
the old pueblo did not have on which to roam
about; and that was Monday. Every Monday
was dog catcher's day, and was set apart by or-
dinance for the killing of tramp dogs. Woe be-
tide the unfortunate canine which on that day
escaped from his kennel, or broke loose from his
tether. A swift flying lasso encircled his neck
and the breath was quickly choked out of his
body. Monday was a "diesirae," an evil day to
the youthful Angeleno \vith a dog, and the dog
catcher was abhorred and despised then as now
by every boy who possessed a canine pet.

There was no fire department in the old pueblo.
The abobe houses with their clay walls, earthen
floors and rawhide doors were as nearly fire-
proof as any human habitation could be made.
I doubt whether any muchacho of the old regime
ever saw a house on fire. The boys of that day
never experienced the thrilling pleasure of run-
ning to a fire. What boys sometimes miss by being
born too soon ! There was no paid police de-
partment in the old pueblo days. Every able-
bodied young man was subject to military duty.
A volunteer guard or patrol was kept on dut}' at
the cuartel or guard house, north of the Plaza
Church. These guards policed the city, but they
were not paid. Each young man had to take
his turn at guard duty.

Viewed from our standpoint of high civiliza-
tion, life in the old pueblo was a monotonous
round of wearying sameness — uneventful and un-
interesting. The people of that day, however,
managed to extract a great deal of pleasure from
it. Undoubtedly they missed — by living .so long
ago — man}- things that we in this highly en-
lightened age have come to regard as necessities
of our existence; but they also missed the har-
rowing cares, the vexations and the excessive
taxation, both mental and municipal, that pre-
maturely furrow our brows arid whiten our locks.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XIV,

HISTORIC HOUSES OF LOS ANGELES.

C^HE historic houses of old Los Angeles
fn have nearly all disappeared. The perisha-
lg\ ble material (adobe or sun-dried brick)
^^ of which they were constructed, combined
with the necessity as the town grew larger, of
more commodious buildings on their sites, hast-
ened their demolition. The few houses of the
Mexican era that remain date their erection well
along in the first half of the present century.
El Pueblo de Nuestra Seoora La Reyna de Los
Angeles of the last century has disappeared from
the face of the earth. It is doubtful whether
even a fragment of the ruins of any one of the
old houses of a century ago exists. Even the
exact location of the Plaza Vieja, on which they
fronted, is unknown, and the narrow streets
that led out from it have long since been ob-
literated. The old Los Angeles of the eighteenth
Century, with its adobe wall that fenced out alike
the hostile Indian and the lowing herds has dis-
appeared as completely as have the mud walls of
the town that Romulus and Remus built by the
Tiber three thou.sand years ago.

The Church of Our Lady of the Angels, the
only building in the city now in use that was
erected during the Spanish era, is fully described
in the chapter on churches.

THE curate's house.

The curate's or priest's house, that formerly
stood at the northwest corner of the Church of
Our Lady of the Angels, was built in 1822.
Excepting the cuartel, it was the only other
building owned by the pueblo. It was a very
useful building, and served a variety of purposes
besides the one for which it was built. In 1834
Governor Figueroa notified the ayuntamiento
that he was about to visit the pueblo and desired
accommodations for him.self and staff. The town
council asked the priest to give up his house to
the governor, but the padre refu.sed, saying that
his rooms belonged to the church, and to give
them up was a surrender of his ecclesiastical
rights.

The ayuntamiento did furnish the governor

some kind of a house, for we find in the
sindico's accounts charges against the municipal
fund: "Rent of house for gefe politico, $2.00;
sealing-wax aijd quills for gefe politico, 3
reales." It did not cost much to entertain a
governor sixty-five years ago. Notwithstanding
the technical point raised by the padre, the civil
power did make use of his house. When there
was no resident priest in the pueblo, which fre-
quently happened, the curate's house was put to
a variety of uses. Several times it was used for
a boys' school; once it was designated for a girls'
school, but the school did not materialize; and
after a revolution, if the cuartel was not large
enough to accommodate all the prisoners of the
victorious faction, it was taken for a jail. During
the revolution of 1845 the school was turned out
and the old house was taken for army headquar-
ters by Pico and Castro. In the civil war be-
tween Monterey and Los Angeles it was used as
a guardhouse by the civic militia. It was torn
down in 1861, and the present brick structure
erected on its site.

THE CARRILLO HOUSE.

Of the historic dwelling-houses of Los Angeles,
the Carrillo house, that stood where the Pico
House, or, as it is now called, the National
Hotel, now stands, was the most noted in the
early days. June 21, 1821, Jos(? Antonio Carrillo
petitioned the comisionado for a house lot near
the "new temple which is being built for the
benefit of our holy religion." The lot, 40x60
varas (114x170 feet), was granted next day.
This is said to be the only recorded transfer of a
lot in Los Angeles between 1786 and 1836 — ^just
one real estate transfer in fifty years.

When Lieut. Ord made his plan of the "Cuidad
de Los Angeles," in 1849, he took as the initial
point of his survey the northwest corner of Car-
rillo's house that stood on this lot; and his bear-
ings from a point opposite that corner gave direc-
tion to the lines of our streets and virtually de-
cided the plan of the city. The building was
begun in 1821 and completed in 1824. It was

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the most pretentious and aristocratic residence in
the pueblo at that time. It fronted on the plaza,

and had wings extending back on Main street and
from its eastern end to an adobe wall in the rear,
thus inclosing a patio, or inner court. The rear
wall stood on the brink of a deep ravine that
crossed Main street diagonally and opened out on
the wide space at the intersection of Aliso and
Los Angeles streets. (All traces of the ravine
have long since disappeared.) Although but a
one-story building, its height gave it the appear-
ance of a two-story house. Its high-gabled roof
of red tiles and its white walls were a pleasing
contrast to the prevailing clay-colored fronts and
the flat asphaltum roofs of the neighboring
houses.

For nearly half a century it stood a historic
landmark of old Los Angeles. It was torn down
in September, 1869, and the Pico House erected
on its site. Within the old Carrillo House was
held many a ro3'al feast and revel, and within its
walls, too, were concocted many a political plot
and intrigue, for its owner was a scheming poli-
tician as well as a right royal entertainer. In its
spacious ball-room many a gay assemblage gath-
ered— the beaut}' and the chivalrj' of the pueblo
— and the lamps shown o'er fair women and brave
men as they whirled through the giddy mazes
of the dance. In this historic old house was held
one of the most sumptuous and prolonged mar-
riage feasts ever celebrated in Alta California. It
was the celebration of the marriage of Pio Pico to
Maria Ignacia Alvarado, in 1834. Carrillo was
a brother-in-law of Pico's (being married to Pico's
sister). The feasting and dancing continued
eight days. All the aristocracy of the southern
country and all the retainers of the houses of
Pico and Carrillo from San Diego to Monterey
gathered to do honor to the nuptials.

Its builder, Jose Antonio Carrillo, during the
Mexican era, was the Warwick of California pol-
itics. He was not a king-maker, but he did
make and unmake governors. He was leader in
the revolution that deposed Governor Victoria.
He intrigued against Echeandia, Gutierrez
and Chico. Governor Chico banished him from
California. While representing California in the
Mexican Congress, in 1837, he had his brother
Carlos made governor of the territory. He was
the leader of the surenos (southerners) in the
civil war between northern and southern Califor-
nia. He was taken prisoner after the battle of
San Buenaventura and imprisoned in Vallejo's
bastile at Sonoma. He was one of the ten surenos
that Governor Alvarado threatened to have shot
for treason. He was mainly instrumental in the
overthrow of Governor Micheltorena, which
made his brother-in-law, Pico, governor of Cali-

fornia. He plotted against Pico, and was arrest-
ed and again banished from the countrj-. He
was a man of great natural abilities, but wasted
his time and talents in intrigues. So entirely
was he devoted to politics that at one time his
sowing fields were denounced because thej' had
not been cultivated for eight years. He was
never happier than when he was fomenting a plot
or leading a revolution. He filled many civil
offices in the department, and was a militar\' com-
mander of no mean ability. With an inferior
force, poorly armed, he defeated Mervine at the
battle of Dominguez Ranch, and by a well-con-
trived stratagem frightened Stockton's forces
away from San Pedro. He commanded a squad-
ron of cavalry in the battles of Paso de Bartolo
and La Mesa, and was one of the commissioners
on the Mexican side that negotiated the treat)- of
Cahuenga, which gave California to the United
States. He was a delegate to the state constitu-
tional convention of 1849. This was the last
official position he held. He was one of the
ablest of the native-born statesmen of California
during the Mexican period. Many of the lead-
ing men of that era were born in Mexico or
Spain. Carrillo was born in San Diego April 1 1 ,
1794. He died at Santa Barbara April 25, 1862,
aged 68 years.

"EL PALACIO DE DON ABEL."

Another house of historic note was the
home of Don Abel Stearns. It stood on the site
now occupied by the Baker Block. Stearns
bought the lot in 1834. The house was erected
between 1835 and 1838. It was probably several
3'ears in the course of erection, for in the days of
poco tiempo a house was not built in a daj' nor
yet in a year. Robinson, in his "Life in Cali-
fornia," says: "We took up our quarters with
Mr. Abel Stearns. His house, the handsomest
in the town, was a place of resort for the Ameri-
cans who occasionally visited Los Angeles,
which, in consequence of its dimensions, was
called by the natives "el Palacio de Don Abel"
(The Palace of Don Abel). It was a flat roofed
one story structure covering considerable area. At
the corner of Arcadia and Main streets a wing ex-
tended out to the line of the sidewalk. This was
used for a storeroom where Stearns conducted his
mercantile business. From the southern end
there was a similar projection. The central part
of the building stood back from the street twenty-
five or thirty feet, and the space between it and
the sidewalk was paved with cobble stones. In
the rear was a large patio or courtyard partially
inclosed by wings extended from the main build-
ing. The patio was an appurtenance of all the
better class of California houses of early days.

7°

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

There was a large dancing ball in the building
nearly one hundred feet in length. The lot ex-
tended through to Los Angeles street. The
Arcadia Block, covering the Los Angeles street
front, was erected in 185S. It was then the
largest business block in town, and for at least
fifteen j-ears after its erection the central point
for the business of the town. Stearns' Hall, in
the second storj- of this block, was for many years
the principal assembly room for social and politi-
cal gatherings. Stearns, although a man of quick
temper and strong prejudices, was withal hospit-
able and generous to those he liked. He was a
convivial and genial entertainer. Within the
walls of his rambling old adobe home the elite of
the Angel City, as well as the foreign guest, were
ofteii right royally entertained. Here Commodore
Ap Catesby Jones of the United States navy and his
officers were lodged and entertained when the
commodore came to Los Angeles to find Gov-
ernor Micheltorena and apologize to him for
capturing Monterey. After waiting nearly three
months for the governor to come to Monterey,
the commodore was compelled to come to Los
Angeles to find him. Peace restored, the civilities
closed with a grand ball, which was held in the
only two-story building at that time in Los An-
geles— a building on the east side of the plaza, in
what is now Chinatown. This was probably
Sanchez Hall, which is thus described in the
diary of an old pioneer writing in 1842: "We
arrived in the Pueblo at 8 P. M. We had a
couple of dances. There was one in Sanchez
Hall and the other in Stearns. Sanchez Hall is
painted out in the most comical style — with
priests, bishops, saints, horses and other ani-
mals, the effect is really astonishing." At the
Stearns' house occurred the famous flag episode
of 1839. California had been divided into two
districts or cantons, with a Prefect or petty gov-
ernor for each. Los Angeles was made the
capital of the southern district, and Cosme Pena
was appointed Prefect. The priest's house was
fitted up for the capital of the district by the
ayuntamiento. But the priest's house was too
humble for aristocratic Peua. Nothing but the
Palacioof Don Abel would suit his purposes. He
had a flag staff" erected in front of it on which to
raise the flag of his prefecture, and a cannon
planted near the pole to give tone to his head-
quarters. The ayuntamiento "supplicated him
to remove to the priest's house; because the peo-
ple did not like to see the government establi.shed
in a private house." Peua removed his office
from Stearns' "palacio," but left the flag pole
still .standing;. Stearns utilized the flag .staff" to
tie cattle to that had been roped for slaughter.
This desecration the patriotic young Angelenos

resented; and while Peua was absent at San
Pedro on duty, a number of them gathered to
pull down the pole, or as another account says,
to sacrifice a calf that was tied to the pole as a
peace offering to the outraged dignity of the
cactus perched eagle of the Mexican flag. Pena
on his return had the leaders arrested for sedi-
tion, and obtained a guard of ten soldiers to pro-
tect himself from insult. The citizens held a
public meeting and twenty of them signed a
petition to the aj-untamiento, sa3-ing that since
the "said Stearns ties and kills calves at the
flag pole it should be erected at the residence of
the Prefect or at the Hall of Sessions, as it be-
longs at the public building and not at a private
house." Peua, in a rage, turned over his office
to Tiburcis Tapia and left breathing vengeance
against the "Pueblo de Los Diablos" — town of
devils. He reported his grievances to Governor
Alvarado. At the next meeting of the ayun-
tamiento the alcalde reported that "the Gover-
nor of the Department has imposed a fine of $5
each, upon the twenty individuals of this city
who complained of the actions of the Prefect on
the 25th of last month; and a fine of $10 on each
memlier of the ayuntamiento who attended the
meeting wherein the said complaints were up-
held, which was equivalent to approving the
same." Such were some of the uncertain re-
wards of patriotism in the decade of Revolutions.
The Stearns house was demolished in 1876 and
the Baker Block erected on its site.

THE HALL OF THE AMIGOS DEL P.ALS.

The first social hall or club house ever built on
the Pacific Coast was erected at Los Angeles in
1844. It was the hall of the Amigos del Pais.
The "Amigos del Pais (Friends of the Country)
was a society or club made up of the leading
citizens of the town, both native and foreign-
born. A lot 100 varas square was granted the
society, free of taxes, by the ayuntamiento. An
adobe building was erected and fitted up with a
dancing hall, reading room and card tables. The
hall was dedicated by a grand ball and a num-
ber of social entertainments were held. The
Amigos for a time enjoyed their social privileges,
and the society flourished. But it was a time of
revolutions and political disturbances. In time
social amenities gave place to political animos-
ities. Although the members were "Friends of
the Country" they became enemies of one an-
other. The society ran in debt. Its member-
ship fell off. The building was finally put up at
a lottery. Andres Pico drew the lucky number.
The Amigos del Pais disbanded. Their sala
(hall) in course of time became a vinateria
(saloon) and afterwards it was Los dos Amigos

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

— The two Friends — the friend behind the bar
and the one in front of it. The building stood
on the present site of the McDonald Block, on
North Main street. It was demolished about 30
years ago.

THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

In 1835 the Mexican Congress proclaimed Los
Angeles the capital of Alta California. Next
year's commissioners were appointed to find
suitable quarters in Los Angeles for government
offices until a government house could be built.
Don Louis Vignes' house, which stood on the
present site of the Philadelphia Brewery, was
offered at a yearly rental of $400. Don Juan
Temple's house later on was offered and also the
Widow Josefa Alvarado's. During the ten years
that the capital question was agitated periodical
house hunts Vv-ere made for government head-
quarters, but nothing came of them. The people
of Monterey held on to the governors and the
archives and added insult to injury by claiming
that they were more moral and more cultured
than the Angelefios. They claimed they had a
fertile soil, a mild climate, and that their women
and useful animals were very productive —
insinuations that enraged the Angelefios. The
bitter feeling engendered between the Arribanos
of the North and the Abajeflos of the South
over the capital question was the beginning of
the jealousy between Northern and Southern
California — a jealousy that has been kept alive
for more than sixty years. The capital question
(as shown in a previous chapter) was the prin-
cipal cause of the civil war between the North
and the South in 1837-38, a war which resulted in
the subjugation of the South and the triumph of
Monterey. In the revolution of 1845 the South
won. The decisive battle of Cahuenga made
Pico governor of California and Los Angeles its
capital. Next 3-ear the gringo army came, cap-
tured the country and carried the capital back to
Monterey. 'While Los Angeles was the capital
the government house was an adobe building
that stood on the present site of the St. Charles
Hotel. It was used in 1847 by two companies of
United States Dragoons as barracks, and when
the county was organized in 1850 it became the
first court house. The lot extended through to
Los Angeles street. In an adobe building on the
rear of this lot the first new.spaper — La Estrella
(The Star) — ever issued in Los Angeles was
printed.

The old adobe government house had rather
an eventful history. It was built in the early
'303. Pico bought it for the government from
Isaac Williams, agreeing to pay $5,000 for

it. In 1846, when hostilities broke out between
the Americans and the native Californians in the
North, Pico, "to meet urgent expenses necessary
to be made by the government," mortgaged the
house and lot to Eulogio de Cells for $2,000,
"which sum shall be paid as soon as order shall
be established in the department." The gringo
invaders came down to Los Angeles shortly after
the mortgage was made and Pico fled to Mexico.
Several years after peace was restored de Celis
began suit against Wilson, Packard and Pico to
foreclose the mortgage. The mortgage was
satisfied, but through some strange oversight the
case was not dismissed. It was a cloud on the
title of the property, and nearly fifty years after
the suit was begun it was brought up in Judge
York's court and dismissed on the showing that
the issues that gave it existence had long since
been settled.

It was in the old government house that
Lieutenant Gillespie and his garrison were sta-
tioned when the Californians under Varela and
Flores revolted. An attack was made on Gil-
lespie's force on the night of September 22, 1846,
bj' the Californians, numbering about sixty men.
Gillespie's riflemen drove them off", killing three
of the assailants, so he claimed. But the dead
were never found. Gillespie was compelled to
abandon the government house and take a posi-
tion on Fort Hill. After a siege of five days he
was compelled to evacuate the city.

From its proud position as the capital of Cali-
fornia, this historic old adobe descended in the
scale of respectability until it ended its eventful
career as a bar-room and gambling hell.

THE ROUND HOUSE.

The old Round House was one of the land-
marks of the city that for many years w'as pointed
out to visitors, and the story of the purpo.se for
wdiich it was constructed varied with each nar-
rator. There are but few historic associations
connected with and no mystery about the purpose
for which it was built. It was built for a dwell-
ing house in the early '50s by Ramon Alexander,
a retired French sailor, after a model he claimed
to have seen on the coast of Africa. He married
a native Californian woman and for a time they
lived in the house. It passed through several
hands until it came into the possession of George
Lehman, who fitted up the grounds for a pleasure
resort and the building for a saloon. Of late
years writers refer to the grounds as the Garden
of Eden. Lehman named the resort the Garden
of Paradise. The following extract from the
Los Angeles Star of October 2, 1858, gives an
account of the opening of the resort:

HISTORICAT. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

THK GARDEN Ol' I'AKADISE.

"The handsome grounds of the Round House
in the south part of Main street have lately been
fitted up as a public garden under the above
rather high sounding title. In it are to be
seen, elegantly portrayed, the primeval family —
Adam and Eve — Cain and Abel ; also the old
serpent and the golden apples, all according to
the record. There is a frame work containing
what are called flying horses, for the amusement
of children. A band of music stationed on the
balgony of the house plays at intervals. The
garden is tastefully laid out and is much fre-
quented by citizens, especially on Sundays."

The modern proprietor (Lehman) of the Gar-
den of Paradise, like Adam of old, sinned, not
however, by eating forbidden fruit, but bj' con-
tracting debts he could not pa\'. lie was driven
out of Paradise, not by a flaming sword, but by a
writ of ejectment, and with him went the
primeval family, the old serpent and the golden
apples. The Round House stood on the west

side of Main street about one hundred feet south
of Third. The grounds e.xtended through to
Spring street. On the Spring street front, now
covered bj' the Henne, Breed and Lankershini
Blocks, was a thick cactus hedge, which barred
entrance to the grounds from that street; and
was more effective than a flaming sword in keep-
ing bad boys away from the golden apples of the
tree of knowledge. The original Round House
was built of adobe and was circular in form.
Lehman or some subsequent owner inclosed it in
a frame and weather boarded it; and in so doing
changed it to an octagonal building.

In the arbors and under the shade trees and
beneath the spreading branches of the tree of
knowledge the patriots of Los Angeles celebrated
the centennial of our nation's independence
July 4, 1876. It was well out in the suburbs
then and was classed as a suburban resort.

The Round House was torn down in iSSg; the
Garden of Paradise had disappeared several years
before.

CHAPTER XV.

PIONEER FOREIGNERS.

HNDER Spanish rule foreigners were ex-
cluded from California. Runaway sailors
who escaped from their ships, with the in-
tention of remaining in the country, were ar-
rested, and if their ships had departed, were sent
to San Bias or some other port of Mexico, from
whence they were returned to their own country.
The first foreigner to enter Los Angeles was
Joseph Chapman, a native of Massachusetts. As
has been previously stated he was captured at
Monterey, or rather he and two others deserted
the ships of Bouchard, when that privateer cap-
tured the town. At the time of his advent into
the country (1818) Spain and Mexico were en-
gaged in a sanguinary conflict — the war of
Mexican Independence. Neither had time to
look after California and she was left to shift for
herself. Joso el Ingles (Joseph the Englishman)
was allowed to remain in the country. He mar-
ried Guadalupe Ortega, a daughter of Sergeant
Ortega of vSaiita Barbara. He assisted in getting

out timbers for the Church of Our Lady of the
Angels, the same year he was captured. He
built a mill at Santa Inez and another at San
Gabriel. He built the first ship ever launched in
Southern California. He was a typical Yankee
and could turn his hand to anything in a mechan-
ical line. He died in 1849. Tom Fisher, cap-
tured at the same time with Chapman, was the
first American negro in California. He was for
many years a vaquero for the Lugos.

After Mexico gained her independence she
adopted a .somewhat more liberal policy towards
foreigners. Not perhaps because she was more
tolerant, but because she was less able to enforce
restriction laws. The foreigners came to Cal-
ifornia whether they were welcome or not, and
they settled in the country, married the faire.st of
its daughters, helped themselves to its richest
acres, and monopolized its commerce and trade.

The first pioneer American to reach California
by the overland route was Captain Jedediali S.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Smith. He, in command of a company of 15
hunters and trappers, left the Rocky Mountain
Fur Company's Fort at Great Salt Lake, August
22, 1S26. The object of the expedition was to
find some new country that had not been trapped
over. Striking out in a southwesterly direction,
he discovered a river which lie named the Adams,
after John Quincy Adams, then president; it is now
known as~the Rio Virgin. He followed down
this river to the Colorado and descended that
stream to the Mojave villages. Here he found
two wandering neophytes of the California Mis-
sions, who guided him to San Gabriel, where he
arrived early in December, 1S26. He was ar-
rested and taken to San Diego by order of the
Comandante-General. There a number of ship
captains and supercargoes signed a testimonial
vouching for Smith's good character and certify-
ing that he had been compelled to enter the coun-
try for supplies. He was released, rejoined his
company, and going northward, they trapped on
the tributaries of the San Joaquin and Sacramen-
to, as far as the American River, near where
Folsom now stands. There Smith left them and
cros,sed the Sierra Nevadas, the first white man to
scale those mountains. He made his way to Salt
Lake. On his return he entered California by
way of Walker's Pass and left it by the Oregon
coast route. On the Umpqua he was attacked by
the Indians and only himself and two others es-
caped. He was killed by the Indians on the
Cimarron River, in New Mexico, in 1831, while
in command of a trading expedition to Santa Fe.
Smith was the pioneer of the hunters and fur
trappers who between 1826 and 1845 made their
way into California. Many of them became per-
manent residents of the countrj'.

The first pioneers to reach California by way of
New Mexico and the Gila were the members of
the Pattie party. This party consisted of Sylves-
ter Pattie, James Ohio Pattie, son of Sylvester,
Nathaniel M. Pryor, Richard Laughlin, Jesse
Furguson, Isaac Slover, William Pope and James
Puter.

The Patties left Kentucky in 1824, and fol-
lowed trapping in New Mexico and Arizona un-
til 1827; the elder Pattie for a time managing
the copper mines of Santa Rita. In May, 1827,
Pattie, in command of a party of 30 trappers, set
out to trap the tributaries of the Colorado. Losses
by the Indians, by dissensions and desertions re-
duced the party under Pattie to eight. December
ist, 1827, while these were encamped on the Col-
orado near the mouth of the Gila, the Yuma
Indians stole all their horses. They built canoes
and floated down the Colorado, expecting to find
Spanish settlements on its banks, where they
could procure horses to take them back to Santa

Fe. They floated down until they encountered
the flood tide from the Gulf. Finding it impos-
sible to proceed further, or to go back on account
of the river current, they landed, cached their
furs, and with a two days' supply of beaver meat,
they struck across the desert towards California.
After incredible' hardships, they reached the old
Mission of Santa Catalina, near the head of the
Gulf of California. Here they were detained
until news of their arrival could be sent to the
Governor of the Californias, whose residence was
then at San Diego. A guard of 16 soldiers was
sent for them and they were conducted to San
Diego, where they arrived February 27, 1828.
Their arms were taken from tliem and they were
imprisoned. The elder Pattie died while in con-
finement. In September all the party, except
young Pattie, who was retained as a hostage,
were released and permitted to go after their
buried furs. They found their furs had been
ruined by the overflow of the river. Two of the
party, Slover and Pope, made their way back to
Santa Fe; the others returned, bringing with
them their beaver traps. They were again im-
prisoned by Gov. Echeandia, but were finall}' re-
leased. Young Pattie entered into a contract to
vaccinate all the whites and Indians in the terri-
tory. His father had brought vaccine matter
with him from the Santa Rita mine. Pattie
claimed to have vaccinated twenty-two thousand
people, principally mission Indians. He claimed
to have vaccinated 2,500 in Los Angeles. The
president of the missions offered him in pay 500
cattle and 500 mules, and land enough to pasture
his stock, on condition that he would become a
Catholic and a citizen of Mexico. Pattie scorned
the offer and upbraided the padre roundl}' for
taking advantage of him (or rather he asserts
that he did).

He returned to the United States in 1S30, by
way of Mexico. He wrote a narrative of his ad-
ventures, which was edited bj' the Rev. Timoth}'
Flint, and published in Cincinnati in 1833.
Stephen C. Foster, who was acquainted with
Pryor and Laughlin, and whose stories of their
adventures he had from themselves, pronounces
most of Pattie's account false. Through the
kindness of Dr. J. A. Munk, of this city, I have
had the pleasure of reading this very rare book,
"Pattie's Narrative." Foster's charge is alto-
gether too sweeping. There are exaggerations
in it and Pattie was very much given to boasting,
but the story on the whole bears the impress of
truth. Foster wrote a sketch of the adventures
of this party, and in it he, too, draws on his ima-
gination for some of the statements made.

Of this party, Nathaniel M. Pryor, Richard
Laughlin and Jesse Furguson, became residents

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of Los Angeles. Pryor was quite prominent in
the public affairs of the town. By trade he wa.s
a silversmith. He married Dofia Sepulveda and
owned a large tract of land between Aliso and
First streets, on which he was living at the time
of his death, May, 1850.

Richard Laughlin was a carpenter and
joiner by trade. He came to Los Angeles in
1829. He owned a vineyard on the east side of
Alameda street. He was very popular. Foster
says his lively wit was the life of every circle, one
for whom every man had a friendly word and
every woman a smile. The Californians named
him Ricardo el Buen Mozo ( Handsome Richard) .
He died in 1855.

Jesse Furguson arrived at Los Angeles in
1828-29. For a time he conducted a store on
Main street, while in the employ of Wm. G.
Dana, of Santa Barbara. He married in Los
Angeles and from here went to Lower California,
where he died in 1843.

John Temple was among the earliest of the
pioneers coming to California by sea to locate in
Los Angeles. He was a native of Reading,
Mass., and came from Honolulu to California in
1827 and shortly afterwards settled in Los
Angeles. He formed a partnership with George
Rice and carried on a mercantile business for
several years. They did business in an adobe
building where the Downey Block now stands.
The firm of Temple & Rice dissolved in 1831.
Temple continued the business alone until 1845,
when he engaged in ranching. In 1857-5S he
built the southern part of the Temple Block,
and in 1859 erected the old court house, which
stood on the present site of the Bullard Block.
This building was originally intended for a mai--
ket house and theatre. After his death it was
sold to the county for a court house. About
1830 he married Dona Rafaela Cota. He died in
San Francisco, May 30, 1S66.

J. D. Leandry, a native of Italy, settled in
Los Angeles about 1827. He conducted a store
on the south side of the plaza for several years.
He later on purchased an interest in the San
Pedro rancho and engaged in cattle raising. He
owned the Los Coyotes rancho at the time of his
death, which occurred in 1842.

Akel Stearns (known by the natives as
Don Abel) was born in Salem, Mass. He lived
in Mexico four years before coming to California.
He came to California in 1828 and located in Los
Angeles shortly afterwards, where he engaged in
merchandising. He owned a warehouse at San

Pedro and was accu.sed of smuggling, but the
charge was not proven. He married Dofia
Arcadia, daughter of Don Juan Bandini. He
filled a number of positions in the cit)' govern-
ment under Mexican rule and was a member of
the Constitutional Convention of 1849. He
represented the county in the legislature of 185 1
and again in 1861. In the later years of his life
he was one of the largest landholders in Cali-
fornia. He died at San Francisco, August 23,
1S71.

(For more extended sketch, .see biographical
part of this volume).

Samuel Prentlss, a native of Rhode Island,
was one of the crew of the American brig Danube
that was wrecked in San Pedro Bay on Christmas
eve, 1828, and came with the rescued crew to Los
Angeles. He engaged in otter hunting and fish-
ing. He died on the island of Santa Catalina in
1865 and was buried there.

Mich.ael White was a native of Kent, Eng-
land. He landed in Lower California in 1817
and spent eight years as a sailor on trading
vessels in the Gulf of California. Hevi'ent to the
Sandwich Islands in 1826 and came from thereto
California as commander of the brig Dolly in
1828. He settled in Santa Barbara and built a
schooner there. He came to Los Angeles the
last day of the year 1828. He married Maria del
Rosario Guillen, daughter of Eulalia Perez,
famous in the annals of San Gabriel Mission. He
was grantee of the Muscupiabe rancho, near San
Bernardino. He was one of the Chino pri.soners.
His later years were spent in this cit}', where he
died in poverty in 1885.

Johann Groningen, or Juan Domingo (John
Sunday), was a native of Hanover and the first
German settler in Los Angeles. "His German
name," says Stephen C. Foster, "was one no
Spanish tongue could pronounce and so they
called him Domingo, but, from a slight limp, he
was most commonly known as 'Jua" Cojo' "
(Lame John). He was ship carpenter of the
Danube and readied Los Angeles with the
wrecked crew of that ves.sel on Christmas day,
182S. He married a Miss Feliz and planted a
vineyard on the east side of Alameda street,
between Aliso and First streets. He bought the
site of the pueblito, the Indian village, when
the Indians were removed across the river. His
death occurred December 18, 1858.

1829.
Louis Bouchette was the pioneer French-
man of Los Angeles. He came to the pueblo in
1829 and purchased a vineyard on what is now
Macy street. His residence was where the Baker
Block now stands. He died October 23, 1S47.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Jean LouIvS Vignes was another pioneer from
France. He came to Los Angeles in 1831 from
the Hawaiian Islands. He planted an extensive
vineyard, long known as the Aliso Vineyard,
and engaged in wine making. His wines became
famous throughout California for their fine
quality. He was familiarly known as Don Luis
del Aliso from an immense sycamore tree that
stood on his land. Beneath this he built his wine
cellars and his residence, which he enclosed with
an adobe wall to keep the Indians out. Not
that the red men were hostile to him, but because
they had too great an affection for his wine and
brandy. Don Luis was everybody's friend, and
during the war his house was a place of refuge at
different times for both Americans and Califor-
nians. His castle of refuge, his vineyards and
the old Aliso, of which he was so proud, have all
disappeared. He died January 17, 1S62.

William Wolfskill was born March 20,
1798, near Richmond, Ky. He lived several
years in New Mexico, where he was naturalized
in 1830. In February, 1831, he arrived in Los
Angeles with a large parly of hunters and trap-
pers. In corapau)' with Pryor, Loughlin, Pren-
tiss and Yount, under the superintendence of
Jose Chapman, he assisted in building the
schooner Guadalupe for Padre Sanchez of San
Gabriel Mission. He planted a vineyard in 1838
and an orange orchard in 1841. His orange
orchard covered all the territory between San
Pedro street and Alameda and from Third street
to Seventh. It was cut down when the S. P.
Depot was located on the Wolfskill Tract. He
married, in 1841, Doila Magdalena Lugo. She
died in 1862. Mr. Wolfskill died at Los Angeles
October 3, 1866. He was an intelligent, enter-
prising man and did more than any other person
in early years to build up the horticultural
interests of California.

Santiago (James) McKinley may be classed
as the pioneer Scotchman of Los Angeles. He
came to California in 1824 on a whaler and was
left at Santa Barbara. He came to Los Angeles
about 1831 and was engaged in merchandising.
He was reputed to have some knowledge of
medicine and surger}' and acted as physician in
the pueblo when there were no representatives of
the medical profession to be had in the town.
He took an active part against Micheltorena in
*the Revolution of 1845. He was a man of good
repute throughout his long career in California.
He died in Monterey in 1875.

Jonathan Trumbull Warner, better known
as Juan Jose Warner, was born in the town of
Lyme, Conn., November 20, 1807. His health

having failed, he set out in the fall of 1830 for
the far west to try to regain it. He reached St.
Louis in November of that year. The arrival of
a wagon train of furs from the Yellowstone
country at St. Louis caused quite a .sensation and
gave an impetus to fur trapping and trading.
Next spring he joined an expedition to Santa
Fe, consisting of eighty- five men and twenty- three
wagons. He was in the employ of the famous
hunter and trapper, Captain Jedediah vS. Smith,
who was killed by the Indians on this expedition.
He reached Santa Fe July 4, 1831. In Sep-
tember he left for California in the emploj' of
Jackson, Sublette and Ewing Young, who with a
party of eleven men were going there to buy
mules for the Louisiana market. They had with
them five pack mules laden with Mexican silver
dollars. He reached Los Angeles December 5,
1 83 1. Here he and one other man remained
whilst Jackson and the others went north to buj-
mules. The mule speculation proved a failure.
Jackson returned in March with 500 horses
and onl}^ 100 mules. Warner assisted in driving
the stock to the Colorado River. The river
was high and they experienced great difficulty
and considerable loss in forcing their mules and
horses to swim across. Young, Warner and
three others of the party returned to Los Angeles.

During 1832 and 1833, with a party of four-
teen under Young, Warner hunted and trapped
in northern California and Oregon. In 1834 he
settled in Los Angeles and engaged in merchan-
dising. In 1837 he married Anita Gale, daugh-
ter of Capt. William A. Gale of Boston. In
1840-41 he visited the Atlantic States and
delivered a lecture at Rochester, N. Y., urging
the building of a railroad to the Pacific. This
was the first time the project was presented to the
public.

In 1843 he moved to San Diego, on what has
been known ever since as Warner's Ranch. The
Cahuilla Indians raided the ranch, destroying six
thousand dollars' worth of merchandise and run-
ning off the stock. He took an active part in
politics after the American occupancj' of Califor-
nia. In 1851-52 he represented San Diego Coun-
ty in the senate. From March, 1858, to June,
i860, he published the Los Angeles Soiil/icrn
Vineyard. In i860 he was elected to the assem-
bly from this county. In 1876 he was appointed
United States register in bankruptcy for the
southern district, which office he held until his
eyesight failed him. He was joint author, with
Judge Benjamin Hayes and Dr. J. P. \A'idney, of
the "Centetniial Historical Sketch of Los Angeles
Count}'," a valuable publication, but now out of
print. His part covered the period from 1771 to
1847. His home in this city for many years was

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RFXORD.

located where the Burbank Theater now stands.
In 1887 he moved to the university district, south-
west of the city, where he passed the last years
of his life with his daughter and grandchildren.
In an adjoining house lived his friend and pa-
drino, Gov. Pio Pico, to whom he gave shelter
and asylum in his old age and misfortunes. Col.
J. J. Warner, the name by which he was gen-
erally known in his later years, died April 11,
1895. (His first and his middle name, Jonathan
Trumbull, had no equivalent in Spanish, so he
took the names, Juan Jose).
1832.

JuLi.\N Is.VAC Williams, a native of New
York, was one of Ewing Young's trappers and
came from New Mexico to California in 1832.
He settled in Los Angeles and for several years
was engaged in trapping and trading for furs. In
1835 he assisted Nidever, vSparks and others in
removing the Indians from San Nicolas Island.
It was at this time that the woman was left on
the island, where she lived alone for eighteen
years. He built a house in Los Angeles in 1834
and was naturalized in 1836. In 1839 he married
Maria de Jesus, daughter of Antonio Maria Lugo,
and shortly afterward obtained the Chino Rancho,
where he lived at the time of his death. His
town house was sold to the government and be-
came the capitol of California when Pio Pico was
governor, in 1845-46. His house at the Chino
ranch was the frontier station for the overland
immigration by the southern routes. He kept a
register of arrivals (now owned by Richard Gird),
which contains more than six thousand names of
immigrants. He died in 1856, leaving a large
estate to his two daughters, Maria Merced, wife
of John Rains, and Francisca, wife of Robert
Carlisle. He was noted for his hospitality, and
rendered assistance to manj' of the impoverished
immigrants who had lost their outfits crossing
the plains.

Lemuel Carpenter, of Missouri, came to
Los Angeles from New Mexico in 1832. He estab-
lished a soap factory on the right bank of the San
Gabriel River, near what is known as La Jabone-
ria road (soap factor^' road). He became the
owner of the Santa Gertrudes Rancho, but lost it
through financial embarrassments, and committed
suicide November 6, 1859.
1833-

Santiago John.son, an Englishman by birth,
came to Los Angeles from Guaymasin 1833 with
a cargo of Chinese and Mexican goods. After
di.sposing of these he returned to Sonora, and in
1835 brought his family hereto live. In 1836
he was naturalized, claiming at that time to have
been a residejit of the republic twelve years. He

purchased the San Pedro rancho with 12,000
head of stock. He was the grantee of the San
Jacinto and San Gorgorio Ranchos in San Diego
County. He was engaged at one time in the
warehouse and forwarding business at San Pedro.
His three daughters, Anita, Adelaide and Mar-
garita married, respectively, Henry and Francis
Melius and James H. Lander. He died in 1862.

Jacob Primer Leese, a native of Ohio, came
to Los Angeles from New Mexico in 1833. From
1834 to 1836 he was engaged in general mer-
chandising here with William Keith and Hugo
Reid. From here he went to Monterey, where
he established a business house with Nathan
Spear and W. S. Hinckley. He erected the first
substantial building in Yerka Buena, now San
Francisco, in 1S36. In this building the first
Fourth of July celebration ever observed in Cali-
fornia was held July 4, 1836. Leese married a
sister of Gen. Vallejo, and was one of the prison-
ers of the Bear Flag party. He was an active
and daring business man, boldly launching out
into new ventures. He made several fortunes,
but finally lost all and died poor.
1S34.

Hugo Reid (or Perfecto Hugo Reid), a native
of Scotland, came to Los Angeles in 1834 from
Lower California, where he had lived six years'.
He was naturalized in 1836. He engaged in
business in Los Angeles with Keith and Leese.
In 1839 he settled on the Santa Anita Rancho, a
grant of which he obtained in 1S41. He married
an Indian woman of San Gabriel Mission, Dona
Victoria. She was a very estimable woman and
made him a good wife. Common rumor makes
Reid the father of Helen Hunt Jackson's heroine,
Romona. Reid was a scholarly man and pos-
sessed a fine library. He wrote a series of letters
to the Los Angeles SAiriu 1852, on the language,
history, customs and legends of the San Gabriel
Indians. In the.se letters he gives a picture of
mission life, which is not so bright and fa.^cinat-
ing as some of our modern writers have painted
it. Mr. Reid died at Los Angeles, December 12,
1852. "His fine library was scattered after his
death; the greater portion came into possession
of J. Lancaster Brent." His property, which
was quite valuable, he left to his wife, but the
guardian he selected to care for it proved dishon-
est and she was robbed of her fortune: even her
personal ornaments were taken from her. She
died of smallpox in 1863.
1835-

Henrv Mellus, a native of Bo.ston, Ma.ss.,
came to California in 1835, on the brig Pilgrim,
with Richard H. Dana, author of "Two Years
Before the Ma.st." He left the ship to become

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

agent's clerk. His name appears in the Los An-
geles census list (padron) of 1836. He formed
a partnership with W. D. M. Howard in San
Francisco. The firm became one of the most
prominent business houses of California and had
branches in Los Angeles, San Jose and Sacra-
mento. In 1847 he married Anita, daughter of
Santiago Johnson. He bought a considerable
quantity of real estate in San Francisco and be-
came very wealthy. In 1850 he sold his interest
in the firm and went east. He lost most of his
wealth in unfortunate business ventures. In
1859 he returned to California and located in Los
Angeles. In 1S60 he was elected mayor, but
died before the end of his term. He was a man
of fine business abilities, and was generally liked
by his associates.

Lkon I. PrudhommE was a native of France
and arrived in Los Angeles in 1835. He was a
cooper by trade. He married a Tapia. He was
at one time part owner of the Cucamonga ranch,
and claimant, in 1852, of the La Habra and
Topanga ranches. He died May 8, 1871.

1836.

John Marsh, a native of Massachusetts and a
graduate of Harvard, arrived in Los Angeles
from New Mexico in January, 1836. He applied
to the ayuntamiento for a license to practice
medicine, presenting his diploma as evidence
of his fitness, but there was no one in the
pueblo that could translate it. It was decided
that since the services of a physician were greatly
needed he be allowed to practice. The padre at
San Gabriel afterwards translated his diploma.
But as the doctor had to take his pay in hides,
horses and cattle, he soon gave up the practice of
medicine. He went north in 1837. He secured
a rancho near the present site of the town of
Antioch. His letters, published in the east, were
instrumental in bringing the first emigrant train
to California (1841). He was a miserly and dis-
agreeable man, although strictly honest. He was
murdered by a party of Californians in 1856 near
Martinez.

John Froster, a native of England, located in
the jurisdiction of Los Angeles in 1836 and the
same year applied for naturalization, claiming to
have lived in the territory four years. He mar-
ried Isadora, sister of Pio Pico, and was captain
of the Port of San Pedro from 1840 to 1843. I"
1844 he settled at San Juan Capistrano. Pur-
chasing the ex-mission estate in 1845, he lived
there 20 years. In 1864 he bought the Santa
Margarita Rancho of Pio Pico, vshere he lived
until his death, which occurred in 1884. Don
Juan was a man who was well liked by all who
knew him. He was genial and very hospitable.

1837.
John Reed, a native of North Carolina, came
to Los' Angeles in 1837 from New Mexico. He
served as sergeant in the California Battalion in
1846-47. He married a daughter of John Row-
land and resided in later years at the La Puente,
where he died July 11, 1874.
1S39.

Henry Meeeus, a native of Salem, Mass.,
came to Cahfornia at the age of 15. He landed
at Santa Barbara January 5, 1839. He became a
clerk for A. B. Thompson at Santa Barbara, and
in later years was a partner with his brother Henry
in the firm of Melius, Howard & Co., and with
D. W. Alexander was in charge of a branch of
the business at Los Angeles, where he settled
permanently. He died there September 19, 1S63.
1841.

John Rowland, a native of Pennsylvania,
came to Los Angeles, in 1841, from New Mexico
as leader of the Workman-Rowland immigration
party, numbering about forty persons. There is
a list of the men who accompanied him in the
Los Angeles city archives. The names of the
women and children are not given in it. He had
been engaged in trade at Santa Fe about 18 years,
and had amassed considerable wealth. He and
William Workman had been partners in New
Mexico. In 1842 he obtained a grant of the
Rancho La Puente in company with his old part-
ner, William Workman. He was one of the
foreigners who opposed Micheltorena, and in 1846
he was taken prisoner at the battle of Chino. He
died at La Puente, October 14, 1873, aged 82
years. He was a man greatly respected by all
who knew him.

William Workman was born in England in
1800, and came to America when quite young.
He located in St. Louis. From there he went to
Santa Fe, New Mexico, where for a number of
years he followed trapping and trading. He came
with his partner, John Rowland, to Los Angeles
in 1 84 1. With Rowland he obtained the Puente
Rancho. He was one of the embassy bearing a
flag of truce that surrendered Los Angeles City
to Stockton, Jaiuiary 10, 1847. He was a partner
of F. P. F. Temple in the Ijanking business in
Los Angeles from 1868 to 1876. The disastrous
failure of the bank so preyed upon his mind that
he committed suicide May 17, 1876.

Benjamin Davis Wii^on was born in Nash-
ville, Tenn., December i, 1811. He engaged in
business quite early in life. He became an Indian
trader, trading with the Choctaw and Chickasaw
Indians. His health failing him, he joined the
Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and in the fall
of 1833 he reached Santa Fe. For two years he

HISTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

was engaged in trapping on the Gila and other
rivers in the Apache country. He then engaged
in merchandising at Santa Fe. In 1841, in com-
pany with Jolm Rowland, William Workman,
Isaac Gavin and others, numbering about 40 per
sous in all, he came to Los Angeles overland,
arriving early in September. Sliortly afterward
he purchased the Jurapa Rancho, stocked it with
cattle and settled down to the life of a ranchero.
In 1844 he married Dona Ramona Yorba, daugh
ter of Bernardo Yorba, of the Santa AnnaRancho.
The mountain Indians, among whom were many
renegade neophytes, made frequent raids upon
the stock of the settlers in the upper valleys.
Captain Wilson headed a number of expeditions
to pursue these marauders into their mountain
strongholds and punish them. In one of these
campaigns he was severely wounded with a poi-
soned arrow shot by Joaquin, an Indian outlaw,
who in his youth had been a page in San Gabriel
Mission Church, and who, on account of some
oflense, had been branded on the hip and one of
his ears cropped. Wilson's life was saved by his
Comanche Indian servant, who had accompanied
him from New Mexico. The Comanche sucked the
poison out of liis wound. Wilson took an active
part in the overthrow of Micheltorena in 1845.

When war was declared between the United
States and Mexico Mr. Wilson was ordered by
Governor Pico to raise a company and prepare
for active service against the Americans. This
he refused to do on the plea that he was an
American citizen. On giving his parole to Gov-
ernor Pico he was allowed to remain peacefully
on his ranch. When Stockton captured Los An-
geles in August, 1846, he commissioned Wilson
acaptain. He raised a companj' of 22 Americans
to assist Gillespie in preserving order and to pre-
vent Indian raids. When Flores and Varela
revolted against Gillespie's rule Wilson and his
company were absent in the mountains. They
were summoned to Los Angeles. At the Chino
ranch house they were besieged by the Califor-
nians and compelled to surrender. They were
held prisoners until the defeat of Flores at the
battle of La Mesa, when they were released. In
184S Mr. Wilson located in Los Angeles and en-
gaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1850, upon the
organization of the county, he was elected county
clerk. In 1852 he was appointed Indian agent
by President Fillmore. In 1854 he became owner
of the Lake Vineyard property. He served two
terms as state senator. In 1849 his first wife
died, and in 1853 he married Mrs. Margaret S.
Hereford. He died at his home near San Ga-
briel, March 11, 187S. One daughter by his first
wife (Mrs. de Earth Shorb) and two by his .sec-
ond wife survive him.

D.wiu W. Ai.iixANDKK was an Irishman by
birth and came to America in 1832, when he
was 20 years old. He went to New Mexico in
1837, and in 1841 came to California with the
Rowland Workman party. He first located at
the Ruicon. From 1844 to 1849 he carried on a
freighting and forwarding business at San Pedro,
and was made collector of the port by Commo-
dore Stockton in 1846, having held the same
position under the Mexican government in 1845.
He served two terms as sheriff of Los Angeles
County. In 1864 he married Dona Adalaida
Melius, widow of Francis Melius. Don David,
as he was familiarly called, died at Wilmington,
■April 30, 1887.

Francis Pliny F. Temple, a native of Massa-
chusetts, came to Los Angeles in 1841 and en-
gaged in trade with his brother, Juan Temple.
Later he established a stock ranch at San Emidio,
near Fort Tijon, which he disposed of in 1868 to
engage in banking with I. W. Hellman and Will-
iam Workman. The partnership was dissolved
in 1 87 1 and the banking house of Temple &
Workman established. The bank failed in 1875,
ruining both the partners. Mr. Temple died
April 30, 1880.

1842.

Alexander Bell was a native of Pennsylva-
nia. In 1823 he emigrated to the City of Mexico,
where he resided until 1842, when he came to
Los Angeles. In 1844 he married Dona Nieves
Guirado. He took an active part in the revolu-
tion against Micheltorena. He engaged in mer-
cantile pursuits, and in 1845 built the Bell Block
on the southeast corner of Aliso and Los Angeles
streets. It was also known as the Melius Row,
and was for many years a famous landmark. In
it Fremont established his headquarters when he
was governor of the territory in 1S47. Mr. Bell
was a captain in the California Battalion during
the war of the conquest. He was a man highly
respected in the community. He died Julv 24,
1871.

1843.

Richards. Dkn, M. D., an Irishman by birth,
came to Los Angeles in 1843. He acted as sur-
geon for the Mexican forces in 1846, but gave
his services impartially to both sides. He prac-
ticed his profession for many years in Los An-
geles, and was highly respected by all who knew
him. He died in 1895.

Henry Dalton was a native of England and
came to California from Lima in 1S43. Locating
in Los Angeles, he engaged in merchandising.
He .served against Micheltorena in 1845. In 1847
he purchased the Santa Anita, and about the
same time acquired the Azusa, where he lived at
the time of bis death.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI. RECORD.

CHAPTER XVL

ACQUISITION OF CALIFORNIA BY THE UNITED STATES-CAPTURE OF
LOS ANGELES.

6^ HE acquisition of California by the United
In States was the result of one of those spasms
\G\ °f territorial expansion that seem at cer-
^^ tain periods to take hold of the bod}' politic.
It had been for several j-ears a foregone conclu-
sion in the minds of the leading politicians of the
then dominant party that the manifest destiny of
California was to become United States territory.
The United States must have a Pacific boundary,
and those restless nomads, the pioneers of the
west, must have new countr}' to colonize. Eng-
land or France might at any time seize the coun-
try; and, as Mexico must eventually lose Califor-
nia, it were better that the United States should
possess it than some European power. All that
was wanting for the United States to seize and
appropriate it was a sufficient provocation bj' the
Mexican government. The provocation came,
but not from Mexico.

Capt. John C. Fremont, an engineer and ex-
plorer in the services of the United States, ap-
peared at Monterey in January, 1846, and applied
to Gen. Castro, the military comandante, for per-
mission to buy supplies for his party of sixty -two
men who were encamped in the San Joaquin Val-
ley, in what is now Kern County. Permission
was given him. There seems to have been a tacit
agreement between Castro and Fremont that the
exploring party should not enter the settlements,
but early in March the whole force was encamped
in the Salinas Valley. Castro regarded the march-
ing of a body of armed men through the country
as an act of hostility, and ordered them out of the
country. Instead of leaving, Fremont intrenched
himself on an eminence known as Gabilian Peak
(about thirty miles from Monterey), raised the
stars and stripes over his barricade and defied
Castro. Castro maneuvered his troops on
the plain below but did not attack Fremont.
After two days' waiting Fremont al^andoned his
position and began his march northward. On
May 9, when near the Oregon line, he was over-
taken by Lieut. Gillespie, of the United States
navy, with a dispatch from the president. Gil-
5

lespie had left the Uuited States in November,
1845, and, disguised, had crossed Mexico from
Vera Cruz to Mazallan, and from there had
reached Monterey. The exact nature of the dis-
patches to Fremont is not known, but presumably
they related to the impending war between Mex-
ico and the United States, and the necessity for a
prompt seizure of the country to prevent it from
falling into the hands of England. Fremont re-
turned to the Sacramento, where he encamped.
On the 14th of June, 1846, a body of American
settlers from the Napa and Sacramento Valleys,
thirty -three in number, of which Ide, Semple,
Grigsby and Merritt seem to have been the lead-
ers, after a night's march, took possession of the
old Castillo or fort at Sonoma, with its rusty
muskets and unused cannon, and made Gen. M.
G. Vallejo, Lieut. -Col. Prudon, Capt. Salvador
\'allejoandJacobP. Leese, a brother-in-law of the
Vallejos, prisoners. There seems to have been no
privates at thecastillo — allofficers._ Exactly what
was the object of the American settlers in taking
General Vallejo prisoner is not evident. General
Vallejo was one of the few eminent Californians
who favored the annexation of California to the
United States. He had made a speech favoring
such a movement in the junta at Monterey a few
months before. Castro regarded him with sus-
picion. The pri.soners were sent under an armed
escort to Fremont's camp. Wm. B. Ide was
elected captain of the revolutionists who remained
at Sonoma, to "hold the fort." He issued a
pronunciamento full of bombast, bad English and
worse orlhography. He declared California a
free and independent state, under the name of
the California Republic. A nation must have a
flag of its own, so one was improvised. It was
made of a piece of cotton cloth, or manta, a yard
wide and five feet long. Strips of red flannel torn
from an old petticoat that had crossed the plains
were stitched on the manta for stripes. With a
blacking bru.sh, or, as another authority says,
the end of a chewed .stick for a brush, and red-
berry juice for paint, Wm. L. Todd painted the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

figure of a grizzly bear rampant on the field of
tlie flag. The natives called Todd's bear
"Cocliino" — a pig; it resembled that animal
more than a bear. A five-pointed star in the left
upper corner, painted with the same coloring
matter, and the words "California Republic"
printed on it iu ink, completed the famous bear
flag.

The California Republic was ushered into ex-
istence June 14, 1846, attained the acme of its
power July 4, when Ide and his fellow -patriots
burnt a quantity of powder in salutes, and fired
ofi" oratorical pyrotechnics in honor of the new
republic. It utterly collapsed on the 9th of July,
after an existence of twenty-five days, when news
reached Sonoma that Commodore Sloat had raised
the stars and stripes at Monterey and taken pos-
session of California in the name of the United
States.

Commodore Sloat, who had anchored in Mon-
terey Bay July 2, 1846, was for a time undecided
whether to take possession of the country. He
had no official information that war had been de-
clared between the United States and Mexico;
but, acting on the supposition that Captain Fre-
mont had received definite instructions, on the 7th
of July he raised the flag and took possession of
the custom-house and government buildings at
Monterey. Captain Montgomery, on the 9th,
raised it at San Franci.sco, and on the same day
the Bear flag gave place to the stars and stripes
at Sonoma.

General Castro was holding Santa Clara and San
Jose when he received Commodore Sloat's procla-
mation informing him that the commodore had
taken possessi'on of Monterey. Castro, after read-
ing the proclamation, which was written in Span-
ish, formed his men in line, and addressing them,
said: "Monterey is taken by the Americans.
What can I do with a handful of men against the
United States? I am going to Mexico. All of
you who wish to follow me, 'About face!' All
that wish to remain can go to their homes."* A
very small part of his force followed him.

Commodore .Sloat was superseded by Commo-
dore Stockton, who set about organizing an ex-
pedition to subjugate the southern part of the
territory which still remained loyal to Mexico.
Fremont's exploring party, recruited to a battal-
ion of 120 men, had marched to Monterey, and
from there was sent by vessel to San Diego to
procure horses and prepare to act as cavalry.
* * * *

Let us now return to Los Angeles, and learn
how affairs had progressed at the capitaL

Pio Pico had entered upon the duties of the
governorship with a desire to bring peace and

♦Hall's History of San Jose.

harmony to the distracted country. He appointed
Juan Bandini, one of the ablest statesman of the
south, his secretary. After Bandini resigned he
chose J. M. Covarrubias, and later Jose M. Mo-
reno filled the office.

The principal offices of the territory had been
divided equally between the politicians of the
north and the south. While Los Angeles became
the capital, and the departmental assembly met
there, the military headquarters, the archives and
the treasury remained at Monterey. But not-
withstanding this division of the .spoils of office,
the old feud between the Arribafios and the
Abajenos would not down, and soon the old-time
quarrel was on with all its bitterness. Castro, as
military comandante, ignored the governor, and
Alvarado was regarded by the surefios as an
emissary of Castro's. The departmental assem-
bly met at Los Angeles, in March, 1846. Pico
presided, and in his opening message set forth
the unfortunate condition of affairs in the depart-
ment. Education was neglected; justice was not
administered; the missions were so burdened by
debt that but few of them could be rented; the
army was disorganized and the treasury empty.

Not even the danger of war with the Americans
could make the warring factions forget their
fratricidal strife. Castro's proclamation against
Fremont was construed by the sureuos into a
scheme to inveigle the governor to the north so
that the comandante-general could depose him
and seize the office for himself. Castro's prepara-
tions to resist by force the encroachments of the
Americans were believed, by Pico and the An-
gelenians, to be the fitting out of an army to
attack Los Angeles and overthrow the govern-
ment.

On the 1 6th of June Pico left Los Angeles for
Monterey with a military force of a hundred men.
The object of the expedition was to oppose, and,
if possible, to depose Castro. He left the capital
under the care of the ayuntamiento. On the
20th of June Alcalde Gallardo reported to the
ayuntamiento that he had positive information
"that Don Castro had left Monterey and would
arrive here in three days with a military force for
the purpose of capturing this city." (Castro had
left Monterey with a force of 70 men, but he had
gone north to San Jost?.) The sub- prefect, Don
Abel Stearns, was authorized to enlist troops to
preserve order. On the 23d of June three com-
panies were organized — an artillery company
under Miguel Pryor, a company of riflemen under
Benito Wilson, and a cavalry company under
Gorge Palomares. Pico called for re-inforce-
inents, but just as he was preparing to march
against Monterey the news reached him of the
capture of Sonoma by the Americans, and next

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

day, June 24, the news reached Los Angeles just
as the council had decided on a plan of defense
against Castro, who was 500 miles away. Pico,
on the impulse of the moment, issued a proclama-
tion, in which he arraigned the United States for
perfidy and treachery, and the gang of "North
American adventurers," who had captured Sono-
ma "with the blackest treason the spirit of evil
can invent." His arraignment of the "North
American Nation" was so severe that some of his
American friends in Los Angeles took umbrage
at his pronunciamiento. He afterwards tried to
recall it, but it was too late; it had been pub-
lished.

Castro, finding the "foreign adventurers" too
numerous and too aggressive in the northern part
of the territory, determined, with what men he
could induce to go with him, to rttreat to the
south; but before so doing he sent a mediator to
Pico to negotiate a treaty of peace and amity be-
tween the factions. On the 12th of July the two
armies met at Santa Margarita, near San Luis
Obispo. Castro brought the news that Commo-
dore Sloat had hoisted the United States flag at
Monterey and taken possession of the country for
his government. The meeting of the governor
and the comandante-general was not very cordial,
but in the presence of the impending danger to
the territory they concealed their mutual dislike
and decided to do their best to defend the country
they both loved.

Sorrowfully they began their retreat to the cap-
ital; but even threatened disaster to their common
country could not wholly unite the north and the
south. The respective armies— Castro's num-
bering about 150 men, and Pico's 120 — kept
about a day's march apart. They reached Los
Angeles, and preparations were begun to resist
the invasion of the Americans. Pico issued a
proclamation ordering all able bodied men be-
tween 15 and 60 years of age, native and natural-
ized, to take up arms to defend the country; anj*
able-bodied Mexican refusing was to be treated
as a traitor. There was no enthusiasm for the
cause. The old factional jealousy and distrust
was as potent as ever. The militia of the south
would obey none but their own officers; Castro's
troops, who considered themselves regulars, ridi-
culed the raw recruits of the surenos, while the
naturalized foreigners of American extraction
secretly sympathized with their own people.

Pico, to counteract the malign influence of his
Santa Barbara proclamation and enlist the syni-
path}' and more ready adhesion of the foreign
element of Los Angeles, issued the following cir-
cular: ( Tills circular or proclamation has never
before found its way into print. I find no allusion
to it in Bancroft's or Hittell's Histories. A copy,

probabl)' the only one in existence, was donated
some years since to the Historical Society of
Southern California. I am indebted to Prof. Car-
los Bransby for a most excellent translation.)

\ Seal of [

Gobicfiw del Dep.
dc Cali/ornias.

"Circular. — As owing to the unfortunate
condition of things that now prevail in this de-
partment in consequence of the war into which
the United States has provoked the Mexican
Nation, some ill feeling might spring up between
the citizens of the two countries out of which un-
fortunate occurrences might grow, and as this
government desires to remove ever}' cause of
friction, it has seen fit, in the use of its power, to
issue the present circular.

"The Government of the department of Cali-
fornia declares in the most solemn manner that
all the citizens of the United States that have
come lawfully into its territory, relying upon the
honest administration of the laws and the observ-
ance of the prevailing treaties, shall not be mo-
lested in the least, and their lives and property
shall remain in perfect safety under the protection
of the Mexican laws and authorities legally con-
stituted.

' ' Therefore, in the name of the Supreme Gov-
ernment of the Nation, and by virtue of the
authority vested upon me, I enjoin upon all the
inhabitants of California to observe towards the
citizens of the United States that have lawfully
come among us, the kindest and most cordial
conduct, and to abstain from all acts of violence
against their persons or property; provided they
remain neutral, as heretofore, and take no part in
the invasion effected by the armiesof their nation.

"The authorities of the various municipalities
and corporations will be held strictly responsible
for the faithful fulfillment of this order, and shall,
as soon as possible, take the necefsar}- measures
to bring it to the knowledge of the people. God
and Liberty. Angeles, July 27, 1S46.

"Pio Pico.
"Jose Matias Mareno,

Secretary pro tern."

When we consider the conditions exislirg in
California at the time this circular was issued, its
sentiments reflect great credit on Pico for his hu-
manity and forbearance. A little over a month
before a mob of Americans, many of them in the
country contrary to its laws, had witliout cause
or provocation seized General Vallejo and several
other prominent Cnlifornians in their homes and
incarcerated them in prison at Sutler's Fort.
Nor was this outrage mitigated when the stars

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and stripes were raised. The perpetrators of the
outrage were not punished. These native Cali-
foniiaus were kept in prison nearly- two months
without any charge against them. Besides,
Governor Pico and the leading Californians very
well knew that the Americans whose lives and
property this proclamation was designed to pro-
tect would not remain neutral when their coun-
trymen invaded the territory. Pio Pico deserved
better treatment from the Americans than he re-
ceived. He was robbed of his landed possessions
by unscrupulous land sharks, and his character
defamed by irresponsible historical scribblers.

Pico made strenuous efforts to raise men and
means to resist the threatened invasion. He had
mortgaged the government house to de Celis for
$2,000, the mortgage to be paid "as soon as or-
der shall be established in the department."
This loan was really negotiated to fit out the ex-
pedition against Castro, but a part of it was
expended after his return to Los Angeles in pro-
curing supplies while preparing to meet the
American army. The government had but little
credit. The moneyed men of the pueblo were
averse to putting money into what was almost
sure to prove a lost cause. The bickerings and
jealousies between the factions neutralized to a
considerable degree the efforts of Pico and Castro
to mobilize the army.

Castro established his camp on the mesa across
the river, near where Mrs. HoUenbeck's residence
now is. Here he and Andres Pico undertook to
drill the somewhat incongruous collection of hom-
bres in military maneuvering. Their entire force
at no time exceeded 300 men. These were
poorly armed and lacking indiscipline.

We left Stockton at Monterey preparing an ex-
pedition against Castro at Los Angeles. On tak-
ing command of the Pacific squadron July 29, he
issued a proclamation. It was as bombastic as
the pronunciamiento of a Mexican governor.
Bancroft says, "The paper was made up of false-
hood, of irrelevant issues and bombastic ranting
in about equal parts, the tone being offensive and
impolitic even in those inconsiderable portions
which were true and legitimate." His only object
ill taking possession of the country was "to save
from destruction the lives and property of the for-
eign residents and citizens of the territory who
had invoked his protection." In view of Pico's
humane circular and the uniform kind treatment
that the Californians accorded the American resi-
dents, there was very little need of Stockton's
interference on that score.

Commodore Sloat did not approve of Stock-
ton's proclamation or his policy.

On the 6th of August Stockton reached San
Pedro and landed 360 sailors and marines. These
were drilled in military movements on land and
prepared for the march to Los Angeles.

Castro sent two commissioners — Pablo de La
Guerra and Jose M. P'lores — to Stockton, asking
for a conference and a cessation of hostilities
while negotiations vi'ere pending. The}' asked
that the United States forces remain at San
Pedro while the terms of the treaty were under
discussion. These requests Commodore Stock-
ton peremptorily refused, and the commissioners
returned to Los Angeles without stating the
terms on which they proposed to treat.

In several so-called histories I find a very dra-
matic account of this interview. ' 'On the arrival
of the commissioners they were marched up to
the mouth of an immense mortar shrouded in
skins save its huge aperture. Their terror and
discomfiture were plainly discernible. Stockton
received them with a stern and forbidding coun-
tenance, harshly demanding their mission, which
they disclosed in great confusion. They bore a
letter from Castro proposing a truce, each part)'
to hold its own possessions until a general pacifi-
cation should be had. This proposal Stockton
rejected with contempt, and dismissed the com-
missioners with the assurance that only an imme-
diate disbandment of his forces and an uncon-
ditional surrender would .shield Castro from the
vengeance of an incensed foe. The messengers
remounted their horses in dismay and fled back
to Castro." The mortar story, it is needless to
say, is a pure fabrication, yet it runs through a
number of so-called histories of California. Cas-
tro, on the 9th of August, held a council of war
with his officers at the Campo en La Mesa. He
announced his intention of leaving the country
for the purpose of reporting to the supreme gov-
ernment, and of returning at some future day to
punish the usurpers. He wrote to Pico: "lean
count on only 100 men, badly armed, worse sup-
plied and discontented by reason of the miseries
they suffer; so that I have reason to fear that not
even these few men will fight when the necessity
arises." And this is the force that some imag-
inative historians estimate at 800 to 1,000 men.

Pico and Castro left Los Angeles on the night
of August loth for Mexico; Castro going by the
Colorado River route to Sonora, and Pico, after
being concealed for a time by his brother-in-law,
Juan Froster, at the Santa Margarita and nar-
rowly escaping capture by Fremont's men, finally
reached Lower California and later on crossed the
Gulf to Sonora.

Stockton began his march on Los Angeles Au-
gust nth. He took with him a batterj' of four

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

guns. The guns were mounted on carretas, and
each gun drawn by four oxen. He had with him
a good brass band.

Major Fremont, who had been sent to San
Diego with his battalion of 170 men, had, after
considerable skirmishing among the ranches, se-
cured enough horses to move, and on the Sth of
August had begun his march to join Stockton.
He took with him 120 men, leaving about 50 to
garrison San Diego.

Stockton consumed three days on the march.
Fremont's troops joined him just south of the
city, and at 4 P. M. of the 13th the combined
force, numbering nearly 500 men, entered the
town without opposition, "our entry," says
Major Fremont, "having more the effect of a
parade of home guards than of an enemy taking
possession of a conquered town." Stockton re-
ported finding at Castro's abandoned camp ten
pieces of artillery, four of them spiked. Fremont
says he (Castro) "had buried part of his guns."
Castro's troops that he had brought down with
him took their departure for their northern
homes soon after their general left, breaking up
into small squads as they advanced. The south-
ern troops that Pico had recruited dispersed to
their homes before the arrival of the Americans.
Squads of Fremont's battalion were sent out to
scour the country and bring in any of the Cali-
fornian officers or leading men whom they could
find. These, when found, were paroled. The
American troops encamped on the flat near where
the Southern Pacific Railroad now crosses the
river.

Another of those historical myths like the
mortar story named above, which is palmed off
on credulous readers as genuine history, runs as
follows: "Stockton, while en route from San
Pedro to Los Angeles, was informed by a courier
from Ca.stro 'that if he marched upon the town
he would find it the grave of himself and men.'

'Then,' answered the commodore, 'tell the gen-
eral to have the bells ready to toll at eight o'clock,
as I shall be there by that time.' " As Castro
left Los Angeles the day before Stockton began
his march from San Pedro, and when the com-
modore entered the city the Mexican general
was probably two hundred miles awaj-, the
bell tolling myth goes to join its kindred myths
in the categor}' of history as it should not be
written.

On the 17th of August Stockton issued a sec-
ond proclamation, in which he signs himself
commander-in-chief and governor of the teiritor}'
of California. It was milder in tone and more
dignified than his first. He informed the people
that their country now belonged to the United
States. For the present it would be governed by
martial law. They were invited to elect their
local officers if those now in office refused to serve.

Four days after the capture of Los Angeles the
Warren, Captain Hull commander, anchored at
San Pedro. She brought official notice of the
declaration of war between the United States and
Mexico. Then for the first time Stockton learned
that there had been an official declaration of war
between the two countries. United States officers
had waged war and taken possession of Califor-
nia upon the strength of a rumor that hostilities
existed between the countries.

The conquest, if conquest it can be called, was
accomplished without the loss of a life, if we ex-
cept the two Americans, Fowler and Cowie, of
the Bear Flag party, who were brutally mur-
dered by a band of Californians under Padillo,
and the equally brutal shooting of Beryessa and
the two de Haro boys by the Americans at San
Rafael. These three men were shot as spies, but
there was no proof that they were such, and they
were not tried. These murders occurred before
Commodore Sloat raised the stars and stripes at
Monterey.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XVIL

SIEGE OF LOS ANGELES.

PXJJITH California in his possession and the
\ i / official information that war had been de-
lAl clared bj- the United States against Mexi-
■ "• CO, Stockton set about organizing a gov-
ernment for the conquered territory. Fremont
was to be appointed military governor. Detach-
ments from his battalion were to be detailed to
garrison different towns, while Stockton, with
what recruits he could gather in California and
his sailors and marines, was to undertake a
naval expedition against the West Coast of
Mexico, land his forces at Mazatlan or Acapulco
and march overland to "shake hands with Gen-
eral Taylor at the gates of Mexico." Regarding
the conquest of California as complete. Com-
modore Stockton appointed Captain Gillespie
military commandant of the southern department,
with headquarters at Los Angeles, and assigned
him a garrison of fifty men. He left Los An-
geles for the north September 2. Fremont,
with the remainder of his battalion, took up his
line of march for Monterey a few days later.
Gillespie's orders were to place the city under
martial law, but to remove the more burdensome
restrictions to quiet and well-disposed citizens at
his discretion, and a conciliatory policy in accord-
ance with instructions of the secretary of the
navy was to be adopted and the people were to
be encouraged to "neutrality, self government
and friendship." Nearly all historians who have
written upon this subject lay the blame for the
subsequent uprising of the Californians and their
revolt against the rule of the military command-
ant, Gillespie, to his petty tyrannies. Col. J. J.
Warner, in his Historical Sketch of Los Angeles
County, says, "Gillespie attempted by a coercive
system to effect a moral and social change in the
habits, diversions and pastimes of the people and
to reduce them to his standard of propriety."
Warner was not an impartial judge. He had a
grievance against Gillespie which embittered him
against the captain. Gillespie may have Ixcn

lacking in tact, and his .schooling in the navy
under the tyrannical rt^gime of the quarterdeck of
fifty years ago was not the best training to fit him
for governing a people unused to strict govern-
ment, but it is hardly probable that in two weeks
time he could enforce any "coercive system"
looking toward an entire change in the moral
and social habits of the people. Los Angeles, as
we have learned in a previous chapter, was a hot
bed of revolutions. It had a turbulent and rest-
less element among its inhabitants that was never
happier than when fomenting strife and conspir-
ing to overthrow those in power. Of this class
Colton writing in 1846, says: "They drift about
like Arabs. If the tide of fortune turns against
them they disband and scatter to the four winds.
They never become martyrs to any cau.se. They
are too numerous to be brought to punishment
b}- any of their governors and thus escape
justice." There was a conservative class in the
territory made up principally of the large landed
proprietors both native and foreign-born, but
these exerted small influence in controlling the
turbulent. While Los Angeles had a monopoly
of this turbulent and revolutionary element other
settlements in the territory furnished their full
quota of that class of political knight errants
whose chief pastime was revolution, and whose
capital consisted of a gaily caparisoned steed, a
riata, a lance, a dagger and possibly a pair of
horse pLstols. These were the fellows whose
"habits, diversions and pastimes" Gillespie un-
dertook to reduce "to his standard of propriety."
That Commodore Stockton should have left
Gillespie so small a garrison to hold the city and
surrounding country in subjection shows that
either he was ignorant of the character of the
people, or that he placed too great reliance in
the completeness of their subjection. With
Castro's men in the city or dispersed among the
neighboring ranchos, many of them still retain-
ing their arms and all of them ready to rally at a

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RFXORD.

moment's notice to the call of their leaders; with
no reinforcements nearer than five hundred miles
to come to the aid of Gillespie in case of an up-
rising, it was foolhardiuess in Stockton to en-
trust the holding of the most important place in
California to a mere handful of men, half dis-
ciplined and poorl}' equipped without fortifica-
tions for defense or supplies to hold out in case
of a siege.

Scarcely had Stockton and Fremont, with their
men, left the city before trouble began. The
turbulent element of the city fomented strife and
seized ever}' occasion to annoy and harass the
military commandant and his men. While his
"petty tyrannies" so called, which were prob-
ably nothing more than the enforcement of mar-
tial law, may have been somewhat provocative,
the real cause was more deep seated. The Cali-
fornians, without provocation on their part and
without reallj' knowing the cause why, found
their country invaded, their property taken from
them and their government in the hands of an
alien race, foreign to them in customs and re-
ligion. They would have been a tame and
spiritless people indeed, had they neglected the
opportunity that Stockton's blundering gave
them to regain their liberties. They did not
waste much time. Within two weeks from the
time Stockton sailed from San Pedro hostilities
had begun and the city was in a state of siege.
Gillespie, writing in the Sacramento Statesman
in 1858, thus describes the first attack: "On the
22d of September, at three o'clock in the morn-
ing, a party of sixty-five Californians and
Sonorenos made an attack upon my small com-
mand quartered in the government house. We
were not wholly surprised, and with twenty-one
rifles we beat them back without loss to our-
selves, killing and wounding three of their num-
ber. When daylight came Lieutenant Hensley,
with a few men, took several prisoners and drove
the Californians from the town. This party was
merely the nucleus of a revolution commenced
and known to Colonel Fremont before he left
Los Angeles. In twenty-four hours six hun-
dred well-mounted horsemen, and armed with
escopetas (shotguns), lances and one fine brass
piece of light artiller}', surrounded Los Angeles
and summoned me to surrender. There were
three old honeycombed iron guns (spiked) in
the corral of my quarters which we at once
cleared and mounted upon the axles of carts."

Serbulo Varela, a young man of some ability,
but of a turbulent and reckless character, had
been the leader at first, but as the uprising as-
sumed the character of a revolution, Castro's old
officers came to the front. Captain Jos6 Maria
Floras was chosen as comandante-general; Jose

Antonio Carrillo, major general; and Andres
Pico, comandante de cscuadron. The main camp
of the insurgents was located on the mesa, east
of the river, at a place called Paredou Blanco
(White Bluff), near the present residence of Mrs.
Hollenbeck.

On the 24th of September, from the camp at
White Bluff, was issued the famous Pronuncia-
miento de Barelas y otros Californios contra Los
Americanos (The Proclamation of Barelas and
other Californians against the Americans). It
was signed by Serbulo Varela (spelled Barelas),
Leonardo Cota and over three hundred others.
Although this proclamation is generally credited
to Flores, there is no evidence to show that he
had anything to do with framing it. He promul-
gated it over his signature October ist. It is
probable that it was written by Varela and
Cota. It has been the custom of American
writers to sneer at this production as florid and
bombastic. In fierj' invective and fierce denun-
ciation it is the equal of Patrick Henry's famous
"Give me liberty or give me death!" Its recital
of wrongs are brief, but to the point: "And shall
we be capable of permitting ourselves to be sub-
jugated and to accept in silence the heavy chains
of slavery ? Shall we lose the soil inherited from
our fathers, which cost them so much blood ?
Shall we leave our families victims of the most
barbarous servitude? Shall we wait to .see our
wives outraged, our innocent children beaten by
American whips, our property sacked, our tem-
ples profaned — to drag out a life full of shame
and disgrace? No ! a thousand times no ! Com-
patriots, death rather than that ! Who of you
does not feel his heart beat and his blood boil on
contemplating our situation? Who will be the
Mexican that will not be indignant and rise in
arms to destroy our oppressors ? We believe
there will be not one so vile and cowardly !"

Gillespie had left the government house (lo-
cated on what is now the site of the St. Charles
Hotel) and taken a position on Fort Hill, where
he had erected a temporary barricade of sacks
filled with earth and had mounted his cannon
there. The Americans had been summoned to
surrender, but had refused. They were besieged
by the Californians. There was but little firing
between the combatants — an occasional sortie
and a volley of rifle balls by the Americans when
the Californians approached too near. The Cal-
ifornians were well mounted, but poorly armed,
their weapons being principally muskets, shot-
guns, pistols, lances and riatas; while the Amer-
icans were armed with long range rifles, of which
the Californians had a wliolesome dread. The
fear of these arms and his cannon douljtless saved
Gillespie and his men from capture.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

On the 24tli Gillespie dispatched a messenger
to find Stockton at Monterey, or at San Fran-
cisco if he had left Monterey, and apprise him of
the perilous situation of the Americans at Los An-
geles. Gillespie's dispatch bearer, John Brown,
better known by his Californian nickname, Juan
Flaco or Lean John, made one of the most wonder-
ful rides in history. Gillespie furnished Juan
Flaco with a package of cigarettes, the paper of
each bearing the inscription, "Believe the bearer;"
these were stamped with Gillespie's seal. Brown
started from Los Angeles at 8 P. M. , September
24, and claimed to have reached Yerba Buena at
8 P. M. of the 28th, a ride of 630 miles in four
days. This is incorrect. Colton, who was alcalde
of Monterey at that time, notes Brown's arrival
at that place on the evening of the 29th. Colton,
in his "Three Years in California," says that
Brown rode the whole distance (Los Angeles to
Monterey) of 460 miles in fifty-two hours, during
which time he had not slept. His intelligence
was for Commodore Stockton and, in the nature
of the case, was not committed to paper, except a
few words rolled in a cigar fastened in his hair.
But the Commodore had sailed for San Francisco
and it was necessary he should go 140 miles fur-
ther. He was quite exhausted and was allowed
to sleep three hours. Before day he was up and
away on his journey. Gillespie, in a letter pub-
lished in the Los Angeles Star, May 28, 185S,
describing Juan Flaco's ride, says: "Before sun-
rise of the 2gth he was lying in the bushes at
San Francisco, in front of the Congress frigate,
waiting for the early market boat to come on
shore, and he delivered my dispatches to Commo-
dore Stockton before 7 o'clock."

In trying to steal through the picket line of the
Mexicans at Los Augeles, he was discovered and
pursued by a squad of them . A hot race ensued.
Finding the enemy gaining on him he forced his
horse to leap a wide ravine. A shot from one of
his pursurers mortally wounded his horse, which
after running a short distance fell dead. Flaco,
carrying his spurs and riata, made his way on
foot in the darkness to Los Virgines, a distance
of twenty-.seven miles. Here he secured another
mount and again set off on his perilous journey.
The trail over which Flaco held his way was not
like "the road from Winchester town, a good,
broad highway leading down," but instead a
Camino de heradura — a bridle path — now wind-
ing up through rocky canons, .skirting along the
edge of precipitous cliffs, then zigzagging down
chaparral covered mountains; now over the .^ands
of the sea beach and again across long stretches
of brown mesa, winding through narrow valleys
and out onto the rolling hills a trail as nature

made it unchanged by the hand of man. Such
was the highway over which Flaco's steeds
"stretched away with utmost speed." Harassed
and pursued by the enemy, facing death night
and day, with scarcely a stop or a stay to eat or
sleep, Juan Flaco rode 600 miles.

"Of all the rides since the birth of time,
Told in story or sung in rhyme,
Thcjleetest ride that ever was sped,"

was Juan Flaco's ride from Los Angeles to San
Francisco. Longfellow has immortalized the
"Ride of Paul Revere," Robert Browning tells in
stirring verse of the riders who brought the good
news from Ghent to Aix, and Buchanan Read
thrills us with the heroic measures of Sheridan's
Ride. No poet has sung of Juan Flaco's wonder-
ful ride, fleeter, longer and more perilous than
any of these. F'laco rode 600 miles through, the
enemy's country, to bring aid to a besieged gar-
rison, while Revere and Jorris and Sheridan
were in the countr\- of friends or protected by an
army from enemies.

Gillespie's situation was growing more and
more desperate each day. B. D. Wilson, who
with a compan}' of riflemen had been on an ex-
pedition against the Indians, had been ordered
by Gillespie to join him. They reached the Chino
ranch, where a fight took place between them
and the Californians. Wilson's men being out
of ammunition were compelled to surrender. In
the charge upon the adobe, where Wilson aud
his m&n had taken refuge, Carlos Ballestaros had
been killed and several Californians W'Ounded.
This and Gillespie's stubborn resistance had em-
bittered the Californians against him and his
men. The Chino prisoners had been saved from
massacre after their .surrender by the firmness
and bravery of Varela. If Gillespie continued to
hold the town his obstinacy might bring down
the vengeance of the Californians not only upon
him and his men, but upon many of the American
residents of the South, who had favored their
countrymen.

Finally Flores issued his ultimatum to the
Americans — surrender within twenty-four hours
or take the consequence of an onslaught by the
Californians, which might result in the massacre
of the entire garrison. In the meantime he kept
his cavalry deployed on the hills, completel)' in-
vesting the Americans. Despairing of assistance
from Stockton, on the advice of Wilson, who had
been permitted by Flores to intercede with Gil-
lespie, articles of capitulation were drawn up and
signed by Gillespie and the leaders of the Califor-
nians. On the 30th of vSeptember the Americans

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

marched out of the city with all the honors of
war — drums beating, colors flying and two pieces
of artillery mounted on carts drawn by oxen.
They arrived at San Pedro without molestation
and four or five days later embarked on the mer-
chant ship Vandalia, which remained at anchor
in the bay. Gillespie in his march was accom-
panied by a few of the American residents and
probably a dozen of the Chino prisoners, who had
been exchanged for the same number of Califor-

nians, whom he had held under arrest most likely
as hostages.

Gillespie took two cannon with him when he
evacuated the cit)- and left two spiked and broken
on F'ort Hill. There seems to have been a pro-
viso in the articles of capitulation requiring him
to deliver the guns to Flores on reaching the em-
barcadero. If there was such a stipulation Gil-
lespie violated it. He spiked the guns, broke off
the trunnions and rolled one of them into the bav.

CHAPTER XVIIL

BATTLE OF DOMINGUEZ RANCH-FLORES GOVERNOR.

0F THE notable events occurring during the
conquest of California there are few others
of which there are so contradictory accounts
as of that known as the battle ofDominguez
Ranch. Capt. William Mervine, who com-
manded the American forces in the fight, made
no official report, or if he did, it was not pub-
lished. Historians, in their accounts of the
battle, have collected their data from hearsaj' and
not from written reports of officers engaged in it.
In regard to the number engaged and the num-
ber killed and wounded, even Bancroft, usuall}'
the most reliable of California historians, has no
accurate report. The number engaged on the
American side varies with different authors from
250 to 400; and the number killed from four to
fifteen. It has been my good fortune, through
the kindness of Dr. J. E. Cowles of this city, to
obtain a log book of the U. S. frigate Savannah,
kept by his uncle, Robert C. Duvall, who was an
officer on that vessel. Midshipman and Acting
Lieutenant Duvall had command of a company
of Colt's Riflemen in the battle. After his return
to the ship he wrote a full, clear and accurate
report of the march, battle and retreat. I tran-
scribe the greater portion of his account. It is
undoubtedly the best report of that affair in exist-
ence. It will be recollected, as stated in a
previous chapter, that Lieutenant Gillespie had
been left by Commodore Stockton with a force of
fifty men to garrison Los Angeles. An insur-
rection, headed by Flores and Varela, broke out.
After a siege of five or six days Gillespie and his

men evacuated the city and retreated to San
Pedro. Lieutenant Gillespie, during the siege,
sent a messenger to Stockton at San Francisco
asking for reinforcements. Juan Flaco, the
courier, reached San Francisco after a ride of 600
miles in five days. Commodore Stockton re-
ceived the dispatches, or rather the message, of
Gillespie's courier on the 30th of September.
Early on the morning of October ist the
Savannah, Capt. William Mervine, was ordered
to get under way for San Pedro with a force to
relieve Captain Gillespie.

"At 9.30 A. M.," says Lieutenant Duvall,
"we commenced working out of the harbor of
San Francisco on the ebb tide. The ship
anchored at Sancelito, where, on account of a
dense fog, it remained until the 4th, when it put
to sea. On the 7th the ship entered the harbor of
San Pedro. At 6.30 P. M., as we were standing
in for anchorage, we made out the American
merchant ship Vandalia, having on her decks a
body of men. On passing she saluted with two
guns which was repeated with three cheers,
which we returned. * * Brevet Captain
Archibald Gillespie came on board and reported
that he had evacuated the Pueblo de Los Angeles
on account of the overpowering force of the
enemy and had retired with his men on board
the Vandalia after having spiked his guns, one
of which he threw into the water. He also
reported that the whole of California below the
pueblo had risen in arms against our authorities,
headed b}' Flores, a Mexican captain on fur-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

lough in this country, who had but a few da>'.s
ago given his parole of honor not to take up arms
against the United States. We made prepara-
tions to land a force to march to the pueblo at
daylight.

"October 8th, at 6 A. M., all the boats left the
ship for the purpo.se of landing the forces, num-
bering in all 299 men, including the volunteers,
under command of Captain Gillespie. At 6:30
all were landed without opposition, the enemy in
small detachments retreating toward the pueblo.
From their movements we apprehended that their
whole force was near. Captain Mervine sent on
board ship for a reinforcement of eighty men,
under command of Lieut. R. B. Hitchcock. At
8 A. M. the .several companies, all under com-
mand of Capt. William Mervine, took up the line
of march for the purpose of retaking the pueblo.
The enemy retreated as our forces advanced.
(On landing, William A. Smith, first cabin boy,
was killed by the accidental discharge of a Colt's
pistol.) The reinforcements under the command
of Lieut. R. B. Hitchcock returned on board
ship. For the first four miles our march was
through hills and ravines, which the enemy
might have taken advantage of, but preferred to
occupy as spectators only, until our approach.
A few shots from our flankers (who were the
volunteer riflemen) would start them off; they
returning the compliment before going. The
remainder of our march was performed over a
continuous plain overgrown with wild mustard,
rising in places to six or eight feet in height.
The ground was excessively dry, the clouds of
dust were suffocating and there was not a breath
of wind in motion. There was no water on our
line of march for ten or twelve miles and we suf-
fered greatly from thirst.

"At 2.30 P. M. we reached our camping
ground. The enemy appeared in considerable
numbers. Their numbers continued to increase
until towards sundown, when they formed on a
hill near us, gradually inclining towards our
camp. They were admirably formed for a cav-
alry charge. We drew up our forces to meet
them, but finding they were disposed to remain
stationary, the marines, under command of Captain
Marston, the Colt's riflemen, under command of
Lieut. I. B. Carter and myself, and the volunteers
under command of Capt. A. Gillespie, were
ordered to charge on them, which we did. They
stood their ground until our shots commenced
'telling' on them, when they took to flight in
every direction. They continued to annoy us by
firing into our camp through the night. About
2 A.M. they brought a piece of artillery and fired
into our camp, the shot striking the ground near
us. Tile marines, rillemen and volunteers were

sent in pursuit of the gun, but could see or hear
nothing of it.

"We left our camp the next morning at 6
o'clock. Our plan of march was in column by
platoon. We had not proceeded far before the
enemy appeared before us drawn up on each side
of the road, mounted on fine horses, each man
armed with a lance and carbine. They also had
a field piece (a four-pounder), to which were
hitched eight or ten horses, placed on the road
ahead of us.

"Captain Mervine, thinking it was the enemy's
intention to throw us into confusion by using their
gun on us loaded with round shot and copper
grape shot and then charge us with their cavalrj',
ordered us to form a .square — which was the
order of march throughout the battle. When
within about four hundred yards of them the
enemy opened on us with their artillery. We
made frequent charges, driving them before us,
and at one time causing them to leave some of
their cannon balls and cartridges; but owing to
the rapidity with which they could carry ofi the
gun, using their lassos on every part, enabled
them to choose their own distance, entirely out
of all range of our muskets. Their horsemen
kept out of danger, apparently content to let the
gun do the fighting. They kept up a constant
fire with their carbines, but these did no harm.
The enemy numbered between 175 and 200
strong.

"Finding it impossible to capture the gun, the
retreat was sounded. The captain consulted
with his officers on the best .steps to be taken. It
was decided unanimously to return on board ship.
To continue the march would sacrifice a number
of lives to no purpose, for, admitting we could
have reached the pueblo, all communications
would be cut off with the ship, and we would
further be constantly annoyed by their artillery
without the least chance of capturing it. It was
reported that the enemy were between five and
six hundred strong at the city and it was thought
he had more artillery. On retreating they got
the gun planted on a hill ahead of us.

"The captain made us an address, saying to
the troops that it was his intention to march
straight ahead in the same orderly manner in
which we had advanced, and that sooner than he
would surrender to such an enemy, he would
sacrifice himself and every other man in his com-
mand. The enemy fired into us four times on
the retreat, the fourth shot falling short, the
report of the gun indicating a small quantity of
pow^der, after which they remained stationary
and manifested no further disposition to molest
us. We proceeded quietly on our march to the
landing, where we found a body of men under

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

command of Lieutenant Hitchcock with two nine-
pounder cannon got from the Vandalia to render
us assistance in case we should need it.

"We presented truly a pitiable condition,
many being barely able to drag one foot after the
other from excessive fatigue, having gone
through the exertions and excitement in battle
and afterwards performing a march of eighteen
or twenty miles without rest.

"This is the first battle I have ever been en-
gaged in, and, having taken particular notice of
those around me, I can assert that no men could
have acted more bravely. Even when their
shipmates were falling by their sides, I saw but
one impulse and that was to push forward, and
when the retreat was ordered 1 noticed a general
reluctance to turn their backs to the enemy.

"The following is a list of the killed and
wounded :

"Michael Hoey (ordinary seaman), killed;
David Johnson (o. s. ), killed; Wm. H. Berry
(o. s. ). mortally wounded; Charles Sommers
(musician), mortally wounded; John Tyre (sea-
man), severely wounded; John Anderson (sea-
man), severely wounded; recovery doubtful.
The following-named were .slightly wounded:
Wm. Conland (marine); Hiram Rockvill (mar.);
H. Linland (mar.); Jas. Smith (mar.).

"On the following morning we buried the
bodies of Wm. A. Smith, Chas. Sommers, David
Johnson and Michael Hoey on an island in the
harbor.

"At II A. M.the captain called a council of com-
missioned officers regarding the proper course to
adopt in the present crisis, which decided that no
force should be landed, and that the ship remain
here until further orders from the commodore,
who is daily expected."

Entry in the log for Sunday, nth: "Wm. H.
Berry (ordinary seaman) departed this life from
the effect of wounds received in battle. Sent his
body for interment to Dead Man's Island, so
named by us. Mustered the command at quar-
ters, after which performed divine service."

From this account it will be seen that the number
killed and died of wounds received in battle was
four; number wounded six, and one accidentally
killed before the battle. On October 22d Henry
Lewis died and was buried on the island. Lewis'
name does not appear in the list of the wounded.
It is presumable that he died of disease. Six of
the crew of the Savannah were buried on Dead
Man's Island, four of whom were killed in battle.
Lieut. Duvall gives the following list of the offi-
cers in the "Expedition on the march to retake
Pueblo de Los Angeles":

Captain William Mervine, commanding.

Captain Ward Marston, commanding marines.

Brevet Captain A. H. Gillespie, commanding
volunteers.

Lieut. Henry W. Oueen, adjutant.

Lieut. B. F. Pinckney, commanding first com-
pany.

Lieut. W. Rinckindoff, commanding second
company.

Lieut. I. B. Carter, Colt's riflemen.

Midshipman R. D. Minor, acting lieutenant
second company.

Midshipman S. P. Griffin, acting lieutenant
first company.

Midshipman P. G. Walmough, acting lieuten-
ant second company.

Midshipman R. C. Duvall, acting lieutenant
Colt's riflemen.

Captain Clark and Captain Goodsall, com-
manding pikeman.

Lieut. Hensley, first lieutenant volunteers.

Lieut. Russeau, second lieutenant volunteers.

The piece of artillery that did such deadly exe-
cution on the Americans was the famous Old
Woman's gun. It was a bronze four-pounder,
or pedrero (swivel-gun) that for a number of years
had stood on the plaza in front of the church, and
was used for firing salutes on feast days and
other occasions.

When on the approach of Stockton's and Fre-
mont's forces Castro abandoned his artillery and
fled, an old lady, Dona Clara Cota de Reyes, de-
clared that the gringos should not have the
church's gun; so, with the assistance of her
daughters, she buried it in a cane patch near her
residence, which stood on the east side of Alame-
da street, near First.

When the Californians revolted against Gilles-
pie's rule the gun was unearthed and used against
him. The Historical Society of Southern Cali-
fornia has in its possession a brass grapeshot, one
of a charge that was fired into the face of Fort
Hill at Gillespie's men when they were po.sted
on the hill. This old gun was in the exhibit of
trophies at the New Orleans Exposition in 1885.
The label on it read: "Trophy 53, No. 63, Class
7. Used by Mexico against the United States at
the battle of Dominguez' Ranch, October 9,
1846; at San Gabriel and the Mesa, January 8
and 9, 1847; used by the United States forces
against Mexico at Mazatlan, November 11, 1847;
ijrios (crew all killed or wounded), Palos Prietos,
December 13, 1847, and Lower California, at San
Jos6, February 15, 1848." It should be obtained
from the government and brought back to Los
Angeles. Before the battle the old gun had been
mounted on forward axle of a Jersey wagon,
which a man by the name of Hunt had brought
across the plains the year before. It was lashed
to the axle by means of rawhide thongs, and was

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAIv RECORD.

drawn by riatas, as described by Lieut. Duvall.
The range was obtained by raising or lowering
the pole of the wagon. Ignacio Aguilar acted
as gunner, and having neither lanyard or pent-
stock to fire it, he touched off the gun with the
lighted end of a cigarette. Never before or since,
perhaps, was a battle won with such crude ar-
tillery. Jos6 Antonio Carrillo was in command
of the Californians. During the skirmishing of
the first day he had between 80 and 90 men. Dur-
ing the night of the Sth Flores joined him with a
force of 60 men. Next morning Flores returned
to Los Angeles, taking witli him 20 men. Carril-
lo's force in the battle numbered about 120 men.

Had Mervine known that the Californians had
fired their last shot — their powder being ex-
hausted— he could have pushed on and cap-
tured the pueblo.

The expulsion of Gillespie's garrison from Los
Angeles and the defeat of Mervine' s force raised
the spirits of the Californians, and there was
great rejoicing at the pueblo. Detachments of
Flores' -army were kept at Sepulvedo's Rancho,
the Palos Verdes, and at Temple's Rancho of the
Cerritos, to watch the Savannah and report any
attempt at landing. The leaders of the revolt
were not so sanguine of success as the rank and
file. They were without means to procure arms
and supplies. There was a scarcity of ammuni-
tion, too. An inferior article of gunpowder was
manufactured in limited quantities at San Ga-
briel. The only uniformity in weapons was in
lances. These were rough, home-made affairs —
the blade beaten out of a rasp or file, and the
shaft a willow pole about eight feet long. These
weapons were formidable in a charge against in-
fantry, but easily parried by a sword.sman in a
cavalry charge.

After the defeat of Mervine, Flores set about
reorganizing the territorial government. He called
together the departmental assembly. It met in
the capital (Los Angeles) October 26th. The
members present — Figueroa, Botello, Guerra and
Olvera— were all from the south. The assembly
decided to fill the place of governor, vacated by
Pico, and that of comandante-general, left vacant
by the flight of Castro.

Jos6 Maria Flores, who was now recognized as
the leader of the revolt against American rule,
was chosen to fill both offices, and the two offices.

as had formerly been the custom, were united in
one person. He chose Narciso Botello for his
secretary. Flores, who was Mexican born, was
an intelligent and patriotic officer. He used every
means in his power to prepare his forces for the
coming conflict with the Americans, but with
little success. The old jealousy of the hijos del
pais against the Mexican would crop out, and it
neutralized his efforts. There were bickerings
and complaints in the ranks and among the offi-
cers. The natives claimed that a Californian
ought to be chief in command.

The feeling of jealousy against Flores at length
culminated in open revolt. Flores had decided to
send the prisoners taken at the Chino fight to
Mexico. His object was twofold — first, to enhance
his own glory with the Mexican government, and,
secondly, by showing what the Californians had
already accomplished to obtain aid in the coming
conflict. As most of these men were married to
California wives, and by marriage related to many
of the leading California families of the south,
there was at once a family uproar and fierce de-
nunciations of Flores. But as the Chino prisoners
were foreigners, and had been taken while fight-
ing against the Mexican government, it was
necessary to disguise the hostility to Flores un-
der some other pretext. He was charged with the
design of running away to Sonora with the public
futids. On the night of December 3, Francisco
Rico, at the head of a party of Californians, took
posse.ssion of the cuarttM, or guard-house, and
arrested Flores. A special session of the assem-
bly was called to investigate the charges

Flores expressed his willingness to give up
his purpose of sending the Chino prisoners to
Mexico, and the assembly found no foundation to
the charge of his design of running away with
the public funds, nor did they find any funds to
run away with. Flores was liberated, and Rico
imprisoned in turn.

Flores was really the last Mexican governor of
California. Like Pico, he was elected by the
territorial legislature, but he was not confirmed
by the Mexican congress. Generals Scott and
Taylor were keeping President Santa Anna and
his congress on the move so rapidly they had no
time to .spare for California affairs.

Flores was governor from October 26, 1S46, to
January 8, 1847.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XIX,

THE SECOND CONQUEST OF CALIFORNIA.

gjTOCKTON with his flag bliip, the Congress,
V arrived at San Pedro on the 23d of October.
fyi The Savannah was still bing at anchor in
^^ the harbor. The commodore had now at San
Pedro a force of about Soo men ; but notwithstand-
ing the contemptuous opinion he held of the Cali-
fornian soldiers he did not march against the
pueblo. Stockton in his report sa3-s: "Elated
by this transient success (_Mervine's defeat),
which the enemy with his usual want of veracity
magnified into a great victory, they collected in
large bodies on all the adjacent hills and would
not permit a hoof except their own horses to be
within fifty miles of San Pedro.'' But "in the
face of their boasting insolence" Stockton landed
and again hoisted "the glorious stars in the
presence of their horse covered hills." "The
enemy had driven off every animal, man and
beast from that section of tiie country; and it
was not possible by any means in our power to
carry provisions for our march to the city." The
city was only 30 miles away and American sol-
diers have been known to carry rations in their
haversacks for a march of 100 miles. The "tran-
sient success" of the insolent enemy had evident-
ly made an impression on Stockton. He esti-
mated the Californian force in the vicinity of the
landing at 800 men, which was just about 700 too
high. He determined to approach Los Angeles
by way of San Diego, and on the last day of Oc-
tober he sailed for that port. B. D. Wilson,
Stephen C. Foster and others attribute Stockton's
abandonment of an attack on Los Angeles from
San Pedro to a trick played on him by Jose An-
tonio Carrillo. Carrillo was in command of the
detachment stationed at the Cerritos and the
Palos Verdes. Carrillo was anxious to obtain an
interview with Stockton and if possible secure a
cessation of hostilities until the war then pro-
gressing in Mexico should be decided, thus
settling the fate of California. B. D. Wilson, one
of the Chino prisoners, was sent with a Mexican
sergeant to raise a white flag as the boats of the
Congress approached the landing and present
Carrillo's proposition for a truce. Carrillo, with

the intention of giving Stockton an exaggerated
idea of the number of his troops and thus obtain-
ing more favorable terms in the proposed treaty,
collected droves of wild horses from the plains;
these his caballeros kept in motion, passing and
repassing through a gap in the hills, which was
in plain view from Stockton's vessel. Owing to
the dust raised by the cavalcade it was impos-
sible to discover that most of the horses were rider-
less. The troops were signalled to return to the
vessel, and the commodore shortly afterwards
sailed to San Diego. Carrillo always regretted
that he made ioo much demonstration.

As an illustration of the literary trash that has
been palmed off for California historj' I give an
extract from Frost's Pictorial History of Cali-
fornia, a book written the year after the close of
the Mexican war by Prof. John Frost, a noted
compiler of histories, who writes LL.D. after his
name. It relates to Stockton's exploits at San
Pedro. "At the Rancho Sepulvida (The Palos
Verdes") a large force of Californians were posted.
Commodore Stockton sent one hundred men for-
ward to receive the fire of the enemy and then
fall back on the main body without returning it.
The main body of Stockton's army was formed
in a triangle with the guns hid by the men. By
the retreat of the advance party the enemy were
decoyed close to the main force, when the wings (of
the triangle) were extended and a deadly fire
from the artillery opened upon the astonished
Californians. More than one hundred were killed,
the same number wounded and one hundred
prisoners taken. " The mathematical accuracy
of Stockton's Artillerists was truly astonishing.
They killed a man for every one wounded and
took a prisoner for every man they killed. As
Flores' army never amounted to more than three
hundred if we are to believe Frost, Stockton had
all the enemy "present or accounted for." This
silly fabrication of Frost's runs through a num-
ber of so-called histories of California. Stockton
was a brave man and a very energetic com-
mander, but he would boast of his achievements,
and his reports are unreliable.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Fremont, who liad saik'd for the south in the
Sterling with i6o men to co-operate with Stock-
ton against Los Angeles, learned from the Van-
dalia on its voyage northward of Mervine's de-
feat and also that no horses conld be obtained in
the south. He returned to Monterey and proceeded
to recruit a force to move against Los Angeles by
land from Monterey. His recruits were prin-
cipally obtained from the recently arrived im-
migrants. Each man was furnished with a horse
and was to receive $25 a month. A force of
about 450 was obtained. Fremont, now raised to
the rank of a lieutenant colonel, left Monterey
November 17 and rendezvoused at San Jnau
Bautista, where he remained to the 29th of the
month organizing his battalion. On the 29th of
November he began his march southward to co-
operate with Stockton against Flores.

After the expulsion of Gillespie and his men
from Los Angeles, detachments from Flores'
army were sent to Santa Barbara and San Diego
to recapture these places. At Santa Barbara
Fremont had left nine men of his battalion under
Lieutenant Theodore Talbot to garrison the
town. A demand was made on the garrison to
surrender by Colonel Garfias of Flores' army.
Two hours were given the Americans to decide.
Instead of surrendering they fell back into the
hills, where they remained three or four days
hoping that reinforcements might be sent them
from Monterev. Their only subsistance was the
flesh of an old gray mare of Daniel Hill's that
they captured, brought into camp and killed.
They secured one of Michel torena's cholos that
had remained in the country and was living in a
canon among the hills for a guide. He furnished
them a horse to carry their blankets and con-
ducted them through the mountains to the San
Joaquin Valley. Here the guide left them with
the Indians, he returning to Santa Barbara. The
Indians fed them on chia (wild flaxseed), mush
and acorn bread. They traveled down the San
Joaquin Valley. On their jonrne\' they lived on
the flesh of wild horses, 17 of which they killed.
After manv hardships they reached Monterey on
the 8th of November, where they joined Fre-
mont's battalion. Elijah Moulton of East Los
Angeles is the only survivor of that heroic band.
He has been a resident of Los Angeles for fifty-
five years. I am indebted to him for the above
account.

Captain Merritt, of Fremont's battalion, had
been left at San Diego with 40 men to hold the
town when the battalion marched north to co-
operate with Stockton against Los Angeles.
Immediately after Gillespie's retreat, Francisco
Rico was sent with 50 men to capture the place.
He was joined by recruits at San Diego. Mer-

ritt being in no condition to stand a siege, took
refuge on board the American whale ship Ston-
ington, which was lying at anchor. Alter re-
maining on board the Stonington ten days, taking
advantageof the laxity of discipline among the
Californians, he stole a march on them, recap-
turing the town and one piece of their artillery.
He sent Don Miguel de Pedrorena, who was one
of his allies, in a whale boat with four sailors to
San Pedro to obtain supplies and assistance. Pe-
drorena arrived at San Pedro on the 13th of
October with Merritt's dispatches. Captain Mer-
vine chartered the whale ship Magnolia, which
was lying in the San Pedro harbor, and dis-
patched Lieutenant Minor and Midshipmen Du-
vall and Morgan with 35 sailors and 15 of
Gillespie's volunteers to reinforce Merritt. They
reached San Diego on the i6th. The combined
forces of Minor and Merritt, numbering about go
men, put in the greater part of the next two
weeks in dragging cannon from the old fort and
mounting them at their barracks, which were
located on the hill at the edge of the plain on the
west side of the town, convenient to water. The}'
succeeded in mounting six brass gpounders and
building two bastions of adobes, taken from an old
house. There was constant skirmishing between
the hostile parties, but few fatalities. The Amer-
icans claimed to have killed three of the enemy,
and one American was ambushed and killed.
The Californians kept well out of range, but pre-
vented the Americans from obtaining supplies.
Their provisions were nearly exhausted, and
when reduced to almost the last extreme they
made a successful foraging expedition and pro-
cured a suppl>- of mutton. Mid.'-hipman Duvall
thus describes the adventure: "We had with us
an Indian (chief of a numerous tribe) who, from
his knowledge of the country, we thought could
avoid the enemy; and getting news of a number
of sheep about thirt}' five miles to the south on
the coast, we determined to send him with his
companion to drive them onto an island which at
low tide connected with the mainland. In a few
days a signal was made on the island, and the
boats of the whale ship Stonington, stationed off
the island, were sent to it. Our good old Indian
had managed, through his cunning and by keep-
ing concealed in ravines, to drive onto the i.sland
about 600 sheep, but his companion had been
caught and killed by the enemy. I shall never
forget his famished appearance, but jiride in his
Indian triumph could be seen playing in his dark
eyes.

"For thirty or forty days we were constantly
expecting, from the movements of the enemy, an
attack, soldiers and officers .sleeping on their arms
and ready for action. About the ist of No-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

vember Commodore Stockton arrived, and, after
landing Captain Gillespie with his compan}' and
about 43 marines, he suddenly disappeared, leav-
ing Lieutenant Minor governor of the place and
Captain Gillespie commandant." *

Foraging continued, the whale ship Stoning-
ton, which had been impressed into the govern-
ment service, being used to take parties down the
coast, who made raids inland and brought back
' with them cattle and horses.

It was probabl}' on one of these excursions that
the flag-making episode occurred, of which there
are more versions than Homer had birthplaces.
The correct version of the stor}' is as follows: A
party had been sent under command of Lieuten-
ant Hensley to Juan Bandini's rancho in Lower
California to bring up bands of cattle and horses.
Bandini was an adherent of the American cause.
He and his family returned with the cavalcade to
San Diego. At their last camping place before
reaching the town Hensley, in a conversation
with Bandini, regretted they had no flag with
them to display on their entry into the town.
Seiiora Bandini volunteered to make one, which
she did from red, white and blue dresses of her
children. This flag, fastened to a staff, was car-
ried at the head of the cavalcade when it made its
triumphal entry into San Diego. The Mexican
government confiscated Bandini's ranchos in
Lower California on account of his friendship to
the Americans during the war.

Skirmishing continued almost daily. Jose
Antonio Carrillo was now in command of the
Califoruians, their force numbering about loo
men. Commodore Stockton returned and de-
cided to fortify. Midshipman Duvall, in the Log
Book referred to in the previous chapter, thus de-
scribes the fort: "The commodore now com-
menced to fortify the hill which overlooked the
town by building a fort constructed by placing
300 gallon casks full of sand close together. The
inclosure was twenty by thirty yards. A bank
of earth and small gravel was thrown up in front
as high as the top of the casks and a ditch dug
around on the outside. Inside a ball-proof vault
or ketch was built out of plank and lined on the
inside with adobes, on top of which a swivel was
mounted. The entrance was guarded by a strong
gate, with a drawbridge in front across the ditch
or moat. The whole fortification was compelled
and the guns mounted on it in about three weeks.
Our men working on the fort were on short al-
lowance of beef and wheat, and for a time without
bread, tea, sugar or coffee, many of them being
destitute of shoes, but there were few complaints.

"About the first of December, information hav-

' I,og Book of Acting Lieule

ing been received that General Kearny was at
Warner's Pass, about So miles distant, with 100
dragoons on his march to San Diego, Commo-
dore Stockton immediately sent an escort of 50
men under command of Captain Gillespie, accom-
panied by Past Midshipmen Beale and Dun-
can, having with them one piece of artillery.
They reached General Kearny without molesta-
tion. On the march the combined force was sur-
prised by about 93 Califoruians at San Pasqual,
under command of Andres Pico, who had been
sent to that part of the country to drive off all the
cattle and horses to prevent us from getting them.
In the battle that ensued General Kearny lost in
killed Captains Johnston and Moore and Lieu-
tenant Hammond, and 15 dragoons. Seventeen
dragoons were severelj' wounded. The enemj'
captured one piece of artillery. General Kear-
ny and Captains Gillespie and Gibson were
severely' wounded; also one of the engineer offi-
cers. Some of the dragoons have since died."

* ;■: * :|: * * :[;

"After the engagement, General Kearny took
position on a hill covered with large rocks. It
was well suited for defen.se. Lieutenant Godey,
of Gillespie's volunteers, the night after the
battle, escaped through the enemy's line of sen-
tries and came in with a letter from Captain
Turner to the commodore. Whilst among the
rocks. Past Midshipman Beale and Kit Carson
managed, under cover of night, to pass out
through the enemy's ranks, and after three days
and nights hard marching through the moun-
tains without water, succeeded in getting safely
into San Diego, completely famished. Soon after
arriving Lieutenant Beale fainted away, and for
some days entirely lost his reason."

On the night of Beale's arrival, December g,
about 9 P. M., detachments of 200 sailors and
marines from the Congress and Portsmouth, un-
der the immediate conmiand of Captain Zeilin,
assisted by Lieutenants Gray, Hunter, Renshaw,
Parrish, Thompson and Tilghman, and Midship-
men Duvall and Morgan, each man carrying a
blanket, 3 pounds of jerked beef and the same of
hard tack, began their march to relieve General
Kearny. They marched all night and camped
on a chaparral covered mountain during the day.
At 4 A. M. of the second night's march they
reached Kearny's camp, surprising him. Godey,
who had been sent ahead to inform Kearny that
assistance was conu'ng, had been captured bj' the
enem)'. General Kearn5' had burnt and de-
stroyed all his baggage and camp equipage, sad-
dles, bridles, clothing, etc., preparatory to forc-
ing his way through the enemy's line. Bur-
dened with his wounded, it is doubtful whether
he could have escaped. Midshipman Duvall

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

says: "It would not be a hazard of opiuioii to
say he would have been overpowered and com-
pelled to surrender." The enemy disappeared
on the arrival of reinforcements. The relief ex-
pedition, with Kearny's men, reached San Diego
after two days' march.

A brief explanation of why Kearny was at San
Pasqual may be necessary. In June, 1846, Gen.
Stephen W. Kearny, commander of the Army of
the West, as his command was designated, left
Fort Leavenworth with a force of regulars and
volunteers to take possession of New Mexico.
The conquest of that territory was accomplished
without a battle. Under orders from the war
department Kearny began his march to Califor-
nia with a part of his force to co-operate with the
naval forces there. October 6, near Socorro, N. M.,
he met Kit Carson with an escort of 15 men,
en route from Los Angeles to Washington, bear-
ing dispatches from Stockton, giving the report
of the conquest of California. Kearny required
Carson to turn back and act as his guide. Car-
son was very unwilling to do so, as he was within
a few days' journey of his home and family, from
whom he had been separated for nearly two years.
He had been guide for Fremont on his exploring
expedition. He, however, obeyed Kearny's or-
ders. General Kearny sent back about 300 of
his men, taking with him 120. After a toilsome
march by way of the Pima villages, Tucson, the
Gila and across the Colorado desert, they reached
the Indian village of San Pasqual (about 40 miles
from San Diego), where the battle was fought.
It was the bloodiest battle of the conquest; Kear-
ny's men, at daybreak, riding on broken down
mules and half broken horses, in an irregular
and disorderly line, charged the Californians.
Wliile the American line was stretched out over
the plain Capt. Andn^s Pico, who was in com-
mand, wheeled his column and charged the
Americans. A fierce hand to hand fight ensued,
the Californians using their lances and lariats,
the Americans clul)bed guns and sabers. Of
Kearny's command 18 men were killed and 19
wounded; three of the wounded died. Only one,
Capt. Abraham R. Johnston (a relative of the
author's) , was killed by a gunshot; all the others
were lanced. The mules to one of the howitzers
became unmanageable and ran into the enemy's
lines. The driver was killed and the gun cap-
tured. One Californian was captured and several
.slightly wounded; none were killed. Less than
lialf of Kearny's 160 men took part in the battle.
His loss in killed and wounded was fifty percent,
of those engaged. Dr. John S. Griffin, for many
years a leading physician of Los Angeles, was
the surgeon of the command. William H. Dunne,

James R. Barton, John Reed, George W. White-
horn, Michael Halpin and others of the command,
located in Los Angeles.

The foraging expeditions in Lower California
having been quite successful in bringing in cat-
tle, horses and mules, Commodore Stockton has-
tened his preparation for marching against Los
Angeles. The enemy obtained information of
the projected movement and left for the pueblo.

"The Cyane having arrived," says Duvall,
"our force was increased to about 600 men, most
of whom, understanding the drill, performed the
evolutions like regular soldiers. Everything
being ready for our departure the commodore
left Captain Montgomery and officers in command
of the town, and ou the 29th of December took
up his line of march for Angeles. General Kear-
ny was second in command and having the
immediate arrangement of the forces, reserving
for himself the prerogative which his rank neces-
sarily imposed upon him. Owing to the weak
state of our oxen we had not crossed the dry bed
of the river San Diego before they began break-
ing down, and the carts, which were 30 or 40 in
number, had to be dragged by the men. The
general urged on the commodore that it was use-
less to commence such a march as was before us
with our present means of transportation, but the
commodore insisted on performing at least one
day's march even if we should have to return
the next. We succeeded in reaching the valley
of the Soledad that night by dragging our carts.
Next day the commodore proposed to go six
miles farther, which we accomplished, and then
continued six miles further. Having obtained
some fresh oxen, by assisting the carts up hill,
we made ten to twelve miles a day. At San Luis
Re}' we secured men, carts and oxen, and after
that our day's marches ranged from 15 to 22
miles a day.

"Tiie third day out from San Luis Rey a white
flag was seen ahead, the bearer of which had a
communication from Flores, signing himself
'Commander-in Chief and Governor of Califor-
nia,' asking for a conference for the purpose of
coming to terni'^, which would be alike 'honora-
ble to both countries.' The commodore refused
to answer him in writing, saying to the bearer
of the truce that his answer was, 'he knew no
such person as Governor FJores, that he himself
was the only governor in California; that he
knew a rebel by that name, a man who had given
his parole of honor not to take up arms against
the government of the United States, who, if the
people of California now in arms against the
forcesof the United States would deliver up, he
(Stockton) would treat with them on condition

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

that they surrender their arms and retire peaceably
to their homes and he would grant them, as citi-
zens of the United States, protection from further
molestation.' This the embassy refused to en-
tertain, saying 'they would prefer to die with
Flores than to surrender on such terms.'

"On the 8th of January they met us on the
banks of the river San Gabriel with between five
and six hundred men mounted on good horses
and armed with lances and carbines, having also
four pieces of artillery planted on the heights
about 350 yards distant from the river. Owing
to circumstances which have occurred since the
surrender of the enemy, I prefer not mentioning
the particulars of this day's battle and also that
of the day following, or of referring to individuals
concerned in the successful management of our
forces." (The circumstance to which Lieutenant
Duvall refers was undoubtedl)' the quarrel be-
tween Stockton and Keani}- after the capture of
Los Angeles, ) "It is sufficient to say that on the
8th of January we succeeded in crossing the river
and driving the enemy from the heights. Having
resisted all their charges, dismounted one of their
pieces and put them to flight in every direction,
we encamped on the ground they had occupied
during the fight.

"The next day the Californians met us on the
Plains of the Mesa. For a time the fighting was
carried on by both sides with artillery, but that
proving too hot for them they concentrated their
whole force in a line ahead of us and at a given
signal divided from the center and came down on
us like a tornado, charging us on all sides at the
same time; but they were effectually defeated and
fled in every direction in the utmost confusion.
Many of their horses were left dead on the field.
Their loss in the two battles, as given by Andres
Pico, second in command, was 83 killed and
wounded; our loss, three killed (one accidentally),
and 15 or 20 wounded, none dangerously. The
enemy abandoned two pieces of artillery in an
Indian village near by."

I have given at considerable length Midship-
man Duvall's account of Stockton's march from
San Diego and of the two battles fought, not be-
cause it is the fullest account of those events, but
because it is original historical matter — never
having appeared in print before — and also be-
cause it is the observations of a participant
written at the time the events occurred. In it
the lo.sses of the enemy are greatly exaggerated,
but that was a fault of his superior officers as
well. Commodore Stockton, in his official reports
of the two battles, gives the enemy's loss in killed
and wounded ' 'between seventy and eighty. ' ' And
General Kearny, in his report of the battle of
6

San Pasqual, claimed it as a victory, and states
that the enemy left six dead on the field. The
actual loss of the Californians in the two battles
(San Gabriel River and La Mesa) was three
killed and ten or twelve wounded.*

While the events recorded in this chapter were
transpiring at San Diego and its vicinity, what
was the state of aifairs in the capital, Los Angeles ?
After the exultation and rejoicing over the ex-
pulsion of Gillespie's garrison, Mervine's defeat
and the victory over Kearny at San Pa.squal
there came a reaction. Dissensions continued
between the leaders. There was lack of arms and
laxity of discipline. The army was but little
better than a mob. Obedience to orders of a
superior was foreign to the nature of a Califor-
nian. His wild, free life in the saddle made him
impatient of all restraint. Then the impossi-
bility of successful resistance against the Ameri-
cans became more and more apparent as the final
conflict approached. Fremont's army was mov-
ing down on the doomed city from the north, and
Stockton's was coming up from thesouth. Either
one of these, in numbers, exceeded the force that
Flores could bring into action; combined they
would crush him out of existence. The Califor-
nian troops were greatly discouraged and it was
with great difficulty that the officers kept their
men together. There was another and more
potent element of disintegration. Many of the
wealthier natives and all the foreigners, regard-
ing the contest as hopeless, secretly favored the
American cause, and it was only through fear of
loss of property that they furnished Flores and
his officers any supplies for the army.

During the latter part of December and the first
days of January Flores' army was stationed at
the San Fernando Mission, on the lookout for
Fremont's battalion; but the more rapid advance
of Stockton's army compelled a change of base.
On the 6th and 7th of January Flores moved his
army back secretly through the Cahuenga Pass,
and, passing to the southward of the city, took
position where La Jaboneria (the soap factory)
road crosses the San Gabriel River. Here his
men were stationed in the thick willows to give
Stockton a surprise. Stockton received informa-
tion of the trap set for him and after leaving the
Los Coyotes swung off to the right until he
struck tlie Upper Santa Ana road. The Califor-
nians had barely time to eff'ect a change of base
and get their cannon planted when the Americans
arrived at the crossing.

Stockton called the engagement there the
battle of the San Gabriel River; the Californians
call it the battle of Paso de Bartolo, which is the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

better name. The place wliere the battle was
fought is on the bluff just south of the Upper
Santa Ana road, near where the Southern Cali-
fornia Railroad crosses the Old San Gabriel River.
(The ford or crossing was formerly known as
Pico's Crossing.) There was, at the time of the
battle, but one San Gabriel River. The new
river channel was made in the great flood of
1868. What Stockton, Eraor.v, Duvall and other
American officers call the battle of the "Plains of
the Mesa" the Californians call the battle of La
Mesa, which is most decidedly a better name

than the "Plains of the Plain." It was fought
at a ravine. The Canada de Los Alisos, near the
southeastern corner of the city's boundary. In
these battles the Californians had four pieces of
artiller)', two iron nine-pounders, the Old
Woman's gun and the howitzer captured from
Kearny. Their powder was verj' poor. It was
made at San Gabriel. It was owing to this that
they did so little execution in the fight. That
the Californians escaped with so little punishment
was probably due to the wretched marksmanship
of Stockton's sailors and marines.

CHAPTER XX.

OCCUPATION OF LOS ANGELES— BUILDING OF FORT MOORE.

(T\ FTER the battle of La Mesa, the Americans,
f\ keeping to the south, crossed the river at
H about the point where the south boundary
' ' line of the city crosses it and encamped on
the right bank. Here, under a willow tree, those
killed in battle were buried. Lieutenant Emory,
in his "Notes of a Military Reconnoissance," says:
"The town, known to contain great quantities of
wine and aguardiente, was four miles distant
(four miles from the battlefield) . From previous
experience of the difficulty of controlling men
when entering towns, it was determined to cross
the river San Fernando (Los Angeles), halt there
for the night and enter the town in the morning,
with the whole day before us.

"After we had pitched our camp, the enemy
came down from the hills, and 400 horsemen
with four pieces of artillery drew off towards the
town, in order and regularity, whilst about sixty
made a movement down the river on our rear and
left flank. This led us to suppose they were not
yet whipped, as we thought, and that we should
have a night attack.

' 'January 10. — ^Just as we had raised our camp,
a flag of truce borne by Mr. Celis, a Castilian,
Mr. Workman, an Englishman, and Alvarado,
the owner of the rancho at the Alisos, was brought
into camp. They proposed, on behalf of the Cal-
ifornians, to surrender their dear City of the An-
gels, provided we would respect property and
persons. This was agreed to, but not altogether

trusting to the honesty of General Flores, who
had once broken his parole, we moved into the
towai in the same order we should have done if
expecting an attack.

"It was a wise precaution, for the streets were
full of desperate and drunken fellows, who bran-
dished their arms and saluted us with every term
of reproach. The crest, overlooking the town,
in rifle range, was covered with horsemen en-
gaged in the same hospitable manner.

"Our men marched steadily on, until crossing
the ravine leading into the public square (plaza),
when a fight took place amongst the Californians
on the hill; one became disarmed and to avoid
death rolled down the hill towards us, his adver-
sary pursuing and lancing him in the most cold-
blooded manner. The man tumbling down the
hill was supposed to be one of our vaqueros, and
the cry of 'rescue him!' was raised. The crew
of the Cyane, nearest the scene, at once and with-
out any orders, halted and gave the man that
was lancing him a volley; strange to say he did
not fall. The general gave the jack tars a curs-
ing, not so much for the firing without orders, as
for their bad marksmanship."

Shortly after the above episode, the Califor-
nians did open fire from the hill on the vaqueros
in charge of the cattle. (These vaqueros were
Californians in the employ of the Americans and
were regarded by their countrymen as traitors.)
A company of riflemen was ordered to clear the

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

hill. A single volley effected this — killing two
of the enemy. This was the last bloodshed in
the war; and the second conquest of California
was completed as the first had been by the cap-
ture of Los Angeles. Two hundred men, with
two pieces of artillery, were stationed on the hill.

The Angelenos did not exactly welcome the
invaders with "bloody hands to inhospitable
graves," but they did their best to let them know
they were not wanted. The better class of the
native inhabitants closed their houses and took
refuge with foreign residents or went to the ran-
ches of their friends in the country. The fellows
of the baser sort, who were in possession of the
city, exhausted their vocabularies of abuse on the
invading gringos.

There was one paisano who excelled all his
countrymen in this species of warfare. It is a
pity his name has not been preserved in history
with that of other famous scolds and kickers.
He rode by the side of the advancing column up
Main street, firing volleys of invective and denun-
ciation at the hated gringos. At certain points
of his tirade he worked himself up to such a pitch
of indignation that language failed him, then he
would solemnly go through the motions of ' 'make
ready, take aim!" with an old shotgun he car-
ried, but when it came to the order, "fire!" dis-
cretion got the better of his valor; he lowered his
gun and began again, firing invective at the grin-
go soldiers; his mouth would go off if his gun
would not.

Commodore Stockton's headquarters were in
the Abila House, the second house on Olvera
street, north of the plaza. The building is still
standing, but has undergone many changes in
fifty years. A rather amusing account was re-
cently given me by an old pioneer of the manner
in which Commodore Stockton got possession of
the house. The widow Abila and her daughters,
at the approach of the American army, had aban-
doned their home and taken refuge with Don
Luis Vignes of the Aliso. Vignes was a French-
man and friendly to both sides. The widow left
a young Californian in charge of her house (which
was finely furnished), with strict orders to keep
it closed. Stockton had with him a fine brass
band — something new in California. When the
troops halted on the plaza, the band began to
play. The boyish guardian of the Abila casa
could not resist the temptation to open the door
and look out. The enchanting music drew him
to the plaza. Stockton and his staff, hunting for
a place suitable for headquarters, passing by,
found the door invitingly open, entered, and find-
ing the house deserted, took possession. The re-
creant guardian returned to find himself dispos-

sessed and the house in possession of the enemy.
"And the band played on."

THE BUILDING OF FORT MOORE.

It is a fact not generally known that there were
two forts planned and partially built on Fort
Hill during the war for the conquest of California.
The first was planned by Lieut. William H.
Emory, topographical engineer of General
Kearny's staff, and work begun on it by Commo-
dore Stockton's sailors and marines. The second
was planned by Lieutenant J. W. Davidson, of the
First United States Dragoons, and built by the
Mormon Battalion. The first was not completed
and not named. The second was named Fort
Moore. Their location seems to have been iden-
tical. The first was designed to hold loo men.
The second was much larger. Flores' army was
supposed to be in the neighborhood of the city
ready to make a dash into it, so Stockton de-
cided to fortify.

"On January nth," Lieutenant Emory writes:
"I was ordered to select a site and place a fort
capable of containing a hundred men. With this
in view a rapid reconnoissance of the town was
made and the plan of a fort sketched, so placed
as to enable a small garrison to command the
town and the principal avenues to it. The plan
was approved."

"January 12. — I laid off the work and before
night broke the first ground. The population of
the town and its dependencies is about 3,000;
that of the town itself about 1,500. * * *
Here all the revolutions have had their origin,
and it is the point upon which any Mexican force
from Sonora would be directed. It was there-
fore desirable to establish a fort which, in case of
trouble, should enable a small garrison to hold
out till aid might come from San Diego, San
Francisco or Monterey, places which are destined
to become centers of American settlements."

"January 13. — It rained steadily all day and
nothing was done on the work. At night I
worked on the details of the fort."

"January 15. — The details to work on the fort
were by companies. I sent to Captain Tilghman ,
who commanded on the hill, to detach one of the
companies under his command to commence the
work. He furnished, on the i6th, a conipanj' of
artillery (seamen from the Congress) for the day's
work, which they performed bravely, and gave
me great hopes of success."

On the 14th of January Fremont, with his bat-
talion of 450 men, arrived from Cahuenga. There
were then about eleven hundred troops in the
city, and the old ciudad put on military airs.
On the 1 8th, Kearny having quarreled with

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Stockton about who should be governor of the
conquered territory, left for San Diego, taking
with him Lieutenant Emory and the other mem-
bers of his staff, and the dragoons. Emory was
sent east by way of Panama with dispatches.
Stockton appointed Colonel PVemont governor,
and Colonel Russell, of the battalion, secretary of
state of the newly acquired territory; and then
took his departure to San Diego, where his ship,
the Congress, was lying. The sailors and ma-
rines, on the 20th, took up their line of march
for San Pedro to rejoin their ships, and work on
the fort was abandoned.

Lieutenant Emory says: "Subsequent to my
leaving the Ciudad de Los Angeles, the entire
plan of the fort was changed, and I am not the
projector of the work finally adopted for defen.se
of that town." So far as I know, no plan of the
first fort exists. One company of Fremont's bat-
talion was left in charge of the city; the command
of the battalion was turned over to Captain
Owens, and the other companies marched to San
Gabriel. Fremont, as governor, established his
headquarters in the Bell Block, corner of Aliso and
Los Angeles streets, that being the finest building
in the city. The quarrel for superiority between
Stockton, Kearny, Mason and Fremont continued
and waxed hotter. Kearny had removed to Mon-
terey. Colonel Cooke with his Mormon bat-
talion, having crossed the plains by the southern
route, had arrived and been stationed at San
Luis Rey. He was an adherent of Kearny's. On
the 17th of March, Cooke's Mormon battalion
arrived in Los Angeles. Captain Owens, in com-
mand of Fremont's battalion, had moved all the
artillery — 10 pieces — to the Mission San Gabriel.

Colonel Cooke was placed in command of the
southern district, Fremont's battalion was mus-
tered out of service and the artillery brought back
to Los Angeles.

On the 2oth of April rumors reached Los An-
geles that the Mexican general, Bustamente, was
advancing on California with a force of 1,500
men. "Positive information," writes Colonel
Cooke, "has been received that the Mexican gov-
ernment hasappropriated $600,000 towards fitting
out this force." It was also reported that can-
non and military stores had been landed at San
Vicente, in Lower California, on the coast below
San Diego. Rumors of an approaching army
came thick and fast. War's wrinkled front once
more affrighted the Angelenos, or rather, the
gringo portion. The natives were supposed to
be in league with Bustamente and to be prepar-
ing for an insurrection. Precautions were taken
again.st a surprise. A troop of cavalry was .sent
to Warner's ranch to patrol the Sofiora road as
far as the desert. The construction of a fort on

the hill fully commanding the town, which had
previou-sly been determined upon, was begun and
a company of infantry posted on the hill.

On the 23d of April, three months after work
had ceased on Emory's fort, the construction of
the second fort was begun and pushed vigor-
ously. Rumors continued to come of the ap-
proach of the enemy. On May 3d Colonel Cooke
writes; "A report was received through the most
available sources of information that General
Bustamente had crossed the Gulf near the head
in boats of the pearl fishers, and at last informa-
tion was at a rancho on the western road 70
leagues below San Diego. ' ' Colonel Stevenson's
regiment of New York volunteers had arrived in
California, and two companies of the volunteers
had been sent to Los Angeles. The report that
Colonel Cooke had received large reinforcements
and that the place was being fortified, was sup-
posed to have frightened Bustamente into aban-
doning the recapture of Los Angeles. Busta-
mente's invading army was largely the creation
of somebody's fertile imagination. The scare,
however, had the effect of hurrying up work on
the fort.

On the 13th of May Colonel Cooke resigned
and Colonel J. B. Stevenson succeeded him in
command of the southern military district. Work
on the fort still continued. As the fort ap-
proached completion. Colonel Stevenson w^as ex-
ercised about a suitable flagstaff — there was no
tall timber in the vicinity of Los Angeles. The
colonel wanted a flagstaff that would be an honor
to his field works and that would float the old
flag where it could be seen of "all men," and
women, too. Nothing less than a pole 150 feet
high would do.

A native Californian, named Juan Ramirez, was
found, who claimed to have seen some trees in
the San Bernardino Mountains that were mucho
alto — very tall — just what was needed for a flag-
staff. A contract w-as made with him to bring in
the timber. The mountain Indians were hostile,
or rather, they were horse thieves. The ran-
cheros killed them on sight, like so many rattle-
snakes. An escort of ten soldiers from the Mor-
mon battalion, under command of a lieutenant,
was sent along with Juan to protect him and his
workmen. Ramirez, with a small army of Indian
laborers and a number of Mexican carts, set out
for the headwaters of Mill Creek in the San Ber-
nardino Mountains. Time passed; the colonel
was becoming uneasy over the long absence of
the flagstaff Ininters. He had not yet become
accustomed to the easy-going, poco tiempo
ways of the native Califoriiians. One afternoon
a cloud of dust was seen out on the mission road.
From out the cloud came the most unearthly

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

shriekings, groauiugs and wailiiigs. At first it
was surmised that it might be the fag end of
Bustameute's army of invasion that had gotten
away from its base of supplies, or possibly the
return of a Mexican revolution that had been
lost on the plains years ago. As the cloud crossed
the river into the Aliso road, Juan Ramirez'
cavalcade and its Mormon escort emerged from it.
They had two tree trunks, one about 90 feet and
the other 75 or 80 feet long, mounted on the axles
of about a dozen old carretas, each trunk hauled
by twenty yoke of oxen, and an Indian driver to
each ox (Indians were plentiful in those days).
Each wooden wheel of the carts was sending
forth its agonizing shrieks for axle grease in a
different key from its fellows. Each Indian
driver was exhausting his vocabulary of invec-
tive on his especial ox, and punctuating his pro-
fanitj' by vicious punches with the goad in the
poor ox's ribs. The Indian was a cruel driver.
The Mormons of the escort were singing one of
their interminable songs of Zion — a pean of de-
liverance from the hands of the Philistines. They
had had a fight with the Indians, killed three of
the hostiles and had the ears of their victims
strung upon a string.

Never before or since, in the history of the
flag, did such a queer concourse combine to pro-
cure a staff to float Old Glory.

The carpenters among the volunteers spliced
the two pieces of timber together and soon
fashioned a beautiful flag staff a hundred and
fifty feet in length. The pole was raised near
what is now the southeast corner of N. Broad-
way and Fort Moore Place. By the first of July
work had so far progressed on the fort that Col-
onel Stevenson decided to dedicate and name it
on the 4th. He issued an official order for the
celebration of the anniversarj'^ of the birthday of
American Independence at this port, as he called
Los Angeles. The following is a synop.sis of the
order: "At sunrise a Federal salute will be
fired from the field work on the hill, which com-
mands this town and for the first time from this
point the American standard will be displayed.
At ID o'clock every soldier at this post will be
under arms. The detachment of the 7th Regt.
N. Y. Volunteers and ist Reg. U. S. Dragoons
(dismounted) will be marched to the field work
on the hill, when, together with the Mormon bat-
talion, the whole will be formed at 11 o'clock
A. M. into a hollow square when the Declara-
tion of Independence will be read. At the close
of this ceremony the field work will be dedicated
and appropriately named; and at 12 o'clock a
national salute will be fired. The field work at
this post having been planned and the work con-
ducted entirely by Lieutenant Davidson of the First

Dragoons, he is requested to hoist upon it for the
first time, on the morning of the 4th, the Ameri-
can Standard. It is the custom of our country
to confer on its fortifications the name of some
distinguished individual, who has rendered im-
portant services to his country either in the
councils of the nation or on the battlefield. The
commandant has therefore determined, unless the
Department of War shall otherwise direct, to
confer upon the field work erected at the port of
Los Angeles the name of one who was regarded
by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance
as a perfect specimen of an American officer, .and
whose character for every virtue and accomplish-
ment that adorns a gentleman was only equalled
by the reputation he had acquired in the field for
his gallantry as an officer and soldier, and his
life was sacrificed in the conquest of this terri-
tory at the battle of San Pasqual. The com-
mander directs that from and after the 4th instant
it shall bear the name of Moore." Benjamin D.
Moore, after whom the fort was named, was
captain of Co. A, ist U. S. Dragoons. He was
killed by a lance thrust in the disastrous charge
at San Pa.squal. Captain Stuart Taylor at this
celebration read the Declaration of Independence
in English, and Stephen C. Foster read it in
Spanish. The native Californians seated on
their horses in rear of the soldiers listened to
Don Estevan as he rolled out in sonorous Span-
ish the Declaration's arraignment of King George
III. and smiled. They had probably never
heard of King George or the Declaration of In-
dependence either, but they knew a pronun-
ciamiento when they heard it, and after a pro-
nunciamiento in their governmental S3stem
came a revolution —therefore they smiled at the
prospect of a gringo revolution. The old fort
was located along the easterly line of what is now
N. Broadway at its intersection with Fort Moore
Place. It began near the northerly line of Dr.
Wills' lot and extended southerly to the fourth
lot south of Fort Moore Place, a length of over
400 feet. It was a breastwork with bastions
and embrasures for cannon. The principal em-
brasure covered the church and plaza. It was
built more for the suppression of a revolt than to
resist an invasion. It was a strong position; two
hundred men, about its capacity, could have de-
fended it against one thousand if the attack came
from the front, but it could easil)' have been out-
flanked.

In the rear of the fort a deep ravine ran
diagonally from the cemetery to Spring street
just south of Temple. The road to the cemetery
led up this ravine and many an old Californian
made his last journey in this world up cemetery
ravine. It was known as the Canada de Los

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Muertos (the caiiou of the dead). The 4th of
July, 1847, was a crackerless Fourth. The Ameri-
can boj' with his fireworks was not in evidence,
and the native muchach knew as little about fire
crackers as he did about the 4th of July. The
day's festivities ended with a fandango. The
fandango was a universal leveler. Mormon and
Mexican, native Californians and spruce shoul-
der-strapped Regulars met and mingled in the
dance. The day ended without a casualty and
at its close even the most recalcitrant paisano was
constrained to shout Viva Los Estados Unidos !
(Long live the U. S.)

One of the historical fictions that appears in
most of the "write ups" of this old fort is the
statement that it was built by Fremont. There
is absolutely no foundation for such a statement.
Emory's fort was begun before Fremont's bat-
talion reached Los Angeles, and work ceased
on it when Stockton's sailors and marines left
the city. Davidson's fort was begun while the
battalion was at San Gabriel, a short time before
it was mustered out. Fremont left for Monterey
shortly after the Mormon battalion began work
on the redoubt; and when it was completed, or
rather when work stopped on it, he had left
California and was somewhere in the neighbor-
hood of the Rocky Mountains. Neither is there
any foundation for the stor)' that the fortification
was begun by Micheltorena when Commodore

Jones captured Monterey, October 19, 1842. It
was not known in early times as Fremont's
redoubt.

Another silly fiction that occasionally makes
its appearance in newspapers and literary jour-
nals is the story that an old adobe building on
Main street near i6th street was Fremont's head-
quarters when he was "military commander" of
the territory. As I write there lies before me a
copy of an illustrated eastern journal of extensive
circulation, in which appears a cut of this ex-
saloon and present Chinese wash house labeled
"Fremont's Headquarters." Not long since a
literar}' journal of our own city in an editorial
urged upon the Historical Society and the Land-
marks Club the necessity of preserving this valu-
able historical relic of Fremont's occupancy of
Los Angeles in the war. The idiocy of a com-
manding officer establishing his headquarters on
a naked plain two miles away from the fort
where his troops were stationed and within what
would then have been the enemy's lines seems
never to have occurred to the authors and
promulgators of these fictions. This old adobe
house was built six or eight years after the
conquest of California. In 1856 it was used for a
saloon; Fremont was then a candidate for the
presidency. The proprietor named it Fremont's
Headquarters.

CHAPTER XXL

TREATY OF CAHUENGA-TRANSITION.

/71 S STATED in a former chapter, Fremont's
Vl battalion began its march down the coast
rA on the 29th of November, 1846. The win-
I I ter rains set in with great severity. The
volunteers were scantilj' provided with clothing
and the horses were in poor condition. Many of
the horses died of starvation and hard usage.
The battalion encountered no opposition from the
enemy on its march and did no fighting.

On the nth of January, a few miles above San
Fernando, Col. Fremont received a message from
Gen. Kearny informing him of the defeat of the
enemy and the capture of Los Angeles. That
night the battalion encamped in the mission build-

ings at San Fernando. From the mission that
evening Jesus Pico, a cousin of Gen. Andres
Pico, set out to find the Californian army and
open negotiations with its leaders. Jesus Pico,
better known as Tortoi, had been arrested at his
home near San Luis Obispo, tried by court-mar-
tial and sentenced to be shot for breaking his
parole. Fremont, moved by the pleadings of
Pico's wife and children, pardoned him. He
became a warm admirer and devoted friend of
Fremont's.

He found the advance guard of the Californians
encamped at Verdugas. He was detained here,
and the leading officers of the army were sum-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

moiled to a council. Pico informed them of Fre-
mont's arrival and the number of his men. With
the combined forces of Fremont and Stockton
against them their cause was hopeless. He urged
them to surrender to Fremont, as they could ob-
tain better terms from him than from Stockton.

Gen. Flores, who held a commission in the
Mexican army, and who had been appointed by
the territorial assembly governor and comandante-
general by virtue of his rank, appointed Andres
Pico general and gave him command of the army.
The same night he took his departure for Mexi-
co, by way of San Gorgonio Pass, accompanied
by Col. Garfias, Diego Sepulveda, Manuel Cas-
tro, Segura, and about thirty privates. Gen.
Pico, on assuming command, appointed Francisco
Rico and Francisco de La Guerra to go with Jesus
Pico to confer with Col. Fremont. Fremont ap-
pointed as commissioners to negotiate a treaty:
Major P. B. Reading, Major William H. Russell
and Captain Louis McLane. On the return of
Guerra and Rico to the Californian camp. Gen.
Andres Pico appointed as commissioners: Jos6
Antonio Carrillo, commander of the cavalry
squadron, and Augustin Olvera, diputado of the
assembly, and moved his army near the river at
Cahuenga. On the 13th Fremont moved his
camp to the Cahuenga. The commissioners met
in the deserted ranch-house, and the treaty was
drawn up and signed.

The principal conditions of the treaty or capitu-
lation of "Cahuenga," as it was termed, were
that the Californians, on delivering up their ar-
tillery and public arms, and promising not
again to take arms during the war, and conform-
ing to the laws and regulations of the United
States, shall be allowed peaceably to return to
their homes. They were to be allowed the same
rights and privileges as are allowed to citizens of
the United States, and were not to be compelled
to take an oath of allegiance until a treaty of
peace was signed between the United States and
Mexico, and were given the privilege of leaving
the country if they wished to. An additional
section was added to the treaty on the i6th at
Los Angeles releasing the officers from their pa-
roles. Two cannon were surrendered, the how-
itzer captured from Gen. Kearny at San Pas-
qual, and the woman's gun that won the battle
of Dominguez. On the i4tli Fremont's battalion
marched through the Cahuenga Pass to Los An-
geles in a pouring rainstorm, and entered it four
days after its surrender to Stockton. The con-
quest of California was completed. Stockton
approved the treaty, although it was not alto-
gether satisfactory to him. On the i6th he ap-

pointed Colonel Fremont governor of the terri-
tory, and William H. Russell, of the battalion,
secretary of state.

This precipitated a quarrel between Stockton
and Kearny, which had been brewing for some
time. General Kearny claimed that under his
instructions from the government he should be
recognized as governor. As he had directly un-
der his command but the one company of dra-
goons that he brought across the plain with him
he was unable to enforce his authority. He left
on the 1 8th for San Diego, taking with him his
officers and dragoons. On the 20th Commodore
Stockton, with his sailors and marines, marched
to San Pedro, where thej' all embarked on a
man-of-war for San Diego to rejoin their ships.
Stockton was shortly afterwards superseded in
the command of the Pacific squadron by Commo-
dore Shubrick.

Fremont was left in command at Los Angeles.
He established his headquarters in the upper
(second) floor of the Bell Block, corner of Los
Angeles and Aliso street, the best building in the
city then. One company of the battalion was re-
tained in the city; the others, under command of
Captain Owens, were quartered at the Mission
San Gabriel. From San Diego General Kearny
sailed to San Francisco, and from there he went
to Monterey. Under additional instructions from
the general government brought to the coast by
Colonel Mason he established his governorship at
Monterey. With a governor in the north and one
in the south antagonistic to each other, California
had fallen back to its normal condition under
Mexican rule. Colonel Cooke, commander of
the Mormon battalion, writing about this time,
says: "General Kearny is supreme somewhere
up the coast; General Fremont is supreme at
Pueblo de Los Angeles; Commodore Stockton is
commander-in-chief at San Diego; Commodore
Shubrick the same at Monterey; and I at San
Luis Rey; and we are all supremely poor, the
government having no money and no credit, and
we hold the territory because Mexico is poorest
of all!"

Col. R. B. Mason was appointed inspector of
the troops, and made an official visit to Los An-
geles. In some disagreement he used insulting
language to Colonel Fremont. Fremont prompt-
ly challenged him to fight a duel. The challenge
was accepted, and double-barreled shotguns were
chosen as the weapons and the Rosa del Castillo
chosen as the place of meeting. Mason was
summoned north, and the duel was postponed
until his return. Kearny, hearing of it, put a
stop to it.

Colonel P. St. George Cooke, commander of the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Mormon battalion, but au ofRcer of the regular
army, was made commander of the military district
of the south, with headquarters at Los Angeles.
Fremont's battalion was mustered out of the serv-
ice and Fremont himself ordered to report to Gen-
eral Kearny at Monterey and turn over the pa-
pers and accounts of his governorship. He did
so, and passed out of office. He was nominally
governor of the territory about two months. His
jurisdiction did not really extend beyond Los
Angeles. He accompanied General Kearny
east, leaving Los Angeles May 12 and Monterey
May 31. At Fort Leavenworth General Kearny
placed him under arrest and preferred charges
against him for disobedience of orders. He was
tried by court-martial at Washington and was
ably defended by his father-in-law, Colonel Ben-
ton, and his brother-law, William Carey Jones.
The court found him guilty and fixed the penalty
— dismissal from the service. President Polk
remitted the penalty, and ordered Colonel Fre-
mont to resume his sword and report for duty.
He resigned his commission in the army.

Col. Richard B. Mason succeeded General
Kearny as commander-in-chief of the troops
and military governor of California. Col.
Philip St. George Cooke resigned command of
the military district of the south in May and
went east with General Kearny. Col. J. D.
Stevenson, of the New York volunteers, suc-
ceeded Cooke. His regiment, the First New
York, had been recruited in eastern New York
in the summer of 1846 for the double purpose of
conquest and colonization. It came to the coast
well provided with provisions and implements of
husbandrj'. It reached California via Cape Horn.
The first transport, the Perkins, reached Yerba
Buena March 6, 1847; the second, the Drew,
March 19; and the third, the Loo Choo, March
26. Hostilities had ceased in California before
their arrival. Two companies, A and B, under
command of Lieutenant Colonel Burton, were
sent to Lower California, where they saw hard
.service and took part in several engagements. The
other companies of the regiment were sent to dif-
ferent towns in Upper California to do garrison
duty. Companies E and G were stationed at Los
Angeles.

Colonel Stevenson had under his command a
force of about 600 men, consisting of four com-
panies of the Mormon battalion, two companies
ofU. S. Dragoons and the two companies of
his own regiment. The Mormon battalion was
mustered out in July, 1847; tlie New York
volunteers remained in .service until August,
1848. Mostofthese volunteers remained in Cali-
fornia and several liecame residents of Los
Angeles.

Another military organization that reached
California after the conquest was Company F of
the Third U. S. Artillery. It landed at Mon-
terey January 28, 1847, under command of Capt.
C. Q. Thompkins. With it came Lieuts. E. O. C.
Ord, William T. Sherman and H. W. Halleck,
all of whom were prominent afterwards in Cali-
fornia and attained national reputation during
the Civil War. Lieutenant Ord made what is
known as Ord's survey of Los Angeles. After
the treaty of peace was made, in 1848, four com-
panies of U. S. Dragoons, under command of
Maj. L. P. Graham, marched from Chihuahua,
by way of Tucson, to California. Major Graham
was the last military commander of the south.

Under Colonel Stevenson's administration the
reconstruction, or rather it might be more appro-
priate! j- called the transformation, period really
began. The orders from the general govern-
ment were to conciliate the people and to make
no radical changes in the form of government.
The Mexican laws were continued in force. In
February an ayuntamiento was elected. The
members were : First alcalde, Jost5 Salazar;
second alcalde, Enrique Avila; regidores,
Miguel N. Pryor, Julian Chavez, Rafael Gallardo
and Jos6 A. Yorba; sindico, Jost5 Vicinte
Guerrero; secretary, Ignacio Coronel.

The council proceeded to grant house lots and
perform its various municipal functions as
formerly. Occasionally there was friction be-
tween the military and civil powers, and there
were rumors of insurrections and invasions.
There were, no doubt, some who hoped that the
prophecy of the doggerel verses that were de-
risively sung by the women occasionally might
come true :

" Poco tienipo

Vieiie Castro

Con inucho gente

Vamos Americanos."

But Castro came not with his many gentlemen,
nor did the Americans show any disposition to
vamos; so with that easy good nature so char-
acteristic of the Californians they made the best
of the situation. "A thousand things," says
Judge Hays, "combined to smooth the asperities
of war. Fremont had been courteous and gay;
Mason was just and firm. The natural good
temper of the population favored a speedy and
perfect conciliation. The American officers at
once found themselves happy in every circle. In
suppers, balls, visiting in town and country, the
hours glided away with pleasant reflections."

There were, however, a few individuals who
were not happy unless they could stir up dis-
sensions and cause trouble. One of the chief of
these was Serbulo Varela — agitator and revolu-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

103

tionist. Varela, for some offeuse not specified in
the records, had been committed to prison by the
second alcalde, or judge of the second instance.
Colonel Stevenson turned him out of jail and
Varela gave the judge a tongue lashing in refuse
Castilian. The judge's official dignity was hurt.
He sent a communication to the ayuntamiento
saying, "Owing to personal abuse which I re-
ceived at the hands of a private individual and
from the present military commander, I tender
my resignation."

The council sent a communication to Colonel
Stevenson, asking why he had turned Varela out
of jail and why he had insulted the judge.

The colonel curtly replied that the military
would not act as jailers over persons guilty of
trifling offenses while the city had plenty of per-
sons to do guard duty at the jail. As to abuse
of the judge, he was not aware that any abuse
had been given, and would take no further notice
of him unless he stated the nature pf the insult
offered him.

The council decided to notify the governor of
the outrage perpetrated by the military com-
mander, and the second alcalde said, since he
could get no satisfaction for insults to his
authority from the military despot he would
resign; but the council would not accept his
resignation, so he refused to act and the city had
to worry along with one judge.

When the time came around for the election of
a new ayuntamiento there was more trouble.
Stephen C. Foster, the colonel's interpreter, sub-
mitted a paper to the council stating that the
government had authorized him to get up a
register of voters. And the ayuntamiento voted
to return the paper just as it was received. Then
the colonel made a demand of the council to
assist Mr. Esteban Foster in compiling a register
of voters. Regidor Chavez took the floor and
said such a register should not be gotten up
under the auspices of the military, but since the
government had so disposed, thereby outraging
this honorable body, no attention should be paid
to said communication. But the council decided
that the matter did not amount to much, so they
granted the request, much to the disgust of
Chavez. The election was held and a new
council elected. At the last meeting of the old
council, December 29, 1847, Colonel Stevenson
addressed a note to it, requesting that Mr.
Stephen C. Foster be recognized as first alcalde
and judge of the first instance. The council de-
cided to turn the whole business over to its suc-
cessor, to deal with as it sees fit.

Colonel Stevenson's request was made in
accordance with the wish of Governor Mason,

that a part of the civil offices be filled by Ameri-
cans. The new ayuntamiento resented this inter-
ference.

How the matter terminated is best told in
Stephen C. Foster's own words: "Colonel
Stevenson was determined to have our inaugura-
tion done in style. So on the day appointed
(January i, 1848) he, together with myself and
colleague, escorted bj- a guard of soldiers, pro-
ceeded from the colonel's quarters (which were
in the house now occupied as a stable bj' Fergu-
son & Rose) to the alcalde's office, which was
where the City of Paris store now stands on
Main street. There we found the retiring ayun-
tamiento and the new one awaiting our arrival.
The oath of office was to be administered by the
retiring first alcalde. We knelt to take the oath,
when we found they had changed their minds,
and the alcalde told us that if two of their num-
ber were to be kicked out they would all go. So
they all marched out and left us in possession.
Here was a dilemma; but Colonel Stevenson was
equal to the emergency. He said he could give
us a swear as well as the alcalde. So we stood
up and he administered to us an oath to support
the constitution of the United States and admin-
ister justice in accordance with Mexican law. I
then knew as much about Mexican law as I did
about Chinese, and my colleague knew as much
as I did. Guerrero gathered up the books that
pertained to his office and took them to his
house, where he established his office, and I took
the archives and records across the street to a
house I had rented, where Perry & Riley's build-
ing now stands, and there I was duly installed for
the next seventeen months, the first American
alcalde and carpet-bagger in Los Angeles."

"The late Abel Stearns was afterwards ap-
pointed syndic. We had in.structions from Gov-
ernor Mason to make no grants of land, but to
attend only to criminal and civil business and
current municipal affairs. Criminal offenders
had formerly been punLshed by being confined in
irons in the calaboose, which then stood on the
north side of the plaza, but I induced the Col-
onel to loan me balls and chains and I had a
chain gang organized for labor on the public
works, under charge of a gigantic old Mexican
soldier, armed with a carbine and cutlass, who
soon had his gang under good discipline and who
boasted that he could get twice as much work
out of his men as could be got out of the sol-
diers in the chain gang of the garrison."

The rumors of plots and impending insurrec-
tions was the indirect cause of a serious catas-
trophe. On the afternoon of December 7, 1847,
an old lady called upon Colonel Stevenson and

104

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

informed him that a large body of Califoniiaus
had secretly organized and fixed upon that night
for a general uprising, to capture the city and
massacre the garrison. The information was sup-
posed to be reliable. Precautions were taken
against a surprise. The guard was doubled and
a strong reserve stationed at the guardhouse,
which stood on the hillside about where Beau-
dry's stone wall on the new High street is now.
A piece of artillery was kept at the guardhouse.
About midnight one of the outpost pickets saw,
or thought he saw, a horseman approaching him.
He challenged, but receiving no reply, fired.
The guard at the cuart(5l formed to repel an
attack. Investigation proved the picket's horse-
man to be a cow. The guard was ordered to
break ranks. One of the cannoneers had lighted
a port fire (a sort of fuse formerly used for firing
cannon). He was ordered to extinguish it and
return it to the arm chest. He attempted to ex-
tinguish it by stamping on it, and supposing he
had stamped the fire out, threw it into the chest
filled with ammunition. The fire rekindled and
a terrific explosion followed that shook the city
like an earthquake. The guardhouse was blown
to pieces and the roof timbers thrown into Main
street.

The wildest confusion reigned. The long roll
sounded and the troops flew to arms. Four men
were killed by the explosion and ten or twelve
wounded, several quite seriously. The guard-
house was rebuilt and was used by the city for a
jail up to 1853.

This catastrophe was the occasion of the first
civil marriage ever celebrated in Los Angeles.
The widow of Sergeant Travers, one of the sol-
diers killed by the explosion, after three months
of widowhood, desired to enter the state of double
blessedness. She and the bridegroom, both being
Protestants, could not be married in the Catholic
Church, and there was no minister of any other
denomination in the country. In their dilemma
they applied to Alcalde Foster to have a civil
ceremony performed. The alcalde was doubtful
whether his powers admitted of marrying people.
There was no precedent for so doing in Mexican
law, but he took the chances. A formidable
legal document, still on file in the recorder's
office, was drawn up and the parties signed it in
the presence of witnesses, and took a solemn oath
to love, cherish, protect, defend and support on
the part of the husband, and the wife, of her own
choice, agreed to obey, love, serve and respect the
man of her choice in accordance with the laws of
the State of New York. Then the alcalde de-
clared James C. Burton and Emma C. Travers
man and wife, and they lived happily ever after-

wards. The groom was a soldier in the service
of the United States and a citizen of the State of
New York.

The treaty of peace between the United States
and Mexico was signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo, a
hamlet a few miles from the City of Mexico, Feb-
ruary 2, 1S4S; ratifications were exchanged at
Queretaro, May 30 following, and a proclamation
that peace had been established between the two
countries was published July 4, 184S. Under
this treaty the United States assumed the pay-
ment of the claims of American citizens against
Mexico, and paid in addition $15,000,000 for
Texas, New Mexico and Alta California — an
area of nearly half a million square miles. Out
of what was the Mexican territory of Alta Cal-
ifornia there has been carved all of California, all
of Nevada, Utah and Arizona, and part of Col-
orado and Wyoming. The area acquired by
this territorial expansion equaled that of the thir-
teen colonies at the time of the Revolutionary
War.

Pio Pico arrived at San Gabriel July 17, 1848,
on his return from Sonora. From San Fernando
he addressed letters to Colonel Stevenson and
Governor Mason, stating that as Mexican Gov-
ernor of California he had come back to the coun-
try, with the object of carrying out the armistice
which then existed between the United States
and Mexico. He further stated that he had no
desire to impede the establishment of peace be-
tween the two countries; and that he wished to
see the Mexicans and Americans treat each other
in a spirit of fraternity. Mason did not like
Pico's assumption of the title of Mexican Gov-
ernor of California, although it is not probable
that Pico intended to assert any claim to his for-
mer position. Mason sent a special courier to
Los Angeles with orders to Colonel Stevenson to
arrest the ex-governor, who was then at his Santa
Margarita ranch, and send him to Monterey, but
the news of the ratification of the treaty of Guad-
alupe Hidalgo reached Los Angeles before the
arrest was made and Pico was spared this humilia-
tion.

In December, 1848, after peace was restored,
Alcalde Foster, under instructions from Governor
Mason, called an election for choosing an ayun-
tamiento to take the place of the one that failed
to qualify. The voters paid no attention to the
call and Governor Mason instructed the officers
to hold over until the people chose to elect their
successors. In May a second call was made under
Mexican law. By this time the voters had gotten
over their indignation at being made American
citizens, nolens volens. They elected an ayun-
tamiento which continued in power to the close
of the year. Its first session was held May 21,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1^5

1849. First alcalde, Jose del Carmen Lugo; sec-
ond alcalde, Juan Sepulveda; regidores, Jos6
Lopez, Francisco Ocampo, Thomas Sanchez;
syndic, Juan Temple; secretary, Jesus Guerado.
All of these had been citizens of Mexico, Juan
Temple having been naturalized twenty years be-
fore. The Governor's wish to have Americans
fill part of the city offices was evidently disre-
garded by the voters. Stephen C. Foster was
appointed prefect October 29, 1849, by Governor
Bennett Riley, the successor of Governor Mason.
In December, 1849, the last ayuntamiento was
elected. The members were: First alcalde, Abel
Stearns; second alcalde, Ygnacio del Valle; reg-
idores, David Alexander, Benito D. Wilson, Jos6

L. Sepulveda, Manuel Garfias; syndic, Francisco
Figueroa; secretary, Jesus Guirada. Tht legisla-
ture of 1849-50 passed an act incorporating Los
Angeles (April 4, 1850) as a citj'. In the act of
incorporation its area is given as four square
miles. During its probationary state, from Jan-
uary, 1847, until its incorporation as a city by the
legislature, it sometimes appears in the official
records as a pueblo (town) and sometimes as a
ciudad (city). For a considerable time after the
conquest official communications bore the motto
of Mexico, Dios y Libertad (God and Liberty).
The first city council was organized July 3, 1850,
just four years, lacking one day, after the closing
session of the ayuntamiento under Mexican rule.

CHAPTER XXIL

A CITY WITHOUT A PLAN— ORD'S SURVEY— HISTORIC STREETS.

r~ IFTY years after its founding Los Angeles
l^ was like the earth on the morning of Crea-
[f tion — "without form." It had no plat or
' plan, no map and no official survey of its
boundaries. The streets were crooked, irregular
and undefined. The houses stood at different
angles to the streets and the house lots were of
all geometrical shapes and forms. No man held
a written title to his land and possession was ten
parts of the law; indeed it was all the law he had
to protect his title. Not to use his land was to
lose it.

With the fall of the missions a spasm of ter-
ritorial expansion seized the colonists. In 1834,
the Territorial Legislature, by an enactment, fixed
the boundaries of the pueblo of Los Angeles at
"two leagues to each of the four winds, measur-
ing from the center of the plaza. ' ' This gave
the pueblo an area of sixteen square leagues or
over one hundred square miles. Next year
(1835) Los Angeles was made the capital of Alta
California by the Mexican Congress and raised
to the dignity of a city; and then its first real es-
tate boom was on. There was an increased de-
mand for lots and lands, but there were no maps
or plats to grant by and no additions or subdivi-
sions of the pueblo lands on the market. All the
unoccupied lands belonged to the municipality.

and when a citizen wanted a house lot to build
on he petitioned the ayuntamiento for a lot and
if the piece asked for was vacant he was granted
a lot — large or small, deep or shallow, on the
street or off it, just as it happened.

With the growth of the town the confusion and
irregularity increased. The disputes arising from
overlapping grants, conflicting propert}' lines and
indefinite descriptions induced the ayuntamiento
of 1836 to appoint a commission to investigate
and report upon the manner of granting house
lots and agricultural lands. The commissioners
reported "that they had consulted with several
of the founders and with old settlers, who declared
that from the founding of the town the conces-
sion of lots and lands had been made verbally
without any other formality than locating and
measuring the extent of the land the fortunate
one should occupy. ' '

"In order to present a fuller report your com-
mission obtained an 'Instruction' signed by Don
Jos6 Francisco de Ortega, dated at San Gabriel,
February 2, 1782, and we noted that articles 3,
4 and 17 of said 'Instruction' provides that con-
cession of said agricultural lands and house lots
must be made by the Government, which shall
issue the respective titles to the grantees. Ac-
cording to the opinion of the city's advisers said

io6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

'Instruction' or at least the three articles re-
ferred to, have not been observed as there is no
property owner tv/io can s/iiui' a legal title to his
property. ' '

"The commissioners can not do otherwise but
call attention of the Most Illustrious Ayun-
tamiento to the evil consequence which may re-
sult by reason of said abuses and recominend
that some means may be devised that they may
be avoided. God and Liberty.

"Angeles, March 8, 1836.

Abel Stearns,

Bacilio Valdez,

Jose M. Herrera,

Commissioners."

Acting on the report of the commissioners the
ayuntamiento required all holders of property to
apply for written titles. But the poco tiempo
ways of the pobladores could not be altogether
overcome. We find from the records that in 1847
the laud of Mrs. Carmen Navarro, one of the
founders of the town, was denounced (filed on)
because she could not show a written title to it.
The ayuntamiento decided "that as she had al-
ways been allowed to hold it her claim should be
respected because she was one of the founders,"
"which makes her entitled to a lot on which to
live."

March 17, 1836, "a commission on streets,
plazas and alleys" was appointed to report a
plan for repairing the monstrous irregularity of
the streets brought about by ceding house lots
and erecting houses in this pueblo."

The commission reported in favor of "formulat-
ing a plat of the city as it actually exists, on
which shall be marked the names of the streets,
alleys and plazas, also the house lots and com-
mon lands of the pueblo." But nothing came of
the report, no plat was made and the ayun-
tamiento went on in the same old way, granting
lots of all shapes and forms.

In March, 1846, another commission was ap-
pointed to locate the bounds of the pueblo lands.
All that was done was to measure two leagues
' 'in the direction of the four winds from the plaza
church" and set stakes to mark the boundary
lines. Then came the American Conquest of
California, and tlie days of poco tiempo were
numbered. In 1847, after the conquest, another
attempt was made to straighten and widen the
streets. Some of the Yankee spirit of fixing up
things seems to have pervaded the ayuntamiento.
A street commission was appointed to try to
bring order out of the chaos into which the
streets had fallen. The commissioners reported
July 22, 1847, fs follows: "Your commissioners
could not but be amazed seeing the disorder and
the manner how the streets run. More partic-

ularly the street which leads to the cemetery,
whose width is out of proportion to its length,
and whose aspect offends the sense of the beauti-
ful which should prevail in the city. Whendiscus-
sing this state of affairs with the syndic (city at-
torney) he informed us that on receiving his in-
structions from the ayuntamiento he was ordered
to give the streets a width of fifteen varas (about
41 feet). This he found to be in conflict with
the statutes. The law referred to is in Book 4,
Chapter 7, Statute 10 (probably a compilation
of the "law of the Indies" two or three centuries
old, and brought from Spain). The laws reads:
"In cold countries the streets shall be wide, and
in warm countries narrow; and when there are
horses it would be convenient to have wide
streets for purpose of an occasional defense or to
widen them in the form above mentioned, care
being taken that nothing is done to spoil the
looks of the buildings, weaken the points of de-
fense or encroach upon the comfort of the
people."

"The instructions given the syndic by the
ayuntamiento are absolutely opposed to this law
and therefore illegal." It probably never oc-
curred to the commission to question the wisdom
of so senseless a law; it had been a law in Spanish
America for centuries and therefore must be
venerated for its antiquity. A blind unreason-
ing faith in the wisdom of church and state has
been the undoing of the Spanish people. Ap-
parently the commission did nothing more than
report. California being a warm country the
streets perforce must be narrow.

The same year a commission was appointed to
' 'square the plaza. ' ' Through carelessness some
of the houses fronting on the square had been
allowed to encroach upon it; others were setback
so that the boundary lines of the plaza zigzaged
back and forth like a Virginia rail fence. The
neighborhood of the plaza was the aristocratic
residence quarter of the city then, and a plaza
front was considered high-toned. The connnis-
sion found the squaring of the plaza as difficult
a problem as the squaring of a circle. After
many trials and tribulations the commissioners
succeeded in overcoming most of the irregularities
by reducing the area of the plaza. The houses
that intruded were not torn down, but the prop-
erty line was moved forward. The north, south
and west lines were each fixed at 134 varas and
the east line 112 varas. The ayuntamiento at-
tempted to open a street from the plaza north of
the church, but Pedro Cabrera, who had been
granted a lot which fell in the line of the street re-
fused to give up his plaza front for a better lot
without that aristocratic appendage which the
council oflFered him. Then the citv authorities

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

107

offered him as compensation for the diflference a
certain number of days' labor of the chain-gang
(the treasury was in its usual state of collapse),
but Pedro could not be traded out of his plaza
front, so the street took a twist around Pedro's
lot — a twist that fifty years has not straightened
out. The irregularities in granting portions of
the unapportioned city lands still continued and
the confusion of titles increased.

In May, 1849, the territorial governor. Gen.
Bennett Riley, sent a request to the ayuntamiento
for a city map and information in regard to the
manner of granting city lots. The ayuntamiento
replied that there was no map of the city in exist-
ence and no surveyor here who could make one.
The governor was asked to send a surveyor to
make a plan or plat of the city. He was also
informed that in making land grants within "the
perimeter of two leagues square the city acted in
the belief that it is entitled to that much land as
a pueblo."

Lieutenant E. O. C. Ord, of the United States
army, was sent down by the governor to plat the
city. On the i8th of July, 1849, he submitted
this proposition to the ayuntamiento: "He would
make a map of the city, marking boundary lines
and points of the municipal lands for $1,500 coin,
ten lots selected from among the defined lots on
the map and vacant lands to the extent of 1,000
varas to be selected in sections of 200 varas
wherever he may choo.se it, or he would make a
map for $3,000 in coin."

The ayuntamiento chose the last proposition —
the president prophetically remarking that the
time might come in the future when the land
alone would be worth $3,000. The money to pay
for the survey was borrowed from Juan Temple,
at the rate of one per cent, a month, and lots
pledged as security for payment.

The ayuntamiento also decided that there
should be embodied in the map a plan of all the
lands actuall}' under cultivation, from the princi-
pal dam down to the last cultivated field below.
"As to the lots that should be shown on the map,
they should begin at the cemetery and end with
the house of Botiller (near Ninth street). As to
the commonalty lands of this city, the surveyor
should determine the four points of the compass,
and, taking the parish church for a center, meas-
ure two leagues in each cardinal direction. These
lines will bisect the four sides of a square within
which the lands of the municipality will be con-
tained, the area of the same being sixteen square
leagues, and each side of the square measuring
four leagues. "* (The claims commission reduced
the city's area in 1856 to just one-fourth these
dimensions.)

Lieutenant Ord, assisted by William R. Hutton,
completed his Plan de la Ciudad de Los Angeles,
August 29, 1849. He divided into blocks all that
portion of the city bounded north by First street
and the base of the first line of hills, east by Main
street, south by Twelfth street and west by Pearl
street (now Figueroa), and into lots all of the
above to Eighth street; also into lots and blocks
that portion of the city north of Short street and
west of Upper Main (San Fernando) to the base
of the hills. On the "plan" the lands between
Main street and the river are designated as
"plough grounds, gardens, corn and vine lands."
The streets in the older portion of the city are
marked on the map, but not named. The blocks,
except the tier between First and Second streets,
are each 600 feet in length, and are divided into
ten lots, each 120 feet by 165 feet deep. Ord took
his compass course for the line of Main street,
south 24° 45' west, from the corner opposite
Jos^ Antonio Carrillo's house, which stood where
the Pico house now stands. On his map Main,
Spring and Fort (now Broadway) streets ran
in parallel straight lines southerly to Twelfth
street. How Main street came to be zigzag below
Sixth street, Spring to disappear at Ninth street,
and Fort to end in Governor Downey's orange
orchard,! is one of the mysteries of the early '50s.

The names of thestreets on Ord'splan are given
in both Spanish and English. Beginning with
Main street, they are as follows: Calle Principal,
Main street; Calle Primavera, Spriiig street
(named for the season spring); Calle Fortin,
Fort street (so named because the street extended
passed through the old fort on the hill); Calle
Loma, Hill street; Calle Accytuna, Olive street;
Calle de Caridad, the street of charity (now
Grand avenue); Calle de Las Esperanzas, the
street of hopes; Calle de Las Flores, the street of
flowers; Calle de Los Chapules, the street of
grasshoppers (now South Figueroa street) .

Above the plaza church the north and south
streets were the Calle de Eternidad (Eternity
street, so named because it had neither begin-
ning nor end, or, rather, because each end ter-
minated in the hills) ; Calle del Toro (street of
the bull, so named because the upper end of the
street terminated at the Carrida deToro — the
bull ring where bull-fights were held) ; Calle de
Las Avispas (street of the hornets or wasps, a
very lively street at times); Calle de Los Adobes,
Adobe street. The east and west streets were:
Calle Corta, Short street; Calle Alta, High
street; Calle de Las Virgines (street of virgins) ;
Calle del Colegio (street of the college, the only
street north of the church that retains its primi-
tive name.)

fThis orchard was subdivided in 1881 aud the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Spring street was known as Calle de Caridad
— the street of charity — at the time of the Amer-
ican conquest. The town then was centered
around the plaza, and Spring street was well
out in the suburbs. Its inhabitants in early
times were of the poorer classes, who were largely
dependent on the charity of their wealthier
neighbors around the plaza. It is part of an old
road made more than a century ago. On Ord's
"plan" this road is traced northwestward from
thejunction of Spring and Main. It follows the
present line of North Spring street to First street,
then crosses the blocks bounded by Spring,
Broadway, First and Third streets diagonally to
the corner of Third street and Broadway. It in-
tersects Hill at Fourth street and Olive at Fifth
street; skirting the hills, it passes out of the citj'
near Ninth street to the Brea Springs, from which
the colonists obtained the roofing material for
their adobe houses. This road was used for
many years after the American occupation, and
was recognized as a street in conveyances. Ord
evidently transferred Spring street's original
name, "La Caridad," to one of his western
streets which was a portion of the old road.

Main street, from the junction south, in 1846
was known as Calle de la Allegria — Junction
street; Los Angeles street was the Calle Prin-
cipal, or Main street. Whether the name had
been transferred to the present Main street be-
fore Ord's survey I have not been able to ascer-
tain. In the early years of the century Los
Angeles street was known as the Calle de la
Zanja (Ditch street). Later on it was sometimes
called Calle de Los Vinas (Vineyard street), and
with its continuation the Calle de Los Huertos
(Orchard street) — now San Pedro — formed the
principal highway running southward to the
Embarcedaro of San Pedro.

Of the historic streets of Los Angeles that have
disappeared before the march of improvements
none perhaps was so widely known in early days
as the one called Calle de Los Negros in Castilian
Spanish, but Nigger alley in vulgar United
States. Whether its ill omened name was given
it from the dark hue of the dwellers on it or from
the blackness of the deeds done in it the records
do not tell. Before the American conquest it
was a respectable street and some of the wealthy
rancheros dwelt on it, but it was not then known
as Nigger alley. It gained its unsavory reputa-
tion and name in the flush days of gold mining,
between 1849 and 1856. It was a short, narrow
.street or alley, extending from the upper end of
Los Angeles street at Arcadia to the plaza. It
was at that time the only street except Main en-
tering the plaza from the south. In length it
did not exceed 500 feet, but in wickedness it was

unlimited. On either side it was lined with
saloons, gambling hells, dance houses and dis-
reputable dives. It was a cosmopolitan street.
Representatives of different races and many na-
tions frequented it. Here the ignoble red man,
crazed with aguardiente, fought his battles, the
swarthy Sonorian plied his stealthy dagger and
the click of the revolver mingled with the clink of
gold at the gaming table when some chivalric
American felt that his word of "honah" had
been impugned.

The Calle de Los Negros in the early '50s,
when the deaths from violence in Los Angeles
averaged one a day, was the central point from
which the wickedness of the city radiated.

With the decadence of gold mining the char-
acter of the street changed, but its morals were
not improved by the change. It ceased to be the
rendezvous of the gambler and the desperado
and became the center of the Chinese quarter of
the city. Carlyle says the eighteenth century
blew its brains out in the French Revolution.
Nigger alley might be said to have blown its
brains out, if it had any, in the Chinese massacre
of 1871. That dark tragedy of our city's history,
in which eighteen Chinamen were hanged by a
mob, occurred on this street. It was the last of
the many tragedies of the Calle de Los Negros;
the extension of Los Angeles street, in 1886,
wiped it out of existence.

The Calle del Toro was another historic street
with a mixed reputation. Adjoining this street,
near where the French hospital now stands, was
located the Plaza de Los Toros. Here on fete
days the sport-loving inhabitants of Los Angeles
and the neighborhood round about gathered to
witness that national amusement of Mexico and
old Spain — the corida de toros (bull fights).
And here, too, when a grizzly bear could be ob-
tained from the neighboring mountains, were
witnessed those combats so greatly enjoyed bj'
the native Californians — bull and bear baiting.
There were no humanitarian societies in those
days to prohibit this cruel pastime. Macauley
says the Puritans hated bear-baiting, not because
it gave pain to the bear, but because of the
pleasure it gave the spectators, — all pleasure,
from their ascetic standpoint, being considered
sinful. The bear had no friends among the Cali-
fornians to take his part from any motive. It
was death to poor bruin, whether he was victor
or vanquished; but the bull sometimes made it
uncomfortable for his tormenters. The S/aro{
December iS, 1858, describes this occurrence at
one of these bull fights on the Calle del Toro:
"An infuriated bull broke through the inclosure
and ru.shed at the affrighted spectators. A wild
panic ensued. Don Felipe Lugo spurred his

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORP.

109

horses in front of the furious bull. The long
horns of the maddened animal were plunged into
the horse. The gallant steed and his daring
rider went down in the dust. The horse was
instantly killed, but the rider escaped unhurt.
Before the bull could rally for another charge
half a dozen bullets from the ready revolvers of
the spectators put an end to his existence."

The Plaza de Los Toros has long since been
obliterated; and Bull street became Castelar more
than a quarter of a centur}' ago.

Previous to 1847 there was but one street open-
ing out from the plaza to the northward, and that
was the narrow street known to old residents as
Bath street, since widened and extended, and
now called North Main street. The committee
that had charge of the ' 'Squaring of the Plaza' '
projected the opening of another street to the
north. It was the street long known as Upper
Main, now called San Fernando. This street
was cut through the old cuart(5l or guard house,

built in 1785, which stood on the southeastern
side of the Plaza Real, or Royal Square, laid out by
Governor Felipe de Neve when he founded the
pueblo. Upper Main street opened into the
Calle Real, or Royal street, which was one of
de Neve's original streets opening out from the
old plaza to the northwest.

Ord's survey or plan left some of the houses in
the old parts of the city in the middle of the
streets and others were cut off from a frontage.
The city council labored long to adjust property
lines to the new order of things. Finally, in 1854,
an ordinance was passed allowing property own-
ers to claim frontages to the streets nearest their
houses.

There were but few new streets opened and no
new subdivisions made for twenty years after
Ord's survey. The city grew slowly and for more
than two decades after the American conquest
both the business and residence portions of the
city remained in the neighborhood of the plaza.

CHAPTER XXIIL

MINES AND MINING BOOMS.

WHILE not classed among the mining coun-
ties of California, yet Los Angeles has
figured in all the different phases of min-
ing in "the days of gold," the days of '49.
The first authenticated discovery of gold in Cali-
fornia was made in territory now included within
its borders, and the first "gold rush" that ever
took place on the coast was to the placers* of the
Castiac. It is generall)' conceded that Francisco
Lopez was the first discoverer of gold in Cali-
fornia, and the place of discovery the San F'eli-
ciano Canon on the San Francisco Rancho. This
canon is about forty miles northwesterly from
Los Angeles City and eight miles westerly from
Newhall.

The exact date of the discovery is uncertain.
According to Col. J. J. Warner, who visited the
placers shortly after their discovery, the first gold
nuggets were found in June, 1841. Isaac L.

* The word placers for pla
commonly used in Californ
Hsage make.s it permissibly.

Given, who arrived in Los Angeles in the fall of
1841 with the Rowland- Workman party, in a letter
written to me in 1895 relates that "shortly after
our arrival. Dr. Lyman and myself were invited
to dine with Don Abel, as all the natives called
him, and while in his house he showed us a
quart bottle of gold dust obtained from the
placers described by Col. Warner." As Given
went to San Francisco about the close of the
year 1841 and never returned to Los Angeles he
could not be mistaken in the year. This would
seem to fix beyond cavil the date of discovery in
1841, but on tlie other hand we have a letter to
the California Pioneers in which Don Abel
Stearns states positively that the discovery was
made in March, 1842.

We have also in the California Archives a
communication dated June 17, 1842, from Ignacio
del Valle, on whose ranch the discovery was
made, in which he refers to a note received May 3
last from the governor making inquiries about a
placer of gold discovered on his ranch. There is

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

also in the California Archives an Incomplete
Expediente, of which the following is a cop}-:
To His Excellency, The Governor:

We, the citizens, Francisco Lopez, Manuel
Cota and Domingo Bermudez, residents of the
Port of Santa Barbara, before your Excellency,
with the greatest submission, present ourselves
saying: That as Divine Providence was pleased
to give us a placer of gold on the gth of last
March in the locality of San Francisco (rancho)
that belongs to the late Don Antonio del Valle;
distant about one league south of his house, we
now apply to Your Excellency asking you to
give whatever orders you may think convenient
and just in the matter, presenting herewith a
sample of the gold. Wherefore, to Your Ex-
cellency, we pray you to give us the necessary
permit authorizing us to commence our work, to-
gether with those who may wish to engage with
us in the said work. Excusing us for the use of
common paper in default of any of the cor-
responding stamp.

Francisco Lopez,
Manuel Cota,
Domingo Bermudez.
By F"rancisco Lopez.
At the request of Domingo Bermudez,
who cannot write.

This expediente fixes the day of the month on
which the discovery was made, but unfortunately
Lopez and his associate omit the year. The
petition refers to the late Antonio del Valle.
Del Valle died in 1841, "the same year that gold
was discovered on his place," says Bancroft, but
on page 296 of Vol. IV. of his History of
California, Bancroft says the di.scovery was made
in 1842. The evidence seems to be about equally
divided between the dates 1841 and 1842. I in-
cline to the belief that it was made in 1841. Don
Abel Stearns, in the letter referred to above, gives
this account of the discovery: "Lopez, with a
companion, while in search of somestra}' horses
about midday stopped under some trees and tied
their horses to feed. While resting in the shade
Lopez with his sheath knife dug up some wild
onions and in the dirt discovered a piece of gold.
Searching further he found more. On his re-
turn to town he showed these pieces to his
friends, who at once declared there must be a
placer of gold there." Colonel Warner thus de-
scribe the "gold rush" that followed: "The news
of this discovery soon spread among the inhabit-
ants from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles and in
a few weeks hundreds of people were engaged in
washing and winnowing the sands of these gold
fields * * '* The auriferous fields discovered
in that year embraced the greater part of the
country drained by the Santa Clara River, from

a point some fifteen or twenty miles from its
mouth to its sources and easterly beyond them
to Mount San Bernardino."

The first parcel of California gold dust ever
coined at the Philadelphia mint was taken from
these placers. It belonged to Don Abel Stearns
and was carried by the late Alfred Robinson in
a sailing vessel around Cape Horn. It consisted
of 18.34 ounces — value alter coining $344. 75 or
over $19 per ounce — a very superior quality of
gold dust. It was deposited in the mint at
Philadelphia July 8, 1843.

As to the yield of the San Fernando Placers, as
these mines are generally called, it is impossible
to obtain definite information. William Heath
Davis in his "Si.xty Years in California" gives the
amount at $80,000 to $100,000 for the first two
years after their discovery. He states that Mel-
ius at one time shipped $5,000 of dust to Bo.ston
on the ship Alert. Bancroft says that "by De-
cember, 1843, two thousand ounces of gold had
been taken from the San F'ernando mines. " Don
Antonio Coronel informed the author that he, with
the assistance of three Indian laborers, in 1842
took out $600 worth of dust in two months. De
Mofras in his book states that Carlos Baric, a
Frenchman, in 1842 was obtaining an ounce a day
of pure gold from his placer.

There was a great scarcity of water in the
mines and the methods of extracting the gold
were crude and wasteful. One process in use
was the piling of a quantity of the pay gravel in
the center of a square of manta or coarse muslin
and then dashing water on the pile from a bucket
until the earth was washed away, the gold re-
maining on the cloth. Another process of sep-
arating the gold from the gravel and sand was by
panning — using a batea or a bowl shaped Indian
basket for a gold pan. Gold cradles and long
toms were unknown to the miners of the San
Fernando placers.

These mines were worked continuously from
the time of their discovery until the American
Conquest, principally by Sonorians. The dis-
covery of gold at Coloma, January 24, 1848, drew
away the miners and no work was done on these
mines between 1848 and 1854.

In the spring of 1855 came the Kern River
excitement, one of the famous "gold rushes" of
California.

In the summer of 1854 gold was discovered on
the head waters of the Kern River, but no excite-
ment followed the first reports. But during the
fall and winter stories were .set afloat of some
wonderful strikes of rich diggings. These stories
grew as they traveled on and were purposely
magnified by merchants and dealers in miners'
supplies, who were overstocked with unsalable

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

goods, and by transportation companies, with
whom business was slack. Their purpose was
accomplished and the rush was on. It was the
first rush that had profited Los Angeles. It was
hard times in the old pueblo; business was dull
and money scarce. The Southern Califoniian of
December 24, 1854, says: "The great scarcity
of money is seen in the present exorbitant rates
of interest which it commands; 8 and 10 and
even 15 per cent, a month is freely paid and the
supply, even at these rates, is too meager to
meet the demand."

In January the rush began. Every steamship
down the coast was loaded to the guards with
adventurers for the mines via Los Angeles. The
sleepy old metropolis of the cow counties found
itself suddenly transformed into a bustling mining
camp.

The Southern Calif. oi-nian of February 8, 1855,
thus describes the situation: "The road from
our valley is literally thronged with people on
their way to the mines. Hundreds of people
have been leaving not only the city, but every
portion of the county. Every description of
vehicle and animal have been brought in requisi-
tion to take the exultant seekers after wealth to
the goal of their hopes. Immense ten-mule
wagons, strung out one after another; long trains
of pack mules, and men mounted and on foot,
with picks and shovels; boarding-house keepers,
with their tents; merchants with their stocks of
miners' necessaries, and gamblers with their
'papers' are constantly leaving for the Kern
River mines. The wildest stories are afloat.
We do not place implicit reliance, however, upon
these stories. If the mines turn out ten dollars
a day to the man everybody ought to be satisfied.
The opening of these mines has been a God-
send to all of us, as the business of the entire
country was on the point of taking to a tree."

As the boom increased our editor grows more
jubilant. In his issue of March 7th he throws
out these headlines: "Stop the Press! Glorious
News from Kern River! Bring Out the Big
Gun! There are a thousand gulches rich with
gold and room for ten thousand miners. Miners
averaging $50 a day. One man, with his own
hands, took out $160 in a day. Five men in ten
days took out $4,500." These wild rumors kept
business booming in all directions in the old
pueblo. In the above named issue of the
Califoniian we find this item: "Last Sunday
night was a brisk night for killing. Four men
were shot and killed and several wounded in
shooting affrays. ' '

By way of Stockton and the upper San Joaquin
Valley another stream of adventurers was pouring
into these mines, In four months between five

and six thousand men had found their way into
the Kern River mines. There was gold there,
but not enough to go round. The few struck it
rich; the many struck nothing but hard luck and
the rush out began. The disappointed miners
and adventurers beat their way back to civiliza-
tion as best they could. Some of them turned
their attention to prospecting in the mountains
south of the Tehachapi Pass and many new dis-
coveries were made.

In April, 1855, a party entering the mountains
by way of the Cajon Pass penetrated to the head
waters of the San Gabriel River and found goocl
prospects in some of the caiions, but were forced
to leave on account of the water failing. The
Santa Anita placers, about fifteen miles from the
city, were discovered in 1856 The discoverers
attempted to conceal their find and these mines
were known as the "Secret Diggings," but the
secret was found out. These mines paid from
$6 to $10 a day.

Work was actively resumed in the San
Fernando diggings. Francisco Garcia, working
a gang of Indians, in 1855 took out $65,000. It
is said that one nugget worth $1,900 was found
in these mines. In 185S the Santa Anita Mining
Company was organized, D. Marchessault, presi-
dent; V. Beaudr}', treasurer; capital, $50,000.
A ditch four miles long was cut around the foot
of the mountain and hydraulic works constructed.
Upon the completion of these works, February
15, 1859, the company gave a dinner to invited
guests from the city. The success of the enter-
prise was toasted and wine and wit flowed as
freely as the water in the hydraulic pipes. The
mines returned a handsome compensation on the
outlay.

During the year 1859 the canon of the San
Gabriel was prospected for forty miles and some
rich placer claims located. On some of the bars
as high as $8 to the pan were obtained. The
correspondent of the Los Angeles Star reports
these strikes: "From a hill claim four men took
out $80 in one day." "Two Mexicans, with a
common wooden bowl or batea, panned out $90
in two days." "Two hydraulic companies are
taking out $[,000 a week." In July, 1S59, 300
men were at work in the canon and all reported
doing well. A stage line ran from the cit}' to
the mines. Three stores at Eldoradoville, the
chief mining camp of the canon, supplied the
miners with the necessaries of life, and several
saloons, with gambling accompaniments, the
luxuries.

The editor of the Star, in the issue of December
3, 1859, grows enthusiastic over the mining pros-
pects of Los Angeles. He .says: "Gold placers
are now being worked from Fort Tejou to San

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Bernardino. Rich deposits have been discovered
in the northern part of the county. The San
Gabriel mines have been worked very successfully
this season. The Santa Anita placers are giving
forth their golden harvest. Miners are at work
in the San Fernando hills rolling out the gold and
in the hills beyond discoveries have been made
which prove the whole district to be one grand
placer." Next day it rained and it kept at it
continuously for three days and nights. It was
reported that twelve inches of water fell in the
piountains during the storm. In the narrow
canon of the San Gabriel River the waters rose to
an unprecedented height and swept everything
before them. The miners' wheels, sluices, long
toms, wing dams, coffer dams, and all other
dams, went floating off toward the sea.

The year i860 was a prosperous one for the
San Gabriel miners, notwithstanding the dis-
astrous flood of December, 1859. The increased
water supply afforded facilities for working dry
claims. Some of the strikes of that season in the
canon have the sound of the flush days of '49:
' 'Baker & Smith realized from their claim $800 in
eight days;" "Driver & Co. washed out $350 of
dust in two hours."

In the spring of 1862, Wells, Fargo & Co. were
shipping to San Francisco from their Los Angeles
oflBce, $12,000 of gold dust a month by steamer
and probably as much more was sent by other
shippers or taken by private parties; all this was
produced from the San Fernando, San Gabriel
and Santa Anita placers. In the past forty years
a large amount of gold has been taken out of the
San Gabriel placers — how much it is impossible
to say. As late as 1876 there were two hydraulic
companies working in the canon. One company
reported a yield of $1,365 for a run of twenty-six
days, working five men — an average of $10.50 a
day to the man. Placer mining is still carried on
in a desultory way ev^ery winter in the San Fer-
nando and San Gabriel mines. But a limited
amount of capital has at any time been employed
in these mines, and the methods of working them
have been unsystematic and wa-steful. With more
abundant capital, with improved appliances and
cheaper methods of working, these mines could
be made to yield rich returns.

In the winter of 1862-63 placer mines were dis-
covered on the Colorado River and a rush fol-
lowed. Los Angeles profited by it while it lasted,
but it was soon over.

In 1863 there was a mining boom on the island of
Santa Catalina. Some rich specimens of gold and
silver quartz rock were found and the boom began.
The first location was made in April, 1863, by
Martin M. Kimberly and Daniel IJ. Way. At a

miners' meeting held on the island April 20, 1863,
the San Pedro Mining District was formed and a
code of mining laws formulated "for the govern-
ment of locators of veins or lodes of quartz, or
other rock containing precious metals and ores —
gold, silver, copper, galena or other minerals or
mines that may be discovered, taken up or lo-
cated in Los Angeles County, San Pedro District,
State of California." The boundaries of San
Pedro District were somewhat indefinite; it in-
cluded "all the islands of Los Angeles County and
the coast range of mountains between the north-
ern and southern boundaries of said County."

The first discoveries were made near the isth-
mus on the northwestern part of the island. The
principal claims were located in Fourth of July
Valley, Cherry Valley and Mineral Hill.

A site for a city was located on Wilson Harbor.
Lots were staked off and Queen City promised to
become the metropolis of the mining district of
Catalina.

Numerous discoveries were made. Within nine
months from the first location notices of claims
to over a hundred thousand feet of leads, lodes or
veins, with their dips, spurs and angles, were re-
corded in the recorder's office of Los Angeles
County and probably three times that number ot
claims were located that were either recorded in
the district records on the island or were not re-
corded at all. Assays were made of gold and
silver bearing rock, that ranged from $150 to
$800 a ton. Stock companies were formed with
capital bordering on millions — indeed, a company
that had not "millions in it" was not worth or-
ganizing in those da3's. It is needless to say
that the capital stock was not paid up in full nor
in part either. The miners believed implicitly in
the wealth of their mines, but they had no money
to develop their claims nor could they induce
capitalists to aid them. The times were out of
joint for great enterprises. Washoe stocks had
flooded the local mining market and the doubtful
practices of mining sharps had brought discredit
on feet and stocks. Capital from abroad could
not be induced to seek investment in mines on an
island in the far Pacific. The nation was engaged
in a death struggle with the slaveholders' re-
bellion and there was more money in fat govern-
ment contracts than in prospect holes.

The boom collapsed unexpectedly — bursted by
"military despotism." There were rumors that
this mining rush was a blind to conceal a plot to
seize the island and make it a rendezvous for
Confederate privateers, from which they could fit
out and prey upon the commerce of the coast.
Many of the miners were Southern sympathizers,
but whether such a plot was seriously contepi-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

plated is doubtful. If such was incubating, the
government crushed it before it was hatched. A
military force was placed on the island and the
following order issued:

j Headquarters, Santa Catalina
I Island, February 5th, 1864.
Special Order No. 7.

No person or persons other than owners of
stock or incorporated companies' employes, will
be allowed to remain on the island on or after
this date; nor will any person be allowed to land
until further instructions are received from Wash-
ington. I hereby notify miners prospecting or
®ther persons to leave immediately. By order.

B. R. West,
Captain 4th California Infantry Commanding Post.

After such an invitation to leave the miners
stood not on the order of their going — they went —
those whose sympathies were with the Confed-
eracy breathing curses against the tyrant Lincoln
and his blue-coated minions. After the with-
drawal of the troops, September 15, 1864, a few of
the miners returned, but work was not resumed,
the excitement was over — the boom was bursted.

The "leads, lodes and veins" with their dips,
spurs and angles, were abandoned and only a few
drifts and tunnels remain — relics of an almost
forgotten boom.

In 1873 Major Max Strobel, of Anaheim, went
to England commissioned by James Lick and
other owners to sell the island. Liberally sup-
plied with collections of rich mineral specimens
and endowed by nature with a vivid imagination,
he negotiated a sale to a syndicate of London
capitalists for one million dollars. Before a for-
mal transfer of the island was made Strobel died
and the sale was never consummated.

In 1861 there was a copper mining boom in the
Soledad Canon (60 miles north of Los Angeles).
Some rich specimens of copper ore were found
and several hundred thousand dollars in gold
were sunk in developing the mines, but the de-

velopment proved that there were no well-defined
leads and the few pockets where ore existed were
not rich enough in copper to fill the void in the
pockets of the prospectors.

In 1862 gold quartz was discovered in a range
of hills about five miles northward of the copper
district. The discoverers were too poor to de-
velop their mines and the failure of the copper
mines had disgusted capitalists with the Soledad
country. For some time Mexicans worked the
claims and crushed rock yielding from $30 to $50
a ton with arastras.

In 1867-68 came another rush to the Soledad
district; this time it was gold quartz that at-
tracted. Numerous claims were located and min-
ing notices were as "thick as leaves in Yallam-
brosa. " One ten stamp mill and several smaller
ones were erected. A town site was located and
Soledad City became the mining metropolis ot
the district. Some rich ore was taken out, but
the lodes pinched out and Soledad City became
in truth a city of solitude. There are still some
claims worked in the district. But the mines
have never crowned any bonanza kings.

The yield of the Los Angeles mines can be as-
certained only approximately. Major Ben C.
Truman, in his "Senii-Tropical California," a
book written in 1874, says: "During the past
eighteen years Messrs. Ducommun and Jones,
merchants of Los Angeles, have purchased in one
way and another over two million dollars worth
of gold dust taken from the placer claims of the
San Gabriel River, while it is fair to presume that
among other merchants and to parties in San
Francisco has been distributed at least a like
amount. ' ' Add to this estimate the amount taken
out of the San Fernando placers since their dis-
covery in 1 841, and from the Santa Anita, the
San Antonio and other placers in the county
where gold has been mined, and the yield of the
Los Angeles placers would reach, if it did not
exceed, five million dollars.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XXIV.

EDUCATIONAL— SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL TEACHERS.

(I^^HE first community want the American pio-
f Q neer supplies is the schoolhouse. Wherever
lg\ the immigrants from the New England and
^^ the middle states planted a settlement, there,
at the same time, they planted a schoolhouse.
The first community want that the vSpanishpobla-
dores (colonists) supplied was a church. The
schoolhouse was not wanted, or, if wanted, it was
a long-felt want that was rarely or never satisfied.

At the time of the acquisition of California by
the Americans (1846) — seventy-seven years from
the date of its first settlement — there was not a
public schoolhouse owned by any pueblo or city
in all California. The few schools that did exist
were kept in rented buildings, or the schoolmas-
ter furnished the schoolroom as part of the con-
tract.

The first public school in California was opened
in San Jose, in December, 1794, seventeen }ears
after the founding of that pueblo. The pioneer
teacher of California was Manuel de Vargas, a re-
tired sergeant of infantry. The school was opened
in the public granary. Vargas, in 17 95, was offered
$250 a year to open a school in San Diego. As
this was higher wages than he was receiving, he
accepted the offer and thus became the pioneer
teacher of Southern California. JostS Manuel
Toca, a gamute or ship boy, arrived at Santa
Barbara on a Spanish transport in 1795, and the
same year was emploj'ed as schoolmaster at a
yearly salary of $125. Thus the army and the
navy pioneered education in California.

Governor Borica, the founder of public schools
in California, resigned in 1800, and was succeeded
by Arrillaga. Governor Arrillaga, if not opposed
to, was at least indifferent to the education of the
common people. He took life easy and the
schools took long vacations; indeed, it was nearly
all vacation during his term. Governor Sola,
the successor of Arrillaga, made an effort to es-
tablish public schools, but the indifference of the
people di.scouraged him. There is no record
of the existence of a school in Los Angeles during
Governor Borica's rule. Los Angeles being
neither a maritime or presidial town there were

probably no soldiers or sailors in it out of a
job who could be utilized for school teaching.

With the revival of learning under Sola, the
first school in Los Angeles was opened in 1817,
just thirty-six years after the founding of the
pueblo. Maximo Pifia, an invalid soldier, was
the pioneer schoolmaster of Los Angeles. He
taught during the years 1S17 and 1818. His
salary was $140 a year. Then the school took a
vacation for ten years.

During the Spanish era the schoolmasters were
mostly invalid soldiers, who possessed that dan-
gerous thing, "a little learning." About all
they could teach was reading, writing and the
doctrina Christiana. These old soldier school-
masters were brutal tyrants, and their school
government a military despotism. Gen. M. G.
Vallejo, in his reminiscences, thus describes one
form of punishment in common use in the old-
time schools: "But on the black cloth lay an-
other and far more terrible implement of torture,
a hempen scourge with iron points, a nice inven-
tion, truly, for helping little children to keep
from laughing aloud, running in the streets,
playing truant, spilling ink, or failing to know
the lessons in the dreaded doctrina Christiana —
the only lesson taught, perhaps, because is was
the only one the master could teach; to fail in
the doctrina was an offense unpardonable. This
very appropriate inquisitorial instrument of tor-
ture was in daily use. One by one each little
guilty wretch was stripped of his poor shirt — often
his only garment — stretched face downward upon
a bench, with a handkerchief thrust into his
mouth as a gag, and lashed with a dozen or more
blows until the blood ran down his little lacerated
back."* When such brutality was practiced in
them it is not strange that the schools were un-
popular.

In the first forty-six years of its existence, if
the records are correct, the pueblo of Los Angeles
had school facilities just two years. There was
no educational cramming in those days. Mexico

♦Bancroft's Califoruia Pastoral.

HISTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD.

'i|

did better for public education in California than
Spain. The school terms were increased and the
vacations shortened.

The first school in Los Angeles during the
Mexican regime was taught bj' Luciano Valdez,
beginning in 1S27. His school was kept open at
varying intervals to the close of 1 83 1 . He seems
not to have been a success in his chosen profes-
sion. In the proceedings of the a3'untamiento for
January 19, 1832, is this record: "The Most
Illustrious Ayuntamiento dwelt on the lack of
improvement in the public school of the pueblo,
and on account of the necessity of civilizing and
morally training the children, it was thought wise
to place citizen Vicente Morago in charge of said
school from this date, recognizing in him the
necessary qualifications for discharge of said
duties, allowing him $15 monthly, the same as
was paid the retiring citizen, Luciano Valdez."

Schoolmaster Morago, February 12, 1833, was
appointed secretary of the ayuntamiento at a sal-
ary of $30 per month, and resigned his position
as teacher. The same date Francisco Pantoja
was appointed preceptor of the public school.
Pantoja wielded the birch or plied the ferule to
January, 1834, when he demanded that his salary
be increased to $20 per month. The ayunta-
miento refused to increase it, "and at the same
time seeing certain negligence and indolence in
his manner of advancing the children, it was de-
termined to procure some other person to take
charge of the school." Pantoja demanded that
he be relieved at once, and the ayuntamiento
decided "that in view of the irregularities in the
discharge of his duties, he be released and that
citizen Cristoval Aguilar be appointed to the po-
sition at $15 per month."

The ayuntamiento proceedings of January 8,
1835, tell the fate of Aguilar. "Schoolmaster Crist-
oval Aguilarasked an increase of salary. After dis-
cussion it was decided that as his fitness for the
position was insufficient, his petition could not
be granted." So Aguilar quit the profession.

Vicente Morago, who had been successively sec-
retary of the ayuntamiento and syndic (treasurer) ,
returned to his former profession, teachino;, in

1835. He was satisfied with $15 a month, and that
seemed to be the chief qualification of a teacher
in those days. There is no record of a school in

1836. During 1837 the civil war between Mon-
terey and Los Angeles was raging and there was
no time to devote to education. All the big boys
were needed for soldiers; besides, the municipal
funds were so demoralized that fines and taxes
had to be paid in hides and horses.

Don Ygnacio Coronel took charge of the public
school July 3, 1838, "behaving the necessary
qualifications." "He shall be paid $15 per

month from the municipal funds, and every
parent having a child in the school shall be made
to pay a certain amount according to his means.
The $[5 per month paid from the municipal fund
is paid so that this body (the ayuntamiento) may
have supervision over said school." Coronel taught
at various times between 1838 and 1844, the
length of the school sessions depending on the
condition of the municipal funds and the liberality
of parents. Don Ygnacio's educational methods
were a great improvement on those of the old
soldier schoolmasters. There was less of "lickin' "
and more of "larnin'." His daughter Soledad
assisted him, and when a class had completed a
book or performed some other meritorious educa-
tional feat, as a reward of merit a dance was im-
provised in the school room, and Seiiorita Soledad
played upon the harp. She was the first teacher
to introduce music into the schools of Los An-
geles.

The most active and earnest friend of the pub-
lic schools among the Mexican governors was the
much-abused Micheltorena. He made a strenuous
efibrt to establish a public school system in the
territor5'. Through his efforts schools were estab-
lished in all the principal towns, and a guarantee
of $500 from the territorial funds was promised to
each school.

January 3, 1844, a primary school was opened
in Los Angeles under the tutorship of Ensign
Guadalupe Medina, an officer in Micheltorena's
army, permission having been obtained from the
governor for the lieutenant to lay down the sword
to take up the pedagogical birch. Medina was
an educated man and taught an excellent school.
His school attained an enrollment of 103 pupils.
It was conducted on the Laucasterian plan, which
was an educational fad recently imported from
Europe, via Mexico, to California. This fad,
once very popular, has been dead for half a cen-
tury. The gist of the system was that the nearer
the teacher was in education to the level of the
pupil the more successful would he be in impart-
ing instruction. So the preceptor taught the
more advanced pupils; these taught the next
lower grades, and so down the scale to the lowest
class. Through this system it was possible for
one teacher to instruct or manage two or three
hundred pupils.

Don Manuel Requena, in an address to the out-
going ayuntamiento, speaking of Medina's school,
said: " One hundred and three youth of this vi-
cinity made rapid progress under the care of the
honorable preceptor, and showed a sublime spec-
tacle announcing a happy future." The "happy
future' ' of the school was clouded by the shadow
of shortage of funds. The superior government
notified the ayuntamiento that it had remitted the

[i6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

$500 promised, and great was the gratitude of
the regidores thereat; but when the remittance
reached the pueblo it was found to be merchan-
dise instead of money. The school board
(regidores) filed an indignant protest, but it was
merchandise or nothing; so, after much dicker-
ing, the preceptor agreed to take the goods at a
heavy discount, the ayuntamiento to make up
the deficit.

After a very successful school term of nearly
half a year the lieutenant was ordered to Mon-
terej' to aid in suppressing a revolution that Cas-
tro and Alvarado were supposed to be incubating.
He returned to Los Angeles in November, and
again took up the pedagogical birch, but laid it
down in a few months to take up the sword. Los
Angeles was in the throes of one of its periodical
revolutions. The schoolhouse was needed by
Pico and Castro for military headquarters. So
the pupils were given a vacation — a vacation, by
the waj', that lasted five years. The next year
(1846) the gringos conquered California, and
when school took up the country was under a
new government.

All the schools I have named were boys'schools;
but very few of the girls received any education.
They were taught to embroider, to cook, to make
and mend the clothes of the family and their own;
and these accomplishments were deemed sufficient
for a woman.

Governor Micheltorena undertook to establish
schools for girls in the towns of the department.
He requested of the ayuntamiento of Los Angeles
the names of three ladies for teachers, one of
whom was to be selected to take charge of the
girls' school when established. The alcalde named
Mrs. Luisa Arguello, Dolores Lopez and Maria
Ygnacio Alvarado. The governor appointed
Mrs. Luisa Arguello teacher of the school, which
was to open July i, 1S44. Evidently the school
did not open on time, for at the meeting of the
ayuntamiento, January 7, 1845, the alcalde re-
quested that Mrs. Luisa Arguello be asked
whether she would fill the position of teacher to
which she had been appointed by the governor.
There is no record that she ever taught the school,
or that there ever was a girls' school in Los An-
geles before the American conquest.

The last school taught under the supervision of
the ayuntamiento of Los Angeles was at San
Gabriel, in 1846, and that faithful old pedagogue,
Vicente Morago, was the teacher, his salary the
same old figure, $15 per month. From an in-
ventory made b}' Lieutenant Medina we ascertain
the amount of school books and furniture it took
to supply a school of one hundred pupils fifty-
six years ago. Primers 36, second readers 11,
Fray Ripalde's Catechisms 14, table (without

carpet or joint) to write upon i, benches 6,
blackboard i , large table for children i . School
supplies were few and inexpensive in early days.
Here is an account of the expenses made for the
public school from February to December, 1834:
Primers $1, blackboard $2, earthen jar for
water $2.50, ink $1, string for ruling blackboard
50 cents, ink weU 37 cents, total $7.37. Church
incidentals for same length of time $96. The
city owned no schoolhouse. The priests' house
was used for a school room when it was vacant,
otherwise the teacher or the ayuntamiento rented
a room. At one time a fine of $1 was imposed on
parents who failed to send their children to
school, but the fines were never collected.

There is no record of any school in Los An-
geles during the years 1846 and 1847. The war
of the Conquest was in progress part of the time
and the big boys and the schoolmaster as well
were needed for soldiers. In 1848 and 1849 the
gold rush to the northern mines carried away
most of the male population. In the flush days
of '49 the paltry pay of $15 per month was not
sufficient to induce even faithful old Vicente
Morago to wield the pedagogical birch.

At the first session of the ayuntamiento in Jan-
uary, 1850, Syndic Figueroa and Regidor Garfias
were appointed school committeemen to establish
a public school. At the end of three months the
syndic reported that he had been unable to find
a house where to locate the school. Nor had
he succeeded in securing a teacher. An individ-
ual, however, had just presented himself, who,
although he did not speak English, yet could he
teach the children many useful things; and be-
sides the same person had managed to get the
refusal of Mrs. Pollerena's house for school pur-
poses. At the next meeting of the council the syn-
dic reported that he had been unable to start the
school — the individual who had offered to teach
had left for the mines and the school committee
could neither find a schoolmaster nor a school-
house.

In June of the .«;ame year (1850) a contract was
made with Francisco Bustamente, an ex-soldier,
who had come to the territory with Governor
Micheltorena "to teach to the children first, sec-
ond and third lessons and likewise to read script,
to write and count and so much as I may be com-
petent, to teach them orthography and good
morals." Bustamente taught to the close of the
year, receiving S60 per month and $20 a month
rent for a house in which the school was kept.

In July, 1850, the ayuntamiento was merged
into the common council. Part of the council's
duties was to act as a school board. Two appli-
cations were received during the first month from
would-be teachers. Hugh Overns offered to

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

give primary instruction in English, Spanish and
French; and George Wormald asked permission
to establish "a Los Angeles Lj'ceum, in which
the following classes shall be taught; reading,
penmanship, arithmetic, geography, Spanish
grammar, double entry bookkeeping, religion,
history and the English and French languages. ' '
The applications were referred to Councilman
Morris L- Goodman. He reported in favor of
granting "Hugh Overns $50 per month to estab-
lish a school in which shall be taught the rudi-
ments of English, French and Spanish. In con-
sideration of the subsidy paid from the public
funds, the council to have the privilege of
sending to the school, free of charge, six orphan
boys or others whose parents are poor." The
proposition was approved.

In November, 1S50, the Rev. Henry Weeks
proposed to organize a school — he to have
charge of the boys and his wife of the girls — for
the compensation of $150 per month. Two
months later the school committee reported that
no better proposition had been received. Weeks
and his wife opened school January 4, 1851.
Weeks paid the rent of the school room.

In June, 1853, the council passed a resolution
to divide $100 between the two preceptors of the
boys' school and the preceptress of the girls'
school on condition that each teach ten poor
children free.

The city council, March 8, 1851, granted
Bishop Alameny blocks 41 and 42, O. S., for a
college site, together with the flow of water from
what was formerly known as the College Spring.
A conditional grant of the same land had been
made in 1849 to Padres Branche and Sanchez for
a college site. (These blocks lie west of Buena
Vista street and north of College street. )

The early schools seem to have been run on
the go-as-you-please principle. The school com-
mittee reported "having visited the school twice
without finding the children assembled. The
committee, however, had arranged with the pre-
ceptor for a full attendance next Friday, of
which the council took due notice." Which of
the three schools was so lax in attendance the
committee does not state.

The first school ordinance was adopted by the
council July 9, 1851. Article ist provided that
a sum not exceeding $50 per month .shall be
applied towards the support of any educational
institution in the city, provided that all the rudi-
ments of the English and Spanish languages be
taught therein.

Article 2ad provided that should pupils receive
instruction in any higher branches the parents
must make an agreement with the "owner or

owners- of the school." August 13, 1852, an
ordinance was passed by the council setting
apart a levy of 10 cents on the $100 of the mu-
nicipal taxes for the support of the schools.
This was the first tax levy ever made in the
city for the support of schools. Previous
to this the school fund was derived from
licenses, fines, etc. At the same meeting of the
council Padre Anacleto Lestraode was granted
two lots for a seminary. The location of the lots
is not given. A. S. Breed opened a school for
instruction in the English language in December,
1852. He was allowed $;iT, public funds on the
usual terms. Breed was elected city marshal at
the election the following May, embezzled public
funds and was turned out of office.

The school committee of the council, Downey
and Del Valle, reported, January 17, 1853, hav-
ing visited the "two schools in charge of pre-
ceptors Lestraode and Coronel (Ygnacio), found
them well attended; 20 children in the former
and 10 in the latter, besides 5 taught gratis."
The council expressed great satisfaction, and re-
quested the committee at its next visit to express
to the preceptors its (the council's) appreciation
of their good work. The report is not very
definite in regard to the attendance. If the total
number in the two schools was only 35 it would
seem as if the council was thankful for small
favors. June 11, 1853, Mrs. A. Bland, wife of
the Rev. Adam Bland, a Methodist minister,
having established a school for girls, was allowed
$33-33'j from the public funds for teaching ten
poor girls. The mayor was instructed by the
council to find out whether the seats the city pays
for in the various schools are filled, and if those
occupying them are deserving.

At the session of the council, July 25, 1853,
John T. Jones submitted an ordinance for the
establishment and government of the cily'spublic
schools. It provided for the appointment by the
council, with the approval of the mayor, of three
commissioners of public schools, "who shall
serve as a board of education for one year, the
chairman to be superintendent of schools, and
commissioners to have all the powers vested in a
board of education by the act of the state legis-
lature, 'entitled, an act to establish a common
school system, approved May 3, 1852.' " The
board had power to examine, emploj^ and dismiss
teachers and appoint a marshal to take a census
of all children between the ages of 5 and 18 years.
The ordinance was approved, and J. Lancaster
Brent, Lewis Granger and Stephen C. Foster
appointed a board of education, J. Lancaster
Brent becoming ex-officio the city school superin-
tendent. The council having established a public

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

school system, by a resolution suspended the pay-
ment of subsidies to private schools, the resolu-
tion to take effect August 14, 1853.

In May, 1854, Hon. Stephen C. Foster, on
assuming the ofSce of mayor, in his inaugural
message, urged the necessity of increased school
facilities. He said: "Our last census shows more
than 500 children within the corporate limits, of
the age to attend school, three-fourths of whom
have no means of education save that afforded by
the public schools. Our city has now a school
fund of $3,000." He urged the building of two
schoolhouses, the appointment of a school super-
intendent and a board of education. At the next
meeting of the council an ordinance was passed
providing for the appointment by the council, on
the first Monday of June, each year, of three
school commissioners or trustees, a superintend-
ent and a school marshal.

At a meeting of the council held May 20, 1854,
Lewis Granger moved that Stephen C. Foster be
appointed city superintendent of common schools;
Manuel Requena, Francis Melius and W. T. B.
Sanford, trustees; and G. W. Cole, school mar-
shal. The nominations were confirmed. Thus
the mayor of the city became its first school su-
perintendent, and three of the seven members of
the council constituted the board of education.
The duties of the superintendent were to examine
teachers, grant certificates and hold annual ex-
aminations of the schools.

The board of education and the superintendent
set vigorously to work, and before the close of
the school year schoolhouse No. i, located on
the northwest corner of Spring and Second streets,
on the lot now occupied by the Bryson Block and
the old City Hall Building, was completed. It
was a two-story brick building, costing about
$6,000. It was well out in the suburbs then, the
center of population at that time being in the
neighborhood of the plaza. School was opened
in it March 19, 1855, William A. Wallace in
charge of the boys' department, and Miss Louisa
Hayes principal of the girls' department. Co-
education then, and for many years after, was
not tolerated in the public schools of Los Angeles.
Previous to the completion of the building, in the
fall of 1854, T. J. Scully taught a public school
in a rented building, and YgnacioCorouel taught
a school in his own building on the corner of Los
Angeles and Arcadia streets. Mrs. M. A. Hoyt
and son taught a public .school in a rented build-
ing, north of the plaza, in 1854-55-56.

Schoolhouse No. 2, located on Bath street, now
North Main street, was built in 1856. It was a
two-story, two-room brick building. It was de-
molished when that street was widened and
extended.

Wallace, after a few months' teaching, laid
down the birch and mounted the editorial tripod.
He became editor and publisher of the Los An-
geles S/ar, but the tripod proved an uncomfortable
seat and he soon descended from it William
McKee, an educated young Iri-shman, succeeded
him in the school. McKee was a successful
teacher. The Los Angeles S^ar of March 17,
1855, in an able editorial urged the planting of
shade trees on the school lot. "When the
feasibility of growing trees upon the naked plain
is fairl}' tested the owners of lots in the neighbor-
hood will imitate the good example," said the
Sta>: To test the feasibility the trustees bought
twelve black locusts at a dollar apiece and planted
them on the school lot. The shade trees grew,
but when the green feed on the "naked plains"
around the schoolhouse dried up the innumerable
ground squirrels that infested the mesa, made a
raid on the trees, ate the leaves and girdled the
branches. McKee, to protect the trees, pro-
cured a shotgun, and when he was not teaching
the young ideas how to shot he was shooting
squirrels. There was no water system then in
the city and water for domestic purposes was
supplied by carriers from carts. McKee used
water from the school barrel to water the trees.
The "hombre" who supplied the water reported
to the trustees that that gringo "maestro de
escula" (schoolmaster) was wasting the public
water trying to grow trees on the mesa where"any
fool might know they wouldn't grow." The trees
did survive the squirrels' attacks and waterman's
wrath. They were cut down in 1884, when the
lot was sold to the city for a city hall site.
From 1853 to 1866 the common council appointed
the members of the board of education and the
school superintendents. From 1866 to 1870
the school boards and the superintendents were
elected by popular vote at the city elections. In
1870 it was discovered that there was no law
authorizing the election of a superintendent; the
city in school affairs being governed by three
trustees the same as country districts. The of-
fice was discontinued for two years. In 18723
special act of the legislature created a city board
of education consisting of five members and gave
it power to appoint a superintendent. The fol-
lowing is a list of the persons who have filled the
office, with the years of their service:
J. Lancaster Brent, ex-officio. . . 1853 to 1854

Stephen C. Foster 1854 to 1S55

Dr. Wm. B. Osburn 1855 to 1856

Dr. John S. Griffin 1S56 to 1857

J. Lancaster Brent 1S57 to 1858

E. J. C. Kewen 1858 to 1859

Rev. W. E. Boardman 1859 to 1862

A. F. Heinchman 1862 to 1863

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

119

Gustavus L. Mix 1863 to 1864

Dr. R. F. Hayes 1864 to 1865

Rev. Elias Birdsell 1865 to 1866

Joseph Huber, Sr 1866 to 1867

H. D. Barrows 1867 to 1868

Andrew Glassell 1 868 to 1869

Dr. T. H. Rose 1869 to 1870

No Superintendent 1870 to 1872

A. G. Brown 1872 to 1873

Dr. W. T. Lucky 1873 to 1876

C. H. Kimball 1876 to 1880

Mrs. C. B. Jones 1880 to 1881

J. M. Guinn. 1881 to 1883

L. D. Smith 1883 to 1885

W. M. Freisner 1885 to 1893

Leroy D. Brown 1893 to 1894

P. W. Search 1894 to 1895

J. A. Foshay (preseut incumbent) 1 895 to

The office in earlier years was filled by lawyers,
doctors, ministers and business men. It was not
until 1869 that a professional teacher was chosen
superintendent; since then professional teach-
ers have filled the office. The high school was
established in 1873, during the first year of Dr.
Lucky 's term. It was the first, and for several
years after its organization, the only high school
in Southern California. At the time it was es-
tablished there were but six high schools in all
California. Now there are ten in Los Angeles
County alone. The first teachers' institute of
Los Angeles County was organized in the old
Bath street schoolhouse, October 31, 1870. It
was held there because the school building on the
corner of Spring street and Second was con-
sidered too far out of town ; the business center of
the city being then on Los Angeles street between
Arcadia and Commercial. There were no hotels
south of First street. The officers of the in.stitute
were: W. M. McFadden, County superintendent;
J. M. Guinn, president; T. H. Rose, vice-presi-
dent; and P. C. Tonner, secretary. The entire
teaching force of the city schools consisted of eight
teachers; and from the county there were thirty,
a total of thirty-eight for city and county, and
the county then included all the area now in
Orange County. During the '60s, on account of
the sectional hatreds growing out of the Civil war,
the public .schools in Los Angeles were unpopular.
They were regarded as a Yankee institution and
were hated accordingly b)- the Confederate sym-
pathizers, who made up a majority of the city's
population. The public school teachers during
the Civil war and for some years afterwards were
required by law to take an oath to support the
constitution of the United States before they could
obtain a certificate. This jarred on the sen.sitive
feelings of some of the pro-slaver}' pedagogues,
and refusing to take the oath, they were com-

pelled to quit the profession. The Los Angeles
News of July 17, 1866, commenting on the public
school system of California, says: "In New Eng-
land the public schools educated the people up to
negro equality and the same object is sought to be
accomplished in this state; and unless parents and
guardians take matters promptly in hand their
children will be educated up to the New England
standard of social ideas and infidelity." * * *

The editor of the AVrf^ charges the State Board
of Education with "making regulations for the
government of the public schools and introducing
therein a .series of books that make these institu-
tions but little more than schools for dissemina-
tion of the doctrines of abolitionism." (Whittier's
Poems were among the books of this series. )

"Under one of these regulations, teachers are
required to have certificates of competency from
a state board of examiners, accessible only to the
purely loyal. Thus the representatives of New
England negro equality have been forced into the
public schools throughout the state to corrupt the
minds of the youth with their damnable doctrines
of social equality." With such teachings from
the public press it is not strange that the public
schools of the city were poorly patronized. In
the school year of 1865-66 the total number of
school census children between five and fifteen
years of age was 1,009. Of these 331 were en-
rolled in the public schools during the year, and
309 in the private schools; 369 were not enrolled
in an}' school. According to the News the total
average daily attendance in the six public schools
was 61; in the three private schools 103— nearly
50 per cent greater than that of the public
schools. Twenty-one negro children were en-
rolled in a separate school. The education of
these twenty-one little negroes was regarded as a
menace to the future ascendency of the white
race. Out of such mole hills does political
bigotry construct impassable mountains! In 1870
county superintendent McFadden in his report
said of the public schools of the city: "Los An-
geles is far behind her sister cities of the same
population and wealth in educational interest.
Her school buildings are illy constructed, incom-
modious, inconvenientl}' located and conducted
on a sort of guerrilla system" (no commanding
officer or head to them). ' 'Out of seventeen hun-
dred and eighty children between 5 and 15 years
of age, but twelve hundred have been enrolled in
either public or private schools, and the average
daily attendance in the public schools is only
three hundred and sixty." Probably no other
city of the United States outside of the former
slave states can show in the past thirty-five years
so remarkable a change of opinion in regard to
the public schools as can Los Angeles. That the

120

HiSTORICAlv AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

extracts from the Los Angeles Daily Neics pre-
viously given reflected the sentiment of a large
proportion of the city's population in regard to
the public schools is evidenced by the statistics of
school attendance. The enrollment in the public
schools in 1865 was only thirty-three per cent of
the census children, while the enrollment in the
private schools was thirty per cent. The aver-
age daily attendance of the private schools was
nearly fifty per cent, greater than that of the
public schools. In 1900, thirty-five years later,
the enrollment in the public schools exceeded
seventy percent of the number of census children,
while the enrollment in private schools had fallen
below seven per cent. The immigration from
the New England and northwestern states that
began to arrive about 1870 and still continues is
largely responsible for the change. About 1880
the separate school for negro children was
abolished and colored children were allowed to
attend the same school with the whites. The
following table gives the number of census chil-
dren, enrollment, average daily attendance and

number of teachers in the schools at different
periods from 1855, when the first report was
made, to 1900.

schildr

En roil II

. Daily

:S55

753

:865

1,009

:870

1,780

:88o

3.579

890

10,843

:895

20,679

899

26,962

900

30,354

360

1.343

6,841

181

;i,798

377

:4.i89

484

:5.i56

500

150

331
750

2,098

8,115
16,719
20,314

21,640

The school census age on which apportionments
of .school monies were made was between 4 and
18 years from 1855 to 1865. From 1865 to 1870
5 to 15 years and from 1870 to the present time
5 to 17 years. The last school census taken be-
fore the enlargement of the city by annexation
was in 1895. A portion of the increase since
then must be credited to the annexation of Ver-
non, Harmonj', University, Rosedale, Highland
Park and Garvanza districts.

CHAPTER XXV,

POSTAL SERVICE-POSTMASTERS AND POSTOFFICE SITES.

CyT MAY be a surprise to persons who are ac-
I customed to consider California as a compara-
I tively new country to learn that it had a
^ postal sj'stem and an efficient mail service
before the United States existed as a nation.
When the continental congress in 1775 made
Benjamin Franklin postmaster-general of the
united colonies, on the far away Pacific shores
soldier couriers were carrying their monthly bud-
gets of mail between Monterey, in Alta California,
and Loreto, near the .southern end of the penin-
sula of Lower California. Even that much-
abused privilege, the franking system, the per-
quisite of legislatorsand the plague of postmasters,
was in full force and effect in California years and
years before the lawmakers at Washington had
granted themselves immunity to stuff the mail
bags with garden seeds and patent oflnce reports.
Padre Junipero Serra, president of the Califor-

nia Missions in 1773, secured from the viceroy of
New Spain (Mexico), for the friars under his
charge, the privilege of sending their letters
through the mails free. The governors accused
the padres of abusing their privilege and then
there was trouble. In 1777 Governor Fages re-
fused to allow Serra's voluminous letters to be
forwarded free, and Serra, pleading poverty, told
the inspector-general to keep the letters if they
could not be sent without paying postage; but
the padres were triumphant in the end. The
government franked their letters.

At the beginning of Washington's administra-
tion, in 1789, the longest continuous mail route
in the United States was from Falmouth, in
Maine, to Savannah, Ga., a distance of about
1,000 miles. This was not a through service,
but was made up of a number of short lines or
carries. At the same time, across the continent

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

on the Pacific coast, the soldier mail carriers of
the Spanish king, starting from San Francisco on
the first day of each month, rode over a continu-
ous route of 1,500 miles to Loreto, in Lower Cali-
fornia, collecting, as they went southward, from
each mission, presidio and pueblo its little budget
of mail, and returning brought to the colonists of
Alta California their mail from Mexico, making in
all a round trip of 3,000 miles. When Franklin
was postmaster-general the schedule time from
Charleston, S. C, to Suffolk, Va., a distance of
433 miles, covered twenty-seven days — an average
of sixteen miles a day. In 1793 a mail courier
sent from Monterey, November 16, arrived at
Loreto December 6, a ride of 1,400 miles in
twenty days. There was a regular schedule of
the day and the hour of the courier's arrival and
departure at each mission and presidio. An
hour's stop was allowed the courier at each sta-
tion. The habilitados (paymasters) acted as
postmasters at the presidios, and received 8 per
cent, of the gross receipts for their compensation.
At the pueblos the alcalde, or some officer detailed
to act as administrador de correos (postmaster) ,
received and distributed the small packages of
mail. The compensation for his services was
small. It did not require much of a political pull
to get a postoffice in those days. It would be
interesting to know the amount of revenue de-
rived from the Los Angeles postoffice in 1799,
one hundred years ago. As there were not more
than half a dozen of the 200 inhabitants of the
pueblo that could read and write at that time, the
revenue of ' 'La casa 6 administracion de correos
la estafeta" (postoffice) was not large, and it is
probable that there were not many aspirants for
the position of postmaster of Los Angeles a cen-
tury ago. Under Mexican rule the increased
number of vessels plying between Mexican and
Californian ports did away to a certain extent
with the carrying of mail by land, still the old
route by the Camino del Rey (king's highway)
to Loreto and across the gulf by vessel to San
Bias was kept open. A shorter route by way of
Sonora and the Colorado River was used when
the Indians would allow it. I find in the old
pueblo archives an order from acting governor
Jimeno, dated August 24, 1839, authorizing the
prefect of Los Angeles to appoint three collectors
of duties, the revenues derived from such collec-
tions to be applied to the establishing of a month-
ly postal service to Lower California and thence
to Mexico.

News from the outside world traveled slowly
in those days. An American pioneer at Los An-
geles notes in his diary the receipt of the news of
President W. H. Harrison's death in 1841. It
took the news three months and twenty days to

reach California. A newspaper from the states a
year old was fresh and entertaining when Dana
was hide droghing at San Pedro in 1835.

After the American conquest of California the
military authorities established a regular service
between San Francisco and San Diego. Soldier
carriers, starting from each end of the route, met
half way, and, exchanging mail pouches, each
then returned to his starting point. It took a
fortnight for them to go and return. After the
.soldiers were discharged in the latter part of 1848,
a semi-monthly, or perhaps it might be more in
accordance with the facts to say a semi-occasional,
mail service was established between San Fran-
cisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. The mail
was carried by sailing vessels (there were no
steamers on the coast then). Wind and weather
permitting, a letter might reach its destination in
three or four days, but with the elements against
it, it might be delayed a fortnight. Masters and
supercargoes of vessels took charge of letters and
delivered them to the owners or agents of .some
shipping house at the port, and in some way the
letters reached their destination.

There was no stage line for conveying passen-
gers or mails from the embarcadero of San Pedro
to Los Angeles previous to 1851. Before that
time a caballada (band of horses) was kept in
pasture at the landing. When a vessel was
sighted in the offing the mustangs were rounded
up, driven into a corral, lassoed, saddled and
bridled, and were ready for the conveyance of
passengers to the city as soon as they came
ashore. As the horses were half-broken bron-
cos and the passengers were mostly newcomers
from the states, unused to the tricks of bucking
mustangs, the trip generally ended in the passen-
ger arriving in the city on foot, the broncho
having landed him at some point most convenient
to him — the broncho — not the passenger.

In 1849 Wilson & Packard, whose store was
on Main street where the Farmers' & Merchants'
Bank now stands, were the custodians of the let-
ters for Los Angeles. A tub stood on the end of
a counter. Into this the letters were dumped.
Anyone expecting a letter was at liberty to sort
over the contents of the tub and take away his
mail. The office, or rather the postoffice tub,
was conducted on an automatic free delivery sys-
tem. Col. John O. Wheeler, who had clerked
for the firm in 1849, bought out the business in
1 850 and continued the "Tale of a Tub," that is,
continued to receive the letters and other literary
contents of the mail bags and dump them into
the tub. There was no regularly established
postoffice, and, of course, no postmaster. An
officious postal agent of San Francisco found fault
with the tub postoffice and the free and easy de-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

livery system. The colonel, who had been ac-
commodating the public free of charge, told the
agent to take his postal matter elsewhere.

The first postoffice in California established
under American rule was that of San Francisco,
established November 9, 1848. The postoffice
at Los Angeles was established April 9, 1850;
J. Pugh was the first postmaster. The second
was W. T. B. Sanford, appointed November 6,
185 1. The third was Dr. William B. Osburn,
appointed October 12, 1853. James S. Waite
was appointed November i, 1855; J. D. Wood-
worth, May 19, 1858; Thomas J. White, May 9,
i860; William G. Still, June 8, 1861; Francisco
P. Ramirez, October 22, 1864; Russell Sackett,
May 5, 1865; George J. Clarke, June 25, 1866;
H. K. W. Bent, February 14, 1873; Col. Isaac
R. Dunkelberger, February 14, 1877; John W.
Green, February 14, 18S5. Green was succeeded
by E. A. Preuss, who was succeeded in turn by
Green. Green died in office and H. V. Van
Dusen completed the term. Gen. John R.
Mathews was appointed December 20, 1895.
The present postmaster, Lewis A. Groff, took
charge of the office March i, 1900.

Just where the postoffice was first located I
have not been able to ascertain. In 1852 it was
kept in an adobe building on Los Angeles street,
west side, between Commercial and Arcadia. In
1854 it was located in the Salazar Row on North
Main street, ju.st south of where the St. Elmo
Hotel now stands. In January, 1S55, it was
moved to Los Angeles street one door above
Commercial street. From there when James S.
Waite, publisher of the Weekly S/ar,\\as postmas-
ter it was moved to the Old Temple Block, which
stood where the north end of the Downey Block
now stands. Its next move was into an adobe
building that stood on the present site of the
Bullard Block and from there it was taken to the
old Lanfranco Block on Main street. In 1858 it
moved up Main street to a building just south of
the Pico House; then after a time it drifted down
town to North Spring street, a few doors below
Temple street. In 1861 it was kept in a frame
building on Main street opposite Commercial
street. In 1866 it again moved up Main .street to
a building opposite the Bella Union Hotel, now
the St. Charles. In 1867 or 1868 it was moved
to the northwest corner of North Main and Mar-
ket street and from there about 1870 it was moved
to the middle of Temple Block on North Spring
street. H. K. W. Bent moved the office to the
Union Block, now Jones Block, on the west side
of North Spring street. From there in 1879,
when Colonel Dunkelberger was postmaster, it
was moved to the Oxarat Block, on North Spring
street near First; here it remained eight years.

Its location on Spring gave an impetus to that
street that carried it ahead of Main. In Feb-
ruarj', 1887, the postoffice was moved to the
Hellmau Building, southwest corner of North
Main and Republic street; from there it was
moved down Broadway below Sixth street. It
made its last move in June, 1893, when it reached
its present location on the corner of South Main and
Winston street, whereafter more than forty years
of wandering through the wilderness of .streets, at
last it reached its Caanan — a home of its own.
The present building was completed in 1893, at a
cost, including the site, of $150,000. It w^as
found to be too small for the accommodation of the
Federal offices and postoffice. The recent ap-
propriation of $250,000 w^ill enlarge the building
to meet the demands of the cit}'. In early times
the duties of the postmasters werelightand their
compensation small. In the winter of 1852-53 no
mail was received at the Los Angeles office for
six weeks. In 1861, on account of the floods,
there was no mail for three weeks and some wag
labelled the office "To Let. ' ' The fixtures of the
office in those days were inexpensive and easily
moved. From Colonel Wheeler's wash tub the
Los Angeles postoffice gravitated to a soap box.
It seemed in early days to keep in the laundry
line. In 185455 and thereabouts the office was
kept in a little 7x9 room on Los Angeles street.
The letters were kept in a soap box partitioned off
into pigeon holes. The po.stmaster, at that time,
had a number of other occupations besides that
of handling mail. So when he was not attending
to his auction room, or looking after his nursery,
or superintending the schools, or acting as news
agent, or organizing his forces for a political
campaign, he attended to the postoffice, but at
such times as his other duties called him away
the office ran itself. If a citizen thought there
ought to be a letter for him he did not hunt up
the postmaster, but went to the office and looked
over the mail for himself.

Upon the arrival of a mail from the states in
early times there were no such scenes enacted at
the Los Angeles postoffice as took place at the
San Francisco office; where men stood in line for
hours and $50 .slugs were exchanged for places
in the line near the window. There were but
few Americans in Los Angeles in the fall of '49
and spring of '50 and most of these were old
timers long since over their homesickness. The
stage coach era of mail carrying continued later
in California than in any state east of the Mis-
sissippi; and it may be said that it reached its
greatest perfection in this state. The Butterfield
stage route was the longest continuous line ever
organized and the best managed. Its eastern
termini were St. Louis and Memphis; its western

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

[23

terminus San Francisco. Its length was 2,881
miles. It began operation in September, 1858,
and the first stage from the east carrying mail
reached Los Angeles October 7, 1858. The
schedule time at first between St. Louis and San
Francisco was twent5'-four days, afterwards it was
reduced to twenty-one days. The first service
was two mail coaches each way a week, for which
the government paid the stage company a subsidy
of $600, 000 a year. Later on the service was in-
creased to six stages a week each way and the
subsidy to $1,000,000 a year. This was in 1861,
when the line was transferred to the central
route. In 1859, when the government was pay-
ing a subsidy of $600,000 for a semi- weekly serv-
ice, the receipts for the postal revenue of this
route were only $27,000, leaving LTncle Sam over
half a million out of pocket.

The Butterfield route from San Francisco
southward was by the way of San Jos6, Gilroy,
Pacheco's Pass, Visalia and Fort Tejon to Los
Angeles, 462 miles. Eastward from Los Angeles it
ran by way of El Monte, Temeculaand Warner's
Ranch to Fort Yuma. From there by Tucson to
El Paso it followed very nearly what is now the
route of the Southern Pacific Railroad. From
El Paso it ran northward to St. Louis, branching
at Fort Smith for Memphis. Los Angeles was
proud of its overland stage. It got the eastern news
ahead of San Francisco, and its press put on
metropolitan airs. When the trip was first made
in twenty days the JVec/c/r S^ar rushed out an ex-
tra with flaunting headlines — ' 'Ahead of Time. ' '
"A Hundred Guns for the Overland Mail,"
"Twenty Days from St. Louis." After this fit-
ful flash of enterprise the sleepy old ciudad
lapsed into its poco tiempo waj's. The next issue
of the S/ar sorrowfully says: "The overland
mail arrived at midnight. There was no one in
the postoffice to receive it and it was carried on
to San Francisco;" to be returned six days later
with all the freshness gone and all the eastern
news in the San Francisco papers. There were
no overland telegraph lines then. Los Angeles
never had a mail service so prompt and reliable
as the Butterfield was. The Shir in lauding it
says: "The arrival of the overland mail is as
regular as the index on the clock points to the
hour, as true to time as the dial is to the sun."
After the Civil war began in 1861 the southern
route was abandoned. The Confederates got
away with the stock on the eastern end and the
Apaches destroyed the stations on the western
end. After the Butterfield stages were trans-
ferred to the Central Overland route via Salt
Lake City and Omaha, the Los Angeles mails
were carried from San Francisco by local stage
lines via the Coast route, but the service was often

very unsatisfactory. The completion of the
Southern Pacific Railroad from San Francisco to
Las Angeles in 1877 gave us quick and reliable
service.

It is impossible to obtain any reliable data of
the revenues of the Los Angeles postoflice in the
early years of its existence. In 1869 the post-
master and one boy clerk did the business of the
oflicein a small room in the Temple Block, North
Spring street. The salary of the postmaster was
$1,400 in greenbacks, worth at that time about
70 cents on the dollar, making his pay less than
$1,000 a year in gold. The relative rank of Los
Angeles in 1869 compared with some other cities
of California, which it has since passed in popu-
lation, is shown by the rate of salary of the post-
masters of these cities at that time. Los Angeles,
salary $1,400, Marysville $3, 100, Stockton $3,-
200, Sacramento $4,000. In 1887 the gross re-
ceipts of the Los Angeles office were in round
numbers $74,000; those of the Sacramento office
$47,000 and the salaries of the postmasters the
same.

From a pamphlet giving a review of the Los
Angeles postoffice in 1887, published by E. A.
Preuss, then postmaster, I extract the following
data: Number of clerks 27, carriers 21. There
were no branch offices or stations. The post-
master had petitioned the department to establish
a branch office in East Los Angeles and had
hopes that his petition might be granted. The
allowance for the salaries of 27 clerks January i,
1888, was $17,315; "making an average salary
for each clerk of $645 or less than $54 per
month." The total gross receipts of the office
for 1887 were $74,540.98. The total cash re-
ceived for money orders and postal notes,
$466,053.98, total ca.sh handled $1,838,048.35;
being an increase of $702,280.97 over the year
1886. Stamp sales exceeded $120,000 for the
year 1887. This was the year of the "boom,"
when the office handled the mail of over 200,000
transients. The office was then located on North
Main street, near Republic. Two long lines of
men and women every day extended from the
delivery windows up and down Main street wait-
ing their turn to get their mail.

From a report of Postmaster John R. Mathews
made when he retired from office, March i, 1900,
I take the following statistics: Total receipts of
the office for 1899 — $228,417.61; total salaries
paid$i32,5i3.69; number of clerks 41; carriers 62;
clerks at stations 1 2 ; railway postal clerks 46 ; total
161. An appropriation of $250, 000 for enlarging
the Federal Building was obtained by Hon. Ste-
phen M. White before the close of his term as
United States Senator. This is now available
and the enlarging of the building will sopn begin.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XXVI

EARTHQUAKES, FLOODS AND DROUGHTS.

CVF THIvRE is one characteristic of his state of
I which the true Califoriiiaii is prouder than
I another, it is its climate. With his tables of
^ temperature and records of cloudless days and
gentle sunshine, he is prepared to prove that
California has the most glorious climate in the
world. Should the rains descend and the floods
prevail, or should the heavens become as brass
and neither the former nor the latter rains fall,
these climatic extremes he excuses on the plea of
exceptional j'ears; or should the earthquake's
shock pale his cheeks and send him flying in
affright from his casa, when the temblor has
rolled by and his fright is over, he laughs to
scorn the idea that an earthquake in California
is anything to be afraid of, and draws invidious
comparisons between the harmless shake-ups of
this favored land and the c3'clones, the blizzards
and the thunderstorms of the east. The record
of earthquakes, floods and droughts in this chap-
ter may seem to the reader, as he peruses it, a
formal arraignment of our ' 'glorious climate, ' ' but
he must recollect that the events recorded are
spread over a period of 130 years, and he must
recall to mind, too, that the aggregate loss of
human life in all these years from all these cli-
matic tragedies is less than that inflicted b}- a
single cyclone in some of the northwestern states.

EARTHQUAKES.

That there are periods of seismic disturbance,
when earthquakes seem to be epidemic in a coun-
try, is evident. At the time of its first settlement
California was passing through one of these peri-
ods. Among the earliest recorded climatic phe-
nomena, noted by Portola's expedition, is the
frequent mention of earthquake shocks. Father
Crespi, in his diary of this expedition, says of
their camping place, July 23, 1769, "We called
this place El Dulcisimo Nonibre de Jesus de
Temblores,* because four times during the day
we had been roughly shaken up by earthquakes.
The first and heaviest trembling took place at

♦The sweetest i

d{ the Earthquakes.

about I o'clock and the last near 4 o'clock in the
afternoon. One of the gentiles who happened
to be in camp was no less scared than we, and
began to shout aloud, invoking mercy and turn-
ing towards all points of the compass." Again,
when the expedition encamped on the Porciun-
cula River, August 2, he says, "During the
evening and night we experienced three consecu-
tive earthquake shocks." When encamped on the
Santa Clara River a few days later, he notes the
occurrence of two more shocks.

Hugo Reid, in his letters descriptive of the
founding of San Gabriel Mission, says: "The
now San Gabriel River was named Rio de Los
Temblores, and the building was referred to as
the Mission de Los Temblores. These names
were given from the frequency of convulsions at
that time and for many years after. These con-
vulsions were not only monthly and weekly, but
often daily."

The stone church of the San Gabriel Mission
was, during the courseof its construction, several
times injured by earthquake shocks. In 1804
the arched roof had to be taken off and one of
wood and tiles substituted. The walls were
cracked by an earthquake and had to be repaired
several times; the original lower was taken down
and the present belfry substituted. There were
frequent convulsions in the northern districts at
San Francisco; in 1808 there were eighteen
shocks between June 21 and July 17, some of
them quite severe. The seismic disturbances
that had continued from 1769, culminated in a
series of severe shocks in 18 12, which year was
long known in California as "el ano de los tem-
blores," the year of the earthquakes. On Sun-
day, December 8 of that year, the neophytes of
San Juan Capistrano were gathered at morning
mass in their magnificent church, the finest in
California. At the second wave of the teiublor
the lofty tower fell with a crash on the vaulted
roof of masonry, and in a moment the whole mass
of stone and mortar came down on the congrega-
tion. The officiating minister escaped by the
door of the sacristy and six neophytes were saved,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD.

125

but the rest, forty in number, according to official
reports, were crushed to death, though the mis-
sion records show ' 'that 39 were buried in the
next two days and four more bodies later,"*
making the total killed 43. At Santa Inez Mis-
sion the church was thrown down, but there was
no loss of life. At Purisima Mission the earth
shook for four minutes. The church and nearly
all the adobe buildings were shaken down.

At Santa Barbara the buildings were damaged,
new springs of asphaltum opened; the so-called
volcano developed new openings and the people
fled from the town in terror. At San Gabriel it
overthrew the main altar,breaking theSt. Joseph,
St. Dominic, St. Francis and the Christ. It
shook down the steeple, cracked the sacristy
walls and injured the friars' house and other
buildings.f The temblors continued with great
frequency from December, 18 12, to the following
March. It was estimated that not less than three
hundred well defined shocks were experienced
throughout Southern California in the three
mouths following December 8. After that there
was a subsidence, and mother earth, or at least
that part of her where California is located, ceased
to tremble.

In 1855, 1856 and 1857 there was a recurrence
of seismic convulsions. July 11, 1855, at 8:15
P. M., was felt the most violent shock of earth-
quake since 1812. Nearly every house in Los
Angeles was more or less injured; walls were
badly cracked, the openings in some cases being
a foot wide. Goods were cast down from shelves
of stores and badly damaged. The water in the
city zanjas slopped over the banks and the ground
was seen to rise and fall in waves. On April 14
and May 2, 1856, severe .shocks were experienced,
occasioning considerable alarm. Slight shocks
were of frequent occurrence.

January 9, 1857, at 8:30 A. M., occurred one
of the most memorable earthquakes ever experi-
enced in the southern country. At Los Angeles
the vibrations lasted about two minutes, the mo-
tion being from north to south. It began with
gentle vibrations, but soon increased to such vio-
lence that the people rushed into the street
demoralized by terror. Women shrieked, chil-
dren cried and men ejaculated hastily framed
prayers of most ludicrous construction. Horses
and cattle fled wildly over the plains, screaming
and bellowing in affright. J It was most severe
in the neighborhood of Fort Tejon. Here a
chasm, from ten to twenty feet wide and extend-
ing from thirty to forty miles in a straight line
northwest to southeast, opened in the ground and

* Bancroft's History of California. Vol 11.
t Bancroft's Historj- of California, Vol. II
J J. Albert Wilson's History of Los Angeles County.

closed again with a crash, leaving a ridge of pul-
verized earth several feet high. Large trees
were broken off and cattle grazing upon the hill-
sides rolled down the declivity in helpless fright.
The barracks and officers' quarters, built of adobe,
were damaged to such an extent that the officers
and soldiers were obliged to live in tents for sev-
eral months until the buildings were repaired.
The great earthquake of 1868, which shook up
the region around the Bay of San Francisco, was
very light at Los Angeles.

The Owen's Valley earthquake that occurred
March 26, 1872, was, next to the great
"temblor" of 1812, the most destructive of life
of any that has visited California since its settle-
ment. The houses in the town of Lone Pine,
Inyo County, where the greatest loss of life oc-
curred, were built of loose stone and adobe, and
it was more owing to the faulty construction of
the buildings that so many were killed, than to the
severity of the shock, although it was quite
heavy. It happened at 25 minutes past 2 o'clock
in the morning, when all were in bed. Twenty-
six persons were killed in Lone Pine and two in
other places in the valley. Los Angeles 's\'as
pretty thoroughly shaken up at the time, but no
damage was done and no one was hurt. The
last seismic disturbance in Southern California
that caused damage was the San Jacinto earth-
quake, which occurred at 4:30 A. M. December
25, 1899. It damaged a number of buildings in
the business part of San Jacinto, a town near the
base of the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside
County. It shook down part of the walls of a
brick hotel in Hemet, three miles northwesterly
from San Jacinto. A brick chimney in the hotel
was turned entirely around. At the Saboda
Indian reservation, a few miles from San Jacinto,
six squaws were killed by the falling of an old
abode wall. They were sleeping in an old house.
When the shock came the walls fell inward,
crushing them to death. No other lives were
lost. Shocks continued at intervals for several
weeks. In the mountains southeasterly from San
Jacinto great crevices were discovered where the
earth had opened and in some places had gulped
down tall trees. Mount Tauquitz gave forth
suspicious rumblings as if about to break out
into a volcanic eruption, but subsided.

FLOODS.

The reports of the climatic conditions prevail-
ing in the early days of California are very
meagre. Although the state of the weather was
undoubtedly a topic of deep interest to the pastoral
people of California, yet neither the dons nor the
padres compiled meteorological tables or kept
records of atmospheric phenomena. With tbejr

126

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

cattle on a thousand hills and their flocks and
herds spread over the plains, to them an abund-
ant rain-fall meant prosperity, a dry season
starvation to their flocks and consequent poverty.
Occasionally we find in the archives that a pro-
cession was ordered or a nov(5na promised to some
certain saint if he would order a rain storm, but
there is no mention of praj'ers being offered to
cut short the pluvial downpour. Consequently
the old weather reports, such as they are, show
more droughts than floods, not that there were
more, but because people are more inclined to
bewail the evils that befall them than rejoice over
the good.

The only record of a flood that I have been
able to find during the last century is in Father
Serra's report of the overflow of the San Miguel
(San Gabriel) and the destruction of the first
crop sown at the old mission of San Gabriel in
the winter of 1771-72.

In 181011 there was a great flood and all of
the rivers of Southern California overflowed
their banks. In 18 15 occurred a flood that ma-
terially changed the course of the Los Angeles
River within the pueblo limits. The river aban-
doned its former channel and flowed west of the
suertes or planting field of the first settlers; its
new channel followed very nearly the present
line of Alameda street. The old fields which
were situated where Chinatown and the lumber
yards now are were washed away or covered
with sand, and new fields were located in what is
now the neighborhood of San Pedro street.

In 1825 it again left its bed and drifted to the
eastward, forming its present channel. The
memorable flood of that year efi"ected a great
change in the physical contour of the country
west of Los Angeles City. Col. J. J. Warner in
his "Historical Sketch of Los Angeles County,"
says: "In 1825 the rivers of this county were so
swollen that their beds, their banks and the ad-
joining lands were greatly changed. At the
date of the settlement of Los Angeles a large
portion of the country from the central part of
the pueblo to the tide water of the sea through
and over which the Los Angeles River now finds
its way to the ocean was largely covered with a
forest interspersed with tracts of marsh. From
that time until 1825 it was seldom, if in any year,
that the river discharged even during the rainj'
season its waters into the sea. Instead of having
a riverway to the sea, the waters .spread over the
country, filling the depressions in the surface
and forming lakes, ponds and marshes. The
river water, if any, that reached the ocean drained
off from the land at so many places, and in such
small volumes, that no channel existed until the
flood of 1825, which by cutting a riverway to tide

water drained the marsh land and caused the
forests to disappear." Colonel Warner says in
the sketch preceding: "The flood of 1832 so
changed the drainage in the neighborhood of
Compton and the northeastern portion of San
Pedro ranch that a number of lakes and ponds
covering a large area of the latter ranch lying
north and northwesterly from Wilmington which
to that date had been permanent became dry in
a few years thereafter." The drainage of these
ponds and lakes completed the destruction of the
forests that Colonel Warner says covered a large
portion of the country south and west of the
city. These forests were in all probability
thickets or copse of willow, larch and cotton-
wood similar to those found on the low ground
near the mouth of the Santa Ana and in the
swampy lands of the San Gabriel River thirty
years ago. In 1842 occurred another flood
similar to that of 1832.

In January, 1850, the Argonauts of '49 had
their first experience of a California flood. The
valley of the Sacramento was like an inland sea
and the city of Sacramento became a second
Venice. But instead of gondolas, the citizens
navigated the submerged streets in wagon boxes,
bakers' troughs and crockery crates; and in
rafts buoyed up by whiskey kegs. Whiskey in
hogsheads, whiskey in barrels and whiskey in
kegs floated on the angry waters, and the gay
gondolier as he paddled through the streets drew
inspiration for his song from the bung hole of
his gondola.

In the winter of 1852-53 followed another flood
that brought disaster to many a mining camp
and financial ruin to many an honest miner. A
warm rain melted the deep snows on the Sierras
and every mountain creek became a river and
every river a lake in size. The wing dams and
the coff'er dams that the miners had spent piles
of money and months of time constructing, were
swept away, and floated off toward China, fol-
lowed by the vigorous but ineffective damns of
the disappointed and ruined gold hunters. In
Southern California the flood was equally severe,
but there was less damage to property than in
the mining districts. There was an unprecedented
rain fall in the mountains. At old Fort Miller,
near the head of the San Joaquin River, an ag-
gregate of 46 inches of water fell during the
months of January and February.

The winter of 185960 was another season of
heavy storms in the mountains. On December
4, 1859, a terrific southeaster set in and in forty-
eight hours twelve inches of water fell. The
waters of the San Gabriel River rose to an un-
precedented height in the canon and swept away
the miners' sluices, long toms, wheels and other

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

mining machiiier}-. The rivers of the count)'
overflowed the lowlands and large tracts of the
bottom lands were covered with sand and sedi-
ment. The preceding season had been a drj'
year; the starving cattle and sheep unsheltered
from the pitiless rain, chilled through, died by
the thousands during the storm.

The great flood of 1861-62 was the Noahian
deluge of California floods. The season's rain-
fall footed up nearly 50 inches. The valley of
the Sacramento was a vast inland .sea and the
city of Sacramento was submerged and almost
ruined. Relief boats, on their errands of mercy,
leaving the channels of the rivers, sailed over
inundated ranches, past floating houses and
wrecks of barns, through vast flotsams made up
of farm products, farming implements and the
carcasses of horses, sheep and cattle, all drifting
out I0 .sea. In our county, on account of the
smaller area of the valleys, there was but little
loss of property. The rivers spread over the
lowlands, but stock found safety from the flood
on the hills. The Santa Ana River for a time
rivaled the "Father of Waters" in magnitude.
In the town of Anaheim, four miles from the
river, the water ran four feet deep and spread in
au unbroken sheet to the Coyote hills, three miles
beyond. The Arroyo Seco, swollen to a mighty
river, brought down from the mountains and
canons great rafts of driftwood, which were scat-
tered over the plains below the city and furnished
fuel to the poor people of the city for several
years. It began raining on December 24, 1861,
and continued for thirty days with but two
slight interruptions. The Sfar published the
following local: "A phenomenon — On Tuesday
last the sun made its appearance. The phenom-
enon lasted several minutes and was witnessed by
a great number of persons."

The flood of 1867-68 left a lasting impress on
the physical contour of the county bj' the crea-
tion of a new river, or rather an additional chan-
nel for the San Gabriel River. Several thou-
sand acres of valuable land were washed away
by the San Gabriel cutting a new channel to the
sea, but the damage was more than offset by the
increased facilities for irrigation afforded by hav-
ing two rivers instead of one.

The flood of 1S84 caused considerable damage
to the lower portions of the city. It swept away
about fifty houses and washed away portions of
several orchards and vineyards. One life was
lost, that of a milkman who attempted to cross
the Arroyo Seco. The flood of 1S86 was similar
to that of 1SS4, the same portion of the city was
flooded, that between Alameda street and the
river, several houses were washed away and two
lives lost. Both of these floods occurred in Feb-

ruary. During the flood of 1889 90, the Los
Angeles River cut a new channel for itself across
the Laguna Rancho, emptying its waters into the
San Gabriel several miles above its former out-
let. The flood of February 22, 1891, was oc-
casioned by a mountain storm that expended its
fury among the higher ranges at the head of
the San Gabriel. That river was the only one
that was greatly enlarged. A family of three
perons was drowned near Azusa by the over-
flow of the San Gabriel.

DROUGHTS.

After the deluge, what ? Usually a drought,
but no weather prophet has been able so far to
predict in what order floods and droughts may
come. The first record of a dry year that I find
was that of 1795. The crops were reduced more
than one half and people of the pueblo had to get
along on short rations. In 1800 and again in
1803 there was a short rainfall. Beginning in
1807 and continuing through 180S and 1809 there
was a severe drought. The ranges were over-
stocked and a slaughter of horses was ordered.
At San Jose in 1807, 7,500 horses were killed.
In iSoS 7,200 had been slaughtered at Santa
Barbara to relieve the overstocked ranches and
carry through the cattle. There was no sale for
horses, .so they had to perish that the cattle
which were valuable for their hides and tallow
might live. In the neighborhood of Santa Bar-
bara a great number of horses were killed by
being forced over a precipice into the ocean. In
1822-23 there was a severe drought; Governor
Argiiello ordered a nov(5na of prayers to San
Antonio de Padua for rain, but the saint seems
not to have been clerk of the weather that year.

The great flood of 1825 was followed by a
terrible drought in 1827-28-29. During the pre-
ceding years of abundant rainfall and consequent
luxuriant pasturage, the cattle ranges had be-
come overstocked. When the drought set in the
cattle died by the thousands on the plains and
ship loads of their hides were shipped away in
the "hide droghers." There was another great
drought in 1844 45 with the usual accompani-
ment of starving hor.'-es and cattle.

The great floods of 1859 60 and 1861-62 were
followed by the famine years of 1862-63 and
1863-64. The rainfall at Los Angeles for the
season of 1862 63 did not exceed four inches and
that for 1S63-64 amounted to little more than a
trace. A few showers fell in November, 1863,
but not enough to start vegetation; no more fell
until late in March, but these did no good.
The dry feed on the ranges was exhausted and
cattle were slowly dying of starvation. Herds
of gaunt skeleton-like forms nioved slowly over

[28

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the plains in search of food. Here and there,
singl}' or in small groups, poor brutes too weak
to move on stood motionless with drooping heads
slowlj' dying of starvation. It was a pitiful
sight. In the long stretch of arid plain between
the San Gabriel and Santa Ana Rivers there was
one oasis of luxuriant green. It was the vine-
yards of the Anaheim Colonists kept green by
irrigation. The colony lands were surrounded
by a close willow hedge and the streets closed
by gates. The starving cattle and horses, frenzied
by the sight of something green, would gather
around the inclosure and make desperate attempts
to break through. A mounted guard patrolled
the outside of the barricade day and night to
protect the vineyards from incursions by the
starving herds. The loss of cattle was fearful.
The plains were strewn with their carcasses. In
marshy places and around the cienegas, where
there was a vestige of green, the ground was
covered with their skeletons; and the traveler for
years afterward was often startled by coming
suddenly on a veritable Golgotha— a place of
skulls— the long horns standing out in defiant
attitude as if defending the fleshless bones. It
was estimated that 30,000 head of cattle died on

the Stearns Ranchos alone. The great drought
of 1863-64 put au end to cattle raising as a dis-
tinctive industry in Southern California. The
dry year of 1876-77 almost destroyed the sheep-
raising industry in Southern California. The
old time sheep ranges had been greatly reduced
by the subdivision of the large ranchos and the
utilization of the land for cultivation. When the
feed was exhausted on the ranges many of the
owiiersof sheep undertook to drive them to Utah, to
Arizona or to New Mexico, but they left most of
their flocks on the desert — dead from starvation
and e.xhaustion. The rainfall for the dry season
of 1897-98 and that of 1898-99 and 1899-1900
has been even less than that of some of the
memorable famine years of the olden time.
There has been but little loss of .stock for want of
feed and very little suffering of any kind due to
these dry years. The change from cattle and
sheep raising to fruit growing, the subdivision
of the large ranchos into small farms, the in-
creased water supply by tunneling in the moun-
tains and by the boring of artesian wells and the
economical use of water in irrigation, have robbed
the dreaded dry year of its old-time terrors.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI. RECORD.

t29

The following Meteorological Data compiled by the U. S. Weather Bureau for the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce will be found valuable for reference. I am indebted to Mr. Frank Wiggins,
the efficient Secretary of that body, for a copy of the circular brought up to September 1, 1900.

TOTAL RAINFALL AT LOS ANGELES, CAL., BY SEASONS FROM
WEATHER BUREAU RECORDS.

September

1877,
1878,
1879,

September 1,

1891, to

1892, to

1893, to

1894, to

' 1,

1895, to

1896, to

1897, to

1898, to

1899, to

' 1,

1, 1881 13

1, 1882 10

1, 1883 12

1, 1884 38

1, 1885 9

1, 1886 22

1, 1887 13

1, 1888 13

1, 1889 19

1, 1890 34

1 , 1891 13

1893.

1897.
1898.

1900.

The following table shows the actual and possible number of hours of sunshine and percentages
for each month at Los Angeles, Cal., from October, 1896, to December, 1899, inclusive. The record
is derived from the Weather Bureau Photographic Sunshine Recorder, which forms a portion of the
Standard Equipment of Instruments at the Los Angeles Station.

Yrs.

_Q-

-B,

>•

Monthly

Average.

1896

271

226

222

Total number of hours ,

1897

209

198

261

314

216

327

332

344

291

246

274

262

.... 273 ....

of actual sunshine

1898

205

216

290

292

278

294

365

354

303

294

287

226

284

1899

238

260

240

289

287

289

370

324

289

258

214

273

1896

351

312

308

Total number of hours

1897

316

307

372

392

433

432

440

416

372

351

312

308

.... 371 ....

of possible sunshine. . .

1898

316

307

372

392

433

432

440

416

372

351

312

308

371

1899

316

307

372

392

433

432

440

416

372

351

312

308

.... 371 ....

Percentage of sunshine \-

1896

1897

189S

66
65

(15
70

70
78

SO
74

50
64

76
68

75
83

83
85

78
81

70
84

85
73

74
76

1899

I30

BUS".

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a- r^ ^- ^. '^

s 5-; 3 z.

S ;!. ^ 5: w

O rj » ft S;

a. 2. o !? ^
S 2. 3" ii. ^'

1 iiliilllliiilippippiis

Yea

:! 1 ;-2£33^3!£2»3::;i'gt;ri3Js:j;:2Si;s 1 Max.

■Jb^

^1 ?faTii?;ip;^;iirrr?2t1rJ?iisi?iiiJS3 1 Min.

-' ,-' V ---;-,;: i' .-;,----:-,■;...-':::.'.■ -: 1 Mean

-, - ^ '-".',: \ Rainfall

->™

:J .-,.,-, .._..;- ji- 1 Max.

1
§
•5

. ■.- -- -V--: - . =- ,,-:^£si IMin.

s E
3 -1

- , - _- ; ^ . _, -■:, - -iiJgS IMean

' ^-': ':,.-:^-:! 1 Rainfall

, _ ,..,_. . , ,.^, v; y ■:'-' ;i:^33! i Ma^.

►J

? '»

-/ ;; V V -: 7 ;;i; ;^- - - - =;ir ;i- '^;i 4feS 1 Min.

-" ?

31 ygSSg^^SSiayS-fi^^SSlSSS; l Mean

tolw tcww ooto =»w ,o Eioioi--- N Rainfall

■ s

/, -::^i,-,i;ii-i/;gS?S2£SSB IMax.

r --;---:; -;:3i^?.fegSS*fefe 1 win-

^Us^,>--: T.-'^^gk^Ssi^S h^'"f^'

sN^^^: '^ ;-'..:.^^3?3S2SSS3S 1 '"'''-

3Tll'?;n- - ::.;:.:- ^^-fi^sss i Mean

sisa--.-..--- -.,-£2^s5 1-'"^^"

isl £§gSSS^s5i:' - - ; „ V',T:^l2 Jm*"^-

3ISa^S?35r^i?iv;.,v:^i^.5>5^ IMean

S 1 S^'^^S^SSSSS^EH^SS^aSSS 1 ^-"f^"

3 1 825'S35SSg-fi3SSS??-f f S2?;£SS 1 '^^''•

SI 3^a£2;2?S£3SS2Vr:r:r:--r:r:r:?|Min.

:;i33S:i33S5^3aar::: v ■;- . ':' Mean

°ls5^B''^i:s^ = ;5?L;'^ - -jl^^^'-f^"

.U........ ..:/--: : ...iMax.

1
1

J 1 S-V'l: --'L'y -',-':'-'■-' -'.-'■'^''ll-'r'li- 1 Mean"

sls"gs"2g2?8.SS^""88"^g"8l->"'^"

sl ^S3^S35lslr5522is = ISH = l3l^^--

'^ 1 ^7r--'T-T^. iJr' ' -7^ - 7- -'-n i'l'i t Min.

-J ---J - - :-■■;■' -.:.:•,■ ■ '-J.: Mean

_ -•. ^ -.".-, ^ - - - - - - ; ! Rainfall

,!.,.._ ...^ ,; .,h-.

^!o|

^ 1 ^■--. ^ - - - : - : £: 1 Mean

^ ■ , - ^ . - _ ._■, Rainfall

i 1 !-,■■-,-'.-■. ^,' -;'.■;, -^-^ ■ -'- -^ 1 Max.

I Min.
1 Mean

1 Rainfall

J? 1 S£ - ~ ■ - - , , . - r "-: 1 Min.

g| gii_ -_,_:. ., .. -i ; . ;!;; 1 Mean

3
1

%. 1 S5g'^S33^SSS83^S2S'SSSSaS 1 '^'"'''^"

Total R

ch
iths

all
12

0"5^

o >^

dp
fn I-' >

WJ CO H

^1 a"

|Ti-^ fT
p o S!!l

1 z

II r

S O =r.

> 5

a
m

lENT

ATHER

•r

l§

= ^

t-'

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XXVIL

CRIME, CRIMINALS AND VIGILANCE COMMITTEES.

gRIME and its punishment is not a congenial
theme to me and I would willingly pass it
by; but a truthful story of the life of our
locality must recount the bad as well as the
good.

In its earliers years, Los Angeles was noted
for turbulence and disorder. This was largely
due, no doubt, to the free use of wine and
aguardiente — home products for which the
inhabitants found a home market. There were,
however, but few capital crimes committed
among its white inhabitants during the Spanish
and Mexican eras of its history. The Indians,
after the fall of the missions, flocked to the city
and became the pariahs of its social system.
These, maddened by the vile intoxicants sold
them, often, in their drunken orgies, fought
among themselves and killed one another; but
an Indian less was counted a small loss. "From
1819 to 1846, that is, during the entire period of
Mexican domination under the Republic," says
Bancroft, "there were but six murders among the
whites in all California." There were no lynch-
ings, no mobs unless some of the revolutionary up-
risings might be called such, and but one vigilance
committee.

San Francisco is credited with the origin of
that form of popular tribunal known as the
vigilance committee. The name "vigilance com-
mittee" originated with the uprising in 1851, of
the people of that city, against the criminal ele-
ment; but years before there was a city of San
Francisco, Los Angeles had originated a tribunal
of the people, had taken criminals from the law-
fully constituted authorities and had tried and
executed them.

The causes which called into existence the
first vigilance committee in California were
similar to those that created the later ones —
namely, laxity in the administration of the laws
and distrust in the integrity of those chosen to
administer them. During the "Decade of Rev-
olutions," that is between 1830 and 1840, the

frequent change of rulers and the struggles of
different factions for power engendered in the
masses a disregard, not only for their rulers, but
for law and order as well. Criminals escaped
punishment through the law's delays. No court
in California had power to pass sentence of death
on a civilian until its findings had been approved
by the Superior Tribunal of Mexico. In the
slow and tedious processes of the different courts,
a criminal stood a good show of dying of old age
before his case reached final adjudication. The
first committee of vigilance in California was
organized at Los Angeles in the house of Juan
Temple, April 7, 1836. It was called "Junta
Denfensora de La Seguridad Publica," United
Defenders of the Public Security (or safety.) Its
motto, which appears in the heading of its
"acta" and is there credited as a quotation from
Montesquieu's Exposition of the Laws, Book 26,
Chapter23, was, "Saluspopuli suprema lex est,"
(The safety of the people is the supreme law).
There is a marked similaritj- between the pro-
ceedings of the Junta Defensora of 1836 and the
San Francisco vigilance committee of 1856; it is
not probable, however, that any of the actors in
the latter committee participated in the former.
Although there is quite a full account of the
proceedings of the Junta Defensora in the city
archives, no historian heretofore except Ban-
croft seems to have found it. The accounts pub-
lished heretofore in our local histories are inac-
curate.

The circumstances which brought about the
organization of the Junta Defensora are as fol-
lows: The wife of Domingo Feliz (part owner
of the Los Feliz Rancho), who bore the political
name of Maria del Rosario Villa, became in-
fatuated with a handsome but disreputable So-
noran vaqriero, Gervacio Alispaz by name. She
abandoned her husband and lived with Alis
paz as his mistress at San Gabriel. Feliz sought
to reclaim his erring wife, but was met by in-
sults and abuse from her paramour, whom he

132

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

once wounded in a personal altercation. Feliz
finally invoked the aid of the authorities. The
woman was arrested and brought to town. A
reconciliation was effected between the husband
and wife. Two days later they left town for the
rancho, both riding one horse. On the way they
were met by Alispaz and in a personal encounter
Feliz was stabbed to death by the wife's para-
mour. The body was dragged into a ravine and
covered with brush and leaves. Next day, March
29, the body was found and brought to the city.
The murderer and the woman were arrested and
imprisoned. The people were filled with horror
and indignation and there were threats of sum-
mary vengeance, but better counsel prevailed.

On the 30th the funeral of Feliz took place,
and like that of James King of William, twenty
years later, was the occasion for the renewal of
the outcry for vengeance. The attitude of the
people became so threatening that on the ist of
April an extraordinary session of the ayun-
tamiento was held. A call was made upon the
citizens to form an organization to preserve the
peace. A considerable number responded and
were formed into military patrols under the com-
mand of Don Juan B. Leandry. The illustrious
ayuntaraiento resolved "that whomsoever shall
disturb the public tranquillity shall be punished
according to law." The excitement apparently
died out, but it was only the calm that precedes
the storm. The beginning of the Easter cere-
monies was at hand and it was deemed a sacrilege
to execute the assassin in holy week, so all
further attempts at punishment were deferred
until April 7 — the Monday after Easter, when at
dawn, by previous understanding, a number of
the better class of citizens met at the house of
Juan Temple, which stood on the present site of
the Downey Block.

An organization was effected. Victor Prudon,
a native of Breton, France, but a naturalized
citizen of California, was elected president; Man-
uel Arzaga, a native of California, was elected
secretary, and Francisco Araujo, a retired army
officer, was placed in command of the armed
force. Speeches were made by Prudon, and by
the military commandant and others, setting forth
the necessity of their organization and justifying
their actions. It was unanimously decided that
both the man and woman should be shot; their
guilt being evident no trial was deemed neces-
sary.

An address to the authorities and the people
was formulated. A copy of this is preserved in
our city archives. It abounds in metaphors. It
is too long for insertion here. I make a few ex-
tracts: * * * "Believing that immorality has
reached such an extreme that public .security is

menaced and will be lost if the dike of a solemn
example is not opposed to the torrent of atrocious
perfidy, we demand of you that you execute or
deliver to us for immediate execution the assassin,
Gervacio Alispaz, and the unfaithful Maria del
Rosario Villa, his accomplice. -■= * * Nature
trembles at sight of these venomous reptiles and
the soil turns barren in its refusal to support
their detestable existence. Let the infernal pair
perish ! It is the will of the people. We will not
lay down our arms until our petition is granted
and the murderers are executed. The proof of
their guilt is so clear that justice needs no inves-
tigation. Public vengeance demands an example
and it must be given. The blood of the Alvarez,
of the Patiiios, of the Jenkins, is not yet cold —
they, too, being the unfortunate victims of the
brutal passions of their murderers. Their bloody
ghosts shriek for vengeance. Their terrible
voices re-echo from their graves. The afflicted
widow, the forsaken orphan, the aged father, the
brother in mourning, the inconsolable mother,
the public — all demand speedy punishment of the
guilty. We swear that outraged justice shall be
avenged to-day or we shall die in the attempt.
The blood of the murderers shall be shed today
or ours will to the last drop. It will be pub-
lished throughout the world that judges in Los
Angeles tolerate murderers but that there are
virtuous citizens who sacrifice their lives in order
to preserve those of their countrymen."

"A committee will deliver to the First Consti-
tutional Alcalde a copy of these resolutions, that
he may decide whatever he finds most conven-
ient, and one hour's time will be given him in
which to do so. If in that time no answer has
been received, then the judge will be responsible
before God and man for what will follow. Death
to the murderers!

"God and liberty. Angeles, April 7, 1836."

Fifty-five signatures are attached to this docu-
ment— fourteen of these are those of naturalized
foreigners and the remainder those of native Cal-
ifornians. The junta was made up of the best
citizens, native and foreign. An extraordinary
session of the ayuntamiento was called. The
members of the junta, fully armed, marched to
the city hall to await the decision of the authori-
ties. The petition was discussed in the council,
and in the language of the archives: "This
Illustrious Body decided to call said Breton
Prudon to appear before it and to compel him
to retire with the armed citizens so that this Illus-
trious Body may deliberate at liberty."

"This was done, but he declined to appear be-
fore this body, as he and the armed citizens were
determined to obtain Gervacio Alispaz and Maria
del Rosario \'illa. The ayuntamiento decided

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

[33

that as it had not sufiScient force to compel the
armed citizens to disband, they being in large
numbers and composed of the best and most re-
spectable men of the town, to send an answer say-
ing that the judges could not accede to the
demand of the armed citizens."

The members of the Junta Defensora then
marched in a body to the jail and demanded the
keys of the guard. These were refu.sed. The
keys were secured by force and Gervacio Alispaz
taken out and shot. The following demand was
then sent to the first alcalde, Manuel Requena:

"It is absolutely necessary that you deliver to
this junta the key of the apartment where Maria
del Rosario Villa is kept.
"God and liberty.

Victor Prudon, Pres.
Manuel Arzaga, Sec."
To this the alcalde replied: "Maria del Ro-
sario Villa is incarcerated at a private dwelling,
whose owner has the key, with instructions not to
deliver the same to any one. The prisoner is
left there at the disposition of the law only.
' 'God and liberty.

Manuel Requena, Alcalde."
The key was obtained. The wretched Maria
was taken to the place of execution on a carr^ta
and shot. The bodies of the guilty pair were
brought back to the jail and the following com-
munication sent to the alcalde:
"Junta of the Defenders of Public Safety.

"To the 1st Constitutional Alcalde: —
"The dead bodies of Gervacio Alispaz and
Maria del Rosario Villa are at your disposal. We
also forward you the jail keys that you may de-
liver them to whomsoever is on guard. In case
you are in need of men to serve as guards we are
all at your disposal.

"God and liberty. Angeles, April 7, 1836.
Victor Prudon, Pres.
Manuel Arzaga, Sec."
A few days later the Junta Defensora de La
Seguridad Publica disbanded; and so ended the
only instance in the seventy- five years of Spanish
and Mexican rule in California, of the people, by
popular tribunal, taking the admini.stration of
justice out of the hands of the legally constituted
authorities.

I am inclined to think that Bancroft in his
"Popular Tribunals" (Vol. I) underestimates
the number of murders in California among the
whites during the Mexican era. These he esti-
mates at six in the entire territory between 18 19
and 1846. Prudon, in his vigilante address to
the authorities, it will be noticed, enumerates
four committed in Los Angeles, those of Feliz,
Alvarez, Patinos and Jenkins, all occurring in or
previous to 1836. Nicholas Fink, a German,

who kept a shop on the Calle deLos Negros, was
murdered in 1841 and his store robbed. The
murderers, Ascenciou Valencia, Santiago Li-
nares and ]os6 Duarte, were arrested, tried and
found guilty by the local authorities and sen-
tenced by the governor to be shot. The sentence
was executed by a file of soldiers from Santa Bar-
bara, the citizens standing guard to preserve
order.

The murder of Fink made the fifth occurring
in Los Angeles during the decade preceding the
American conquest, and, if Bancroft is correct,
would leave but one committed in the territory
outside of Los Angeles.

This city may or may not have had a monopoly
of the wickedness of the territory under Mexican
rule, but in the decade following its American
occupation, to paraphrase one of Prudon's meta-
phors, "the dike of legal restraint was swept
away by a torrent of atrocious infamy." The
discovery of gold allured to California the law-
defying as well as the law-abiding of many coun-
tries. They came from Europe, from South
America and from Mexico. From far Australia
and Tasmania came the ex-convict and the
"ticket-of-leave man," and from Asia came the
"heathen Chinee."

These conglomerate elements of society found
the Land of Gold practically without law, and
the vicious among them were not long in mak-
ing it a land without order. With that inherent
trait which makes the Anglo-vSaxon wherever he
may be an organizer, the American element of
the gold seekers soon adjusted a form of govern-
ment to suit the exigencies of the land and the
people. There may have been too much lynch-
ing, too much vigilance committee in it and too
little respect for lawfully constituted authorities,
but it was effective and was suited to the social
conditions existing.

The strangest metamorphoses took place in the
character of the lower classes of the native Cali-
fornians after the conquest. (The better classes
were not changed in character by the changed con-
ditions of the country, but throughout were true
gentlemen and most worthy and honorable citi-
zens.) Before the conquest by the Americans
they were a peaceful and contented people.
There were no organized bands of outlaws among
them. Life and property were safe. After the
discovery of gold the evolution of a banditti be-
gan and they produced .some of the boldest robbers
and most daring highwaymen the world has seen.

The injustice of their conquerors had much to
do with producing this change. The Americans
not only took possession of their country and its
government, but in many cases they despoiled
them of their ancestral acres and their personal

'34

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

propertj\ Injustice rankles; and it is not strange
that the more lawless among the native popula-
tion sought revenge and retaliation. They were
often treated by the rougher American element as
aliens and intruders who had no right in the land
of their birth. Such treatment embittered them
more than loss of property. There were tliose,
however, among the natives, who, once entered
upon a career of crime, found robbery and mur-
der congenial occupations. The plea of injustice
was no extenuation for their crimes.

Los Angeles was far removed from the northern
gold fields, but still it felt their influence. The
immigration to the mines from Northern Mexico
flowed into it and the overland tide of southwest-
ern gold seekers swept through it. These streams
left a debris that was a disturbing element in the
current of its civic life.

When the vigilance committees, between 185 1
and 1856 drove disreputable characters from San
Francisco and the northern mines, many of them
drifted southward and found a lodgment for a
time in our city . Los Angeles was not far from the
Mexican line, and anyone who desired to escape
from justice, fleet mounted, could speedily put
himself beyond the reach of his pursuers. All
these causes and influences combined to produce
that saturnalia of crime that disgraced our city in
the early '50s.

Under Spanish and Mexican rule the policing
of Los Angeles was done by a military guard
stationed at the cuartel, or guard-house, which
stood on the north side of what is now West
Marchessault street, and extending across the
present line of upper Main street. It was pulled
down in 1849, when that street was opened into
Royal street, one of the original streets of the
pueblo.

After the American occupation in 1848, when
the military force was removed, the constabulary
force consisted of the city marshal, who was
elected by the people. In 185 1 the criminal ele-
ment had gotten beyond the control of the city
marshal and his deputies. At a meeting of the
city council, July 12, 1851, Councilman John O.
Wheeler offered a resolution looking to the organ-
ization of the police force. An ordinance was
passed to that effect. Dr. A. W. Hope volun-
teered his services and was appointed Chief of
Police. The force was to be composed of citizens
who may voluntarily enter the same. The Chief
was to receive his orders from the Mayor.

At the meeting of the council, July 18, 1851,
the Chief asked that some distinguishing mark or
badge might be designated for the police force.
On motion of John O. Wheeler it was decided
that the badge should be a white ribbon, with the
following inscription on it in English and Span-

ish: "City Police — organized by the Common
Council of Los Angeles, July 12, 1851. Policia
Organizada por el Councilio Common de Los
Angeles, 12 de Julio 1851." The "Estrella"
( T/ic Slar) job ofiice printed one hundred of these
badges at an expense of $25, which, by the way,
was the first printing bill the city ever paid. This
police force was a sort of vigilance committee or-
ganized under the auspices of the law. If it be-
came necessary it could execute a criminal first
and try him afterward. A recital of all the exe-
cutions bj' law, by mobs and vigilance commit-
tees that took place in Los Angeles in the '50s
and early '60s would be tedious and unprofitable.
I shall uote only a few of the most noted cases.

In July, 1852, two young men, McCoy and
Ludwig, came from San Francisco to San Diego
with the intention of purchasing cattle for the
northern market. Proceeding to Los Angeles on
horseback they were overtaken by two native
Californians, named Doroteo Zavaleta and Jesus
Rivas. The parties encamped on the banks of
the San Gabriel. The Mexicans during the night
treacherously murdered both men, took their
saddles, horses, pistols and $300 in money, and
fled to Santa Barbara. Some time afterwards
Zavaleta, Rivas and a companion named Car-
millo, were arrested for horse stealing. Rivas
had confided to Carmillo the story of the murder
of the Americans. Carmillo informed the au-
thorities with the hopes of escaping punishment.
All three were brought to Los Angeles and tried
by a committee of the people. Zavaleta finally
confessed to the murder and conducted a party
of citizens to where the bodies were concealed.
Rivas also confessed. They were condemned to
be hanged, and at 8 o'clock next morning were
taken to the top of Fort Hill, where a gallows
had been erected, and there executed.

Gen. J. H. Bean, a prominent citizen of South-
ern California, while returning to Los Angeles
from his place of business at San Gabriel late one
evening in November, 1852, was attacked by two
men who had been lying in wait for him. One
seized the bridle of his horse and jerked the ani-
mal back on its haunches; the other seized the
General and pulled him from the saddle. Bean
made a desperate resistance, but was overpowered
and stabbed to death. The assassination of Gen-
eral Bean aroused the vigilance committee to
renewed efforts to rid the country of desperadoes.
A number of arrests were made. Five suspects
were tried by the committee for various crimes.
One. Cipiano Sandoval, a poor cobbler of San
Gabriel, was charged with complicity in the mur-
der of General Bean. He strenuously maintained
that he was innocent. He, with the other four,
was sentenced to be hanged. On the following

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI. RECORD.

135

Sunday iiioruing the doomed men were conducted
to the top of Fort Hill, where the gallows stood.
Sandoval made a brief speech, again declaring
his innocence. The others awaited their doom
in silence. The trap fell and all were launched
into eternity. Years afterward one of the real
murderers on his deathbed revealed the truth and
confessed his part in the crime. The poor cob-
bler was innocent.

In 1854 drunkenness, gambling, murder and
all forms of immorality and crime were rampant
in Los Angeles. The violent deaths, it is said,
averaged one for every day in the year. It was
a common question at the brtakfast table, "Well,
how many were killed last night?" Little or no
attention was paid to the killing of an Indian or
a half breed; it was only when & goitc de mzoii
was the victim that the community was aroused
to action.

On the evening of November 4, 1854, a Mexi-
can rode up to the door of Mr. Cassin, a merchant
of Los Angeles, and deliberately fired into the
house. The ball struck Mrs. Cassin in the left
breast, inflicting a mortal wound. The murderer
was pursued to the outskirts of the city and shot
to death. Mrs. Cassin died the next day.

The Kern River gold rush, in the winter of
1854-55, brought from the Northern mines fresh
relays of gamblers and desperadoes and crime
increased. The Southern California?!, of March
7, 1855, commenting on the general lawlessness
prevailing, says: "Last Sunday night was a brisk
night for killing. Four men were shot and killed
and several wounded in shooting affrays. ' '

A worthless fellow by the name of David
Brown, who had without provocation killed a
companion named Clifford, was tried and sen-
tenced to be hanged with one Felipe Alvitre, a
Mexican, who had murdered an American named
Ellington, at El Monte. There was a feeling
among the people that Brown, through quibbles
of law, would escape the death penalty ; and there
was talk of lynching. Stephen C. Foster, the
mayor, promised that if justice was not legally
meted out to Brown by the law, then he would
resign his office and head the lynching party.
On January 10, 1855, an order was received from
Judge Murray, of the Supreme Court, staying the
execution of Brown, but leaving Alvitre to his
fate. On January 12, Alvitre was hanged by the
sheriff in the jail yard in the presence of an im-
mense crowd. The gallows were taken down and
the guards dismissed. The crowd gathered out-
side of the jail yard. Speeches were made. The
mayor resigned his office and headed the mob.
The doors of the jail were broken down; Brown
was taken across Spring street to a large gateway
opening into a corral and hanged from the cross

beam. Foster was re-elected Ijy an almost unani-
mous vote at a special election. The citj' mar-
shal, who had opposed the action of the vigi-
lantes, was compelled to resign.

During 1855 and 1856 lawlessness increased.
There was an organized band of about one hun-
dred Mexicans who patroled the highways rob-
bing and murdering. They threatened the
extermination of the Americans and there were
fears of a race war, for many who were not mem-
bers of the gang sympathized with them. In
1856 a vigilance connnittee was organized with
Myron Norton as president and H. N. Alexander
as .secretary. A number of disreputable charac-
ters were forced to leave the town. The bandit-
ti, under their leaders, Pancho Daniel and Juan
Flores, were plundering and committing outrages
in the neighborhood of San Juan Capistrano.

On the night of January 22, 1857, Sheriff
James R. Barton left Los Angeles with a posse
consisting of Wm. H. Little, Chas. K. Baker,
Charles F. Daley, Alfred Hardy and Frank
Alexander with the intention of capturing some
of the robbers. At Sepulveda's ranch next
morning the sheriff's party were warned that the
robbers were some fifty strong, well armed and
mounted, and would probably attack them.
Twelve miles further tlie sheriff and his men
encountered a detachment of the banditti. A
short, sharp engagement took place. Barton,
Baker, Little and Daley were killed. Hardy and
Alexander made their escape by the fleetness of
their horses. When the news reached Los
Angeles the excitement became intense. A
public meeting was held to devise plans to rid
the community not only of the roving gang of
murderers, but also of the criminal classes in the
city who were known to be in sympathy with
the banditti. All suspicious houses were
searched and some fifty persons arrested. Sev-
eral companies were organized; the infantry to
guard the city and the mounted men to scour
the country. Companies were also formed at
San Bernardino and El Monte, while the military
authorities at Fort Tejon and San Diego des-
patched soldiers to aid in the good work of ex-
terminating crime and criminals.

The robbers were pursued into the mountains
and nearly all captured. Gen. Andrfe Pico,
with a company of native Californians, was most
efficient in the pursuit. He captured Silvas and
Ardillero, two of the most noted of the gang, and
hanged them where they were captured. Fifty-
two were lodged in the city jail. Of these eleven
were hanged for various crimes and the remainder
set free. Juan Flores, one of the leaders, was
condemned by popular vote and on February 14,
1857, was hanged near the top of Fort Hill in

136

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the presence of nearly the entire population of
the town. He was only twenty-two years of age.
Pancho Daniel, another of the leaders, was
captured on the 19th of January, 1858, near San
Jos^. He was found by tlie sheriff concealed in
a haystack. After his arrest he was part of the
time in jail and part of the time out on bail. He
had been tried three times, but through law
quibbles had escaped conviction A change of
venue to Santa Barbara had been granted. The
people determined to take the law in their own
hands On the morning of November 30, 1858,
the body of Pancho was hanging from a beam
across the gateway of the jail yard. Four of the
banditti were executed by the people of San
Gabriel, and Leonardo Lopez under sentence of
the court was hanged by the sheriff. The gang
was broken up and the moral atmosphere of Los
Angeles somewhat purified. January 7, 1858,
Sheriff William C. Getman was killed by a
Texan, named Reed (supposed to be insane), in
a pawnbroker's shop. The murderer was riddled
with bullets fired by the people from the outside.
October 17, 1861, a Mexican named Francisco
Cota entered the grocery store of Laurence Leek,
near the roundhouse on South Main street.
Finding Mrs. Leek alone in the building he
murdered her by cutting her throat. He was
arrested and while being conducted to the jail he
was seized by an e.xcited crowd, who placed a rope
around his neck, dragged him down to the corner
of Aliso and Alameda streets and hanged him on
the cross beam of a high gateway.

November 17, 1862, John Rains of Cucamonga
Ranch was murdered near the Azusa. December
9, 1863, the sheriff was taking Manuel Cerradel
to San Quentin to serve a ten years' sentence.
When the sheriff went aboard the tug boat
Cricket at Wilmington to proceed to the Senator,
quite a number of other persons took pas.=age.
On the way down the harbor, the prisoner was
seized by the passengers who were vigilantes and
hanged to the rigging; after hanging twenty
minutes the body was taken down, stones tied to
the feet and it was thrown overboard. Cerradel
was implicated in the murder of Rains. In the
fall of 1863 lawlessness had again become ramp-
ant in Los Angeles; one of the chiefs of the
criminal class was a desperado by the name of
Boston Daimwood. He was suspected of the
murder of a miner on the desert and was loud in
his threats against the lives of various citizens.
He and four other well-known criminals, Wood,
Chase, Ybarra and Olivas, all of whom were
either murderers orhor.se thieves, were lodged in
jail. On the 21st of November, two hundred
armed citizens battered down the doors of the
jail, took the five wretches out and hanged them

to the portico of the old courthouse ou Spring
street, which stood on the present site of the
Phillips Block.

December 17, 1863, Charles W'ilkins was
hanged by the vigilance committee for the mur-
der of John Sanford near Fort Tejon.

A sanguinary shooting affray occurred in the
old Bella Union Hotel (now the St. Charles), July
5, 1S65. between Robert Carlisle and Frank aud
Hueston King. Hueston King was disabled
early in the engagement by a pistol ball. Frank
King seized his antagonist after emptying his
pistol and began beating him over the head.
Carlisle broke away from him and although
riddled with bullets, leaning against the door post
shot King dead. Carlisle died three hours later.
Hueston King recovered from his wound, was
tried and acquitted.

On the 24th of October, 1S71, occurred one of
the most disgraceful affairs that ever happened
in our city. It is known as the Chinese Massa-
cre. It grew out of one of those interminable
feuds between rival tongs of highbinders, over
a woman. Desultory firing had been kept up
between the rival factions throughout the day.
About 5:30 P. M. Policeman Bilderrain visited
the seat of war, an old adobe house on the corner
of Arcadia street and "Nigger alley" known as
the Coronel Building. Finding himself unable
to quell the disturbance he called for help. Rob-
ert Thompson, an old resident of the cit3^ was
among the first to reach the porch of the house
in answer to the police call for help. He re-
ceived a mortal wound from a bullet fired through
the door of a Chinese store. He died an hour
later in Wollweber's drug store. The Chinese in
the meantime barricaded the doors and windows
of the old adobe and prepared for battle. The
news of the fight and of the killing of Thompson
spread throughout the city and an immense
crowd gathered in the streets around the building
with the intention of wreaking vengeance on the
Chinese.

The first attempt by the mob to dislodge the
Chinamen was by cutting holes through the fiat
brea covered roof and firing pistol shots into the
interior of the building. One of the besieged
crawled out of the building aud attempted to es-
cape, but was shot down before half way across
Negro alley. Another attempted to escape into
Los Angeles street; he was seized, dragged to
the gate of Tomlinson's Corral on New High
street and hanged.

About 9 o'clock a part of the mob had suc-
ceeded in battering a hole in the eastern end of
the building; through this the rioters, with de-
moniac bowlings, rushed in, firing pistols to the
right and left. Huddled in corners and hidden

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

137

behind boxes the)- found eight terror-stricken
Chinamen, who begged piteously for their lives.
These were brutally dragged out and turned over
to the fiendish mob. One was dragged to death
by a rope around his neck; three, more dead than
alive from kicking and beating, ft-ere hanged to a
wagon on Los Angeles street; and four were
hanged to the gateway of Tomlinson's Corral.
Two of the victims were mere boy». While the
shootings and hangings were going on thieves
were looting the other houses in the Chinese
quarters. The houses were broken into, trunks,
boxes and other receptacles rifled of their contents,
and any Chinamen found in the buildings were
dragged forth to slaughter.

Among the victims was a doctor. Gene Tung,
a quiet, inoffensive old man. He pleaded for his
life in good English, offering his captors all his
money, some $2,000 to $3,000. He was hanged,
his money stolen and one of his fingers cut off to
obtain a ring he wore. The amount of money
stolen by the mob from the Chinese quarters was
variously estimated at from $40,000 to $50,000.

About 9:30 P. M. the law-abiding citizens, un-
der the leadership of Henry T. Hazard, R. M.
Widney, H. C Austin, Sheriff Burns and others,
had rallied in sufficient force to make an attempt
to quell the mob. Proceeding to Chinatown they
rescued several Chinamen from tlie rioters. The
mob finding armed opposition quickly dispersed.

The results of the mob's murderous work were
ten men hanged on Los Angeles street, some to
wagons and some to awnings; five hanged at
Tomlinson's Corral and four shot to death in
Negro alley — nineteen in all. Of all the China-
men murdered the only one known to be impli-
cated in the highbinder war was Ah Choy. All
the other leaders escaped to the country before
the attack was made by the mob. The grand
jury after weeks of investigation found indict-
ments against one hundred and fifty persons
alleged to have been actively engaged in the
massacre. The jury's report severely censured
"the officers of this county as well as of this city
whose duty it is to preserve peace," and declared
that they "were deplorably inefficient in the per-
formance of their duty during the scenes of con-
fusion and bloodshed which disgraced our city,
and has cast a reproach upon the people of Los
Angeles County." Of all those Indicted but six
were convicted. These were sentenced to from
four to six years in the state's prison, but through
some legal technicality they were all released
after serving a part of their sentence.

The last execution in Los Angeles by a vigi-
lance committee was that of Michael Lachenias,
a French desperado, who had killed five or six

men. The offense for which he was hanged was
the murder of Jacob Bell, a little, inoffensive
man, who owned a small farm near that of
Lachenias, south of the city. There had been a
slight difference between them in regard to the
use of water from a zanja. Lachenias, without a
word of warning, rode up to Bell, where he was
at work in his field, drew a revolver and shot him
dead. The murderer then rode into town and
boastingly informed the people of what he had
done and told them where they would find Bell's
body. He then surrendered himself to the offi-
cers and was locked up in jail.

Public indignation was aroused. A meeting
was held in Stearns' Hall on Los Angeles street.
A vigilance committee was formed and the de-
tails of the execution planned. On the morning
of the 17th of December, 1870, a body of three
hundred armed men marched to the jail, took
Lachenias out and proceeded with him to Tom-
linson's Corral on Temple and New High streets,
where the Law Building now stands, and hanged
him. The crowd then quietly dispersed.

In the first 25 years of American rule in Los
Angeles thirty five men were executed by vigi-
lance committees; during the same period only
eight were hanged by vigilantes in San Francisco.
(The nineteen Chinese massacred by a mob are
not included in the thirty-five.) Thirty years
have gone since a vigilance committee inflicted
the death penalty on a criminal in Los Angeles
It is to be hoped that the nece.ssity for that form
of tribunal will never again occur.

The last organized band of robbers which ter-
rorized the southern part of the state was that of
Vasquez. Tiburcio Vasquez was born in Mon-
terey County, of Mexican parents, in 1837. Early
in life he began a career of crime. His first ex-
ploit was the robbery of some peddlers in Monte-
rey. He next tried his hand at robbing a stage.
He had gathered around him a band of despera-
does who acknowledged him as leader. In 1857
he was arrested in Los Angeles County for horse
stealing, convicted and sent to San Ouentin. He
was discharged in 1863 and continued in his dis-
reputable career. He was soon joined by Proco-
pio and Soto, two noted bandits. Soto was
killed by Sheriff Harry Morse, the famous thief
catcher of Alameda County, in a de.sperate fight.
Vasquez with a portion of his band made a raid
on the stage station of Tres Pinos, in which they
murdered three men and tied up and robbed a
number of others. He next robbed the stage on
the Owen's River route. His last important rob-
bery was that of Alexander Repetto, a large
sheep owner. Vasquez and his band visited
Repetto' s sheep camp on the upper Los Nietos

'38

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

road near the San Gabriel River disguised as
sheep herders on April i6, 1874. They seized
Repettoand tied him to a tree. On pain of death
the}- compelled him to sign a check on the Tem-
ple and Workman Bank for $800. A nephew of
Repetto was sent to the bank to draw the money
with the warning that at the first sign of treach-
ery on the boy's part his uncle would be killed.
The money was secured and paid over to Vas-
quez. Early in May, 1874, Sheriff William R.
Rowland of Los Angeles County, who had re-
peatedly tried to capture Vasquez, but whose
plans had been foiled by the bandit's spies,
learned that the robber chief was making his
headquarters at the house of "Greek George"
about ten miles due west of Los Angeles, toward
Santa Monica, in a caiion of the Cahuenga Moun-
tains.

The morning of May 15 was set for the attack.
To avert suspicion Sheriff Rowland remained in
the citj'. The attacking force, eight in number,
were under command of Under-Sheriff Albert
Johnson, the other members of the force were
Major H. M. Mitchell, atlorney-at law; J. S.
Bryant, city constable; E. Harris, policeman;
W. E. Rogers, saloonkeeper; B. F. Hartley,
chief of police; and D. K. Smith, citizen, all of
Los Angeles, and a Mr. Beers, of San Francisco,

special correspondent of the San Francisco
C/iiviikle.

At 4 A. M. on the morning of the 15th of May
the posse reached Major Mitchell's bee ranch in
a small canon not far from Greek George's.
From this point the party reconnoitered the ban-
dit's hiding place and planned an attack. As
the deputy sheriff and his men were about to
move against the house a high box wagon drove
up the cafioa from the direction of Greek
George's place. In this were two natives; the
sheriff's party climbed into the high wagon box
and lying down, compelled the driver to drive up
to the back of Greek George's house, threatening
him and his companion with death on the least
sign of treachery. Reaching the house they sur-
rounded it and burst in the door. Vasquez, who
had been eating his breakfast, attempted toe.scape
through a small window. The party opened fire
on him. Being wounded and finding himself
surrounded on all sides, he surrendered. He was
taken to the Los Angeles jail. His injuries
proved to be mere flesh wounds. He received a
great deal of maudlin sympathy from .silly women,
who magnified him into a hero. He was taken
to San Jos(5, tried for murder, found guilty and
hanged, March 19, 1875. His band was broken
up and dispersed.

CHAPTER XXVIIL

THE GREAT REAL ESTATE BOOM OF 1887.

eVN THE history of nearly every great Ameri-
I can city there is an epoch which marks a
I turning point in its civic life. The great
^ epoch in the civic life of Los Angeles is that
which is always spoken of as "The Boom." An
event is referred to as occurring "before the boom,"
"during the boom," or "after the boom."

By the "boom" is meant the great real estate
bubble of 1887. Boom, in the .sense we use it, is
intended to express a sudden inflation of values;
and on the western side of our continent it has
superseded the older u.sed and more expressive
word — bubble. Boom — "to rush with vio-
lence"— is better suited to the dash, the im-
petuosity and the recklessness of western specu-

lators than the more effeminate term— bubble.
Boom has come into our literature to stay, how-
ever unstable it may be in other places.

It is scarcely a dozen years since our great real
estate boom or bubble burst. Those who were
wounded in the pocket by its bursting have long
since recovered and their financial scars have
disappeared. The serio-comic features and the
wild excesses of the booming days of '87 are
about all of it that live in our memories. The
little white stakes that marked the corners of the
innumerable lots in the numerous paper cities
and towns have been buried by the plowshare or
gnawed away by the tooth of time, and the sites
of the cities them.selves forgotten.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

139

In the archives of the Los Angeles County
Recorder's office may be found the outlines of the
history of the boom. It is a "true, full and cor-
rect" record of the plats of cities and towns — the
record of subdivisions and resubdivisions of lots,
blocks and tracts in and additions to cities and
towns— filling twenty large map books— the
records of a single year, that of 1887. These
are the merest skeletons of its history — the bony
corpses of the boom, so to speak. The embellish-
ments are wanting — the literature dispensed
broadcast by the founders of these cities and
towns and their agents, the literature that de-
scribed in well rounded phrase the advantages of
these cities as future commercial emporiums and
health resorts; that told of railroads, transconti-
nental and local, that were building for the
especial benefit of these commercial centers; that
lauded their beauty of scenery and their mildness
of climate — all these are wanting in the records;
and those triumphs of the lithographer's art that
embellished the literature of the boom are want-
ing too — the princely hotels; the massive busi-
ness blocks; the avenues lined with tropical
plants and streets shaded with evergreens; all
these are wanting in the records, too. The
literature of the boom perished with the boom;
burled in waste baskets and cremated in kitchen
stoves.

Communities and nations as well are subject,
at times, to financial booms — periods when the
mania for money-making seems to become
epidemic. The South Sea Bubble; the Darien
Colonization Scheme; the Mississippi Scheme of
John Law; the Northern Pacific Railroad Bubble
of Jay Cooke — have each been followed bj- finan-
cial panics and Black Fridays, but the experience
of one generation is lost on the succeeding. Ex-
perience as schoolmaster is too often a failure.

There were no booms in Los Angeles under
Spanish or under Mexican rule. Then all
vacant lands belonged to the pueblo. If a man
needed a building lot he petitioned the comision-
ado or, later on, the ayuntamiento for a grant of a
lot. If he failed to use the lot it was taken from
him. Under such conditions neither real estate
booms nor real estate agents could flourish.

After the discovery of gold in California, Los
Angeles experienced its first real estate boom.
In 1849 the Ord Survey lots were put on the
market and a number of them sold. There was
a great demand for houses. Buildings framed
and ready for putting together were shipped
around Cape Horn from Boston, New York,
London and Liverpool.

As the gold excitement decreased the city
gradually sank into a comatose state — took a
Rip Van Winkle sleep for twentj' years or there-

abouts. Times were hard, money scarce and
real estate low. Markets were distant, trans-
portation was high and most of the agricultural
lands were held in large tracts. These condi-
tions began to change about 1868. The Stearns
ranchos, containing about 200,000 acres, were
subdivided. Settlers from the New England and
northwestern states began to come in and the
push and energy of these began to work a trans-
formation in the sleepy old ciudad and the coun-
try around. Between 1868 and 1875 a number
of the large ranchos were subdivided, several
colonies were promoted and new towns founded.

From 1875 to 1881 was a period of financial
depression. The Temple and Workman Bank
failure, a succession of dry years that ruined the
sheep industry, overproduction, high freight
rates and a poor market for our products brought
the country to the verge of bankruptcy. The
building of the Southern Pacific Railroad
eastward gave us a new and better market for our
products in the mining regions of Arizona and
New Mexico. The completion of this road in
1882 gave us a new transcontinental route and
immigrants began to arrive direct from the east-
ern states. The price of land steadily advanced
and gradually we recovered from our financial
depression.

Up till 1SS6 the growth of our cities and towns
had kept pace with the growth and development
of the surrounding country, the crying need for
new cities and towns had not been heard. The
merits of the country had been well advertised in
the eastern states. Excursion agents, real
estate dealers, and the newspapers of Southern
California had depicted in glowing colors the
salubrity of our climate, the variety of our pro-
ductions, the fertility of our soil and the immense
profits to be made from the cultivation of semi-
tropical fruits. The last link of the Santa Fe
Railroad system w^as approaching completion.
In- the spring of r886 a rate war was precipitated
between the two transcontinental lines. Tickets
from Missouri River points to Los Angeles were
sold all the way from $1 to $15.

Visitors and immigrants poured in by the
thousands. The country was looking its love-
liest. Leaving the ice and snows of Minnesota,
Iowa and Kansas, in three or four days they
found themselves in a land of orange groves,
green fields and flower-covered hills. In the
new land they found everybody prosperous, and
these visitors returned to their homes to sell their
possessions and come to the promi.sed land.

The more immediate causes that precipitated
our great real estate boom of 1887 may be briefly
enumerated as follows:

First. — The completion of a competing trans-

[40

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

continental railroad, with its western terminus at
Los Angeles, and an era of active local railroad
building and railroad projecting in Southern
California.

Second. — High prices for all our products, an
eas}- money market and employment, at high
wages, for all who wished it.

Third. — An immense immigration, part ofit in-
duced to come on account of a better climate and
greater rewards for labor, and part of it attracted
by reports of the large profits to be made by
speculating in real estate.

Lastly. — The arrival among us of a horde of
boomers from western cities and towns — patriots,
many of them, who had exiled themselves from
their former places of abode between two days —
fellows who had left their consciences (that is, if
they had any to leave) on the other side of the
Rockies. These professionals had learned the
tricks of their trade in the boom cities of the west
when that great wave of immigration which be-
gan moving after the close of the war was sweep-
ing westward from the Mississippi River to the
shores of the Pacific. These boomers came here
not to build up the country, but to make money,
honestly if they could not make it any other wa}-.
It is needless to say they made it the other way.

During 1S84-5 6 a number of lots were put on
the market, but these were made mostly by sub-
divisions of acreage within or of additions imme-
diately joining the older established cities and
towns. Very few new town sites had been laid
off previous to 1887. As the last section of the
Santa Fe Railway' sj-stem approached completion
the creation of new towns began, and the rapid-
ity with which they were created was truly aston-
ishing. During the months of March, April and
May, 1887. no less than thirteen town sites were
platted on the line of this road between Los An-
geles and San Bernardino and the lots thrown
upon the market. Before the close of 1887, be-
tween the eastern limits of Los Angeles City and
the San Bernardino county line, a distance by
way of the Santa Fe Railroad of thirty-six miles,
there were twenty-five cities and towns located,
an average of one to each mile and a half of the
road. Paralleling the Santa Fe on the line of the
Southern Pacific Railroad, eight more towns
claimed the attention of lot buyers, with three
more thrown in between the roads, making a
grand total of thirt)'- six cities and towns in the
San Gabriel Valley. The area of some of these
was quite extensive. "No pent up Utica con-
tracted the powers" of their founders. The only
limit to the greatness of a city was the boundary
lines of the adjoining cities. The corporate
limits of the city of Monrovia were eight square
miles; Pasadena, with its additions, the same;

Lordsburg spread over eight hundred acres;
Chicago Park numbered nearly three thousand
lots, located in the wash of the San Gabriel River.
The city of Azusa, with its house lots and
suburban farm lots, covered an area of four thou-
sand acres.

The craze to secure lots in some of these towns
is well exemplified in the first sale of lots in
Azusa. The founding of the city of Azusa was
intended to satisfy a long felt want. The rich
valley of the Azusa de Duarte had no commer-
cial metropolis. Azusa City was recognized by
real estate speculators as the coming commercial
center of trade for the valley, and they thought
there was money in the fiist pick of lots. The
lots were to be put on sale on a certain day.
Through the long hours of the night previous
and until nine o'clock of the day of sale a line of
hungry and weary lot buyers stood in front of the
office where the lots were to be sold. Number two
claimed to have been offered a thousand dollars
for his place in the line; number three sold out
for five hundred dollars; number fifty-four loudly
proclaimed that he would not take a cent less
than a cool hundred for his chance. Number
one was deaf to all offers; and through the weary
hours of the night he clung to the "handle of
the big front door," securing at last the coveted
prize — the first choice. Two hundred and eighty
thousand dollars worth of lots were sold the first
day. The sale continued three days. Not one
in ten of the purchasers had seen the town site,
not one in a hundred expected to occupy the land
purchased.

Even this performance was surpassed later on
in the boom. The sale of lots in a certain town
was to begin Wednesday morning at the agent's
office in this city. On Sundaj^ evening a line of
prospective purchasers began to form. The
agent, as an advertising dodge, hired a large
hall for the display of his would-be investors. At
stated intervals the line formed, the roll was
called and woe to the unfortunate who failed to
answer to his number; his place in the line was
forfeited and he was compelled to go down to the
foot. Financially, the agent's scheme was a
failure. The crowd was made up principally of
impecunious speculators and tramps who had
hoped to sell out their places in the line.

An aristocratic and euphonious name was a de-
sideratum to a new born town, although, as in
the following case, it sometimes failed to boom
the prospective city. An enterprising newspaper
man found a piece of unoccupied land on the line
of the Santa Fe Railroad— that is, a piece not oc-
cupied by a town site — and founded the city of
Gladstone. An advertisement prolific in prom-
ises of the future greatness of the city, and trop-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ical in its luxuriauce of descriptive adjectives,
proclaimed among other inducements to buy that
a lot had been deeded to the premier of all Eng-
land, and it was left to be inferred that the
"grand old man" might build a princeh- resi-
dence on his lot and become one of the attrac-
tions to draw dwellers to the new city. In olden
times, when a conqueror wished to destroy a
rival city, he razed it to the ground, caused the
plowshare to pass over its ruins and sowed the
site with salt. The city of Gladstone was pre-
vented from raising above the ground by the
caustic criticisms of a rival newspaper man, the
plowshare has passed many times over its ruins
and its site has been sown in barley. The enter-
prising newspaper man lost his land (he held it
by contract to purchase only), the surveyor vi-ho
platted the town lost his pay and Gladstone lost
his lot.

Of the phantom cities of the boom, cities that
have faded from mortal view — cities that have
become spectres that rise out of the mists of the
past to haunt the dupes who invested their monej'
in them — of these Carlton is a good illustration.
It was located on the slope of the Santa Ana
Mountains, east of Anaheim. It is described as
commanding a beautiful view of the valley of the
Santa Ana, with a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean
in the distance. Vieww^as its chief resource; the
only commodity other than town lots it had to
offer. The promises of its projectors were un-
bounded, and the credulity of its investors
seemed to be unlimited. Railroads were to center
there. There manufactories were to rear their
lofty chimneys, and the ever-present hotel in the
course of erection was to be a palace of luxury
for the tourist and a health-restoring sanitarium
to the one-lunged consumptive.

Promises were cheap and plentiful, and so were
the lots. They started at $25 each for a lot
twenty-five feet front; rose to $35; jumped to
$50, and choice corners changed hands all the
way from $100 to $500.

One enterprising agent sold three thousand,
and many others did their best to supply a long-
felt want — cheap lots. Capitalists, speculators,
mechanics, merchants, day laborers, clerks and
servant girls crowded and jostled one another in
their eagerness to secure choice lots in the com-
ing metropolis. Business blocks, hotels, restau-
rants and dwelling-houses lined the streets on pa-
per. A bank building, with a costly vault, was
in course of construction, and it continued in that
course to the end. A railroad was surveyed to
the city and a few ties and rails scattered at in-
tervals along the line. A number of cheap houses
were built, and a population of three or four hun-
dred congregated there at the height of the boom.

and for a time managed to subsist in a semi-canni-
balistic way on the dupes who came there to buy
lots. The .site of the city was on the mountain side
above the zanja (ditch), and the water supply of
the inhabitants had to be hauled up hill in water-
carts. The productive land lay far below in the
valley, and the cities of the plain absorbed all the
trade. When the excursionist and lot-buyer
ceased to come, "Picturesque Carlton," "Na-
ture's Rendezvous," as its poetic founder styled
it, was abandoned, and now the jack-rabbit nib-
bles the grass in its deserted streets and the howl
of tlie coyote and the boot of the boding owl
echo amid its ruins — that is, if there are enough
ruins to make an echo.

Of the purely paper cities of the boom. Border
City and Manchester are the best illustrations.
An unprincipled speculator by the name of Simon
Homberg secured two quarter sections of gov-
ernment land situated respectively fortj' and
forty -three miles northeast ot Los Angeles. These
were the sites of Homberg' s famous or rather in-
famous twin cities. Border City was appropri-
ately' named. It was located on the border of
the Mojave Desert, on the northeastern slope of
the Sierra Madre Mountains. (It was named
Border City because it was located on the eastern
border of Los Angeles County.) It was most
easily accessible by means of a balloon, and was
as secure from hostile invasion as the homes of
the cliff dwellers. Its principal resource, like Carl-
ton, was view — a view of the Mojave Desert.
The founder did not go to the expense of having
the site surveyed and the lots staked off. Indeed,
about the only way it could be surveyed was
through a field glass. He platted it by blocks and
recorded his map. The streets were forty feet
wide and the lots twenty-five feet front by one
hundred deep. The quarter section made nine-
teen hundred and twenty lots, an average of
twelve to the acre. Such width of street Hom-
berg found to be a waste of land, and in laying
out the city of Manchester he was more econom-
ical. Out of the quarter section on which that
city was located he carved two thousand three
hundred and four lots, or about fourteen to the
acre. All streets running east and west were
27 2-13 feet wide, and all running north and south
were 342-7 feet wide. The lots were twenty-
five feet front by ninety five deep. Manchester
was a city of greater resources than Border City.
Being located higher up the mountain, it had a
more extended view of the desert.

These lots were not offered for sale in Southern
California, nor to those who might investigate
and expose the fraud, but were extensively ad-
vertised in Northern California, in Oregon, in the
eastern states, and even in Europe. It would

142

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORU.

seem almost incredible that Homberg could have
found dupes enough to buy such property un-
sight, unseen; yet, judging from the records, he
sold about all of his four thousand lots, and his
profits must have footed up in the neighborhood of
fifty thousand dollars. So many of his deeds
were filed for record that the county recorder had
a book of record containing three hundred and
sixty pages, especially prepared with printed
forms, of Homberg's deed, so that when one was
filed for record, all that was necessary to engross
it was to fill in the name of the purchaser and the
number of the lot and block.

The lots cost Homberg about an average often
cents each, and were sold at all prices, from one
dollar up to two hundred and fifty each, the
prices varying according to the means or the gul-
libility of the purchaser. One buyer would pay
$250 for a single lot; the next investor might get
ten or a dozen for that sum. One enthusiast in
San Jos^ invested a thousand dollars in a bunch
of forty-eight lots, securing at one fell swoop four
business blocks in the center of Border City.
Nearly every state in the Union had its victims
of misplaced confidence in the future of Homberg's
twin cities. Nor were his operations confined to
the United States alone. England, Germany,
Holland, Denmark and Sweden furnished him
dupes as well.

The magnitude of our great boom can be
measured more accurately by a money standard
than any other. The total of the considerations
named in the instruments filed for record during
the year 1887 reached the enormous sum of
$98,084, 162. But even this does not tell half the
story. By far the larger number of lots and
blocks in the various tracts and town sites that
were thrown on the market were sold on contract,
the terms of payment being one-third or one-
fourth cash, balance in installments payalile in
six, twelve or eighteen months, a deed to be
given when the final payment was made. But
few of the agreements were recorded. Fre-
quently property bought on agreement to convey
was resold from one to half a dozen times, and
each time at an advance; yet the consideration
named in the deed, when given, would he the
sum named in the original agreement. Deeds to
the great bulk of property sold on contract in
1887 did not go on record until the following
year, and many of them not then. Thousands
of contracts were forfeited and never appeared of
record. It is safe to estimate that the considera-
tions in the real estate transactions during 1S87 in
Los Angeles County alone reached $200,000,000.

So sudden and .so great an inflation of land
values was perhaps never equaled in the world's
history. When unimproved land in John Law's

Mississippi Colony sold for 3o,ooolivres ($5,550)
a square league, all Europe was amazed and his-
torians still quote the Mississippi bubble as a
marvel of inflation. To have bought a square
league of land in the neighborhood of some ot our
cities in the booming days of 1887 would have
taken an amount of money equal to the capital of
the national bank of France, in the days of John
Law. LTnimproved lands adjoining the city of
Los Angeles sold as high as $2,500 per acre or
at the rateof $14,400,000 a square league. Land
that .sold at $100 an acre in 1886, changed hands
in 1887 at $1,500 per acre; and city lots bought
in 1886 at $500 each, a year later were rated at
$5,000.

The great booms of former times measured by
the money standard, dwarf into insignificance
when compared with ours. The capital stock of
John Law's National Bank of France, with his
Mississippi grants thrown in, figured up less than
$15,000,000, an amount about equal to our real
estate transactions for one month; yet, the burst-
ing of John Law's Mississippi bubble very nearly
bankrupted the French Empire. The relative
proportions of the South Sea Bubble of 1720, to
our real estate boom are as a soap bubble is to a
mammoth balloon. The amount of capital in-
vested in the Darieu Colonization scheme, a
scheme which bankrupted .Scotland and came
near plunging all Europe into war, was only
220,000 pounds sterling, a sum about equal to
our real estate transfers for one day.

From a report compiled for the Los Angeles
County Board of Equalization in July, 1889, I
find the area included in sixty toivns, all of which
were laid out since Jaiuiary i, 18S7, estimated at
79,350 acres. The total population of these sixty
towns at that time was placed at 3,350. Some of
the largest of these on paper were without inhabi-
tants. Carlton, containing 4,060 lots, was an
unpeopled waste; Nadean, 4,470 lots, had no
inhabitants; Manchester 2,304 lots, no inhabi-
tants; Santiago 2,1 10 lots, was a deserted village.
Others still contained a small remnant of their
firmer population. Chicago Park, containing
2,289 lots, had one inhabitant, the watchman
who took care of its leading hotel; Sunset 2,014
lots, one inhabitant, watchman of an expensive
hotel which was in the course of construction
when the boom burst. (The building was
burned a few years since.)

The sites of a majority of the boom cities of a
dozen years ago have been returned to acreage,
the plowshare has pas.sed over their ruins and
Inrley grows in the deserted streets.

The methods of advertising the attractions of
the various tracts, subdivisions and town sites
thrown on the market, and the devices resorted

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to to inveigle purchasers into investing were
various, often ingenious and sometimes infamous.
Brass bands, street processions, free excursions
and free lunches, columns of advertisements rich
in description and profuse in promises that were
never intended to be fulfilled, pictures of massive
hotels in the course of erection, lithographs of
colleges about to materialize, lotteries, the prizes
in which were handsome residences or family
hotels, railroads that began and ended in the im-
aginations of the projectors — such were a few of
the man)' devices resorted to to attract pur-
chasers and induce them to invest their coin.

Few, if an}-, of the inhabitants to the manor
born, or those of permanent residence and repu-
table character engaged in these doubtful practices
and disreputable methods of booming. The men
who blew the bubble to greatest inflation were
n;w importations -fellows of the baser sort who
knew little or nothing about the resources or
characteristics of the country and cared less.
The}' were here to make mone}-. When the
bubble burst they disappeared — those who got
away with their gains, chuckling over ill-gotten
wealth; those who lost, abusing the countr)- and
vilifying the people they had duped. Retribu-
tive justice overtook a few of the more unprin-
cipled boomers and the\' have since done some
service to the country in striped uniforms.

The collapse of our real estate boom was not
the sudden bursting of a financial bubble, like the
South Sea bubble or John Law's Mississippi
bubble, nor did it end in a financial crash like

the monetary panics of 1837 and 1857, or like
Black Friday in Wall street. Its collapse was
more like the steady contraction of a balloon
from the pressure of the heavier atmosphere on
the outside. It gradually shriveled up. The
considerations named in the recorded transfers of
the first three months of 1888 exceeded |20,oco-
000. After that they decreased rapidly.

In a less bountiful countrj' and with a less
hopeful and self-reliant people, the collapse of
such a bcom would have resulted in complete
financial ruin and untold suffering.

When the boom had become a thing of the
past, those who had kept aloof from wild specu-
lation pursued the even tenor of their ways, build-
ing up the real cities and improving the country.
Those who had invested recklessly in paper cities
plowed up the sites of prospective palace hotels
and massive business blocks and sowed them in
grain or planted them with fruit trees; or they
sought some other means of earning a living,
sadder, and, it is to be hoped, wiser men. There
was for a time a stringency in the money market,
but even this proved a blessing in disguise. It
compelled to more economic methods of living
and impelled the people to greater efforts to
develop the resources of the countrj-. On the
whole, with all its faults and failures, with all its
reckless waste and wild extravagance, our great
real estate boom of 1887 was productive of more
good than of evil to Los Angeles and to all
Southern California as well.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XXIX,

COMMERCIAL CORPORATIONS.

67^ HE first commercial corporation formed in
fn Los Angeles for the promotion of the busi-
Vui "^^^ interests of the city and county was
^^ the Chamber of Commerce that was organ-
ized in 1873. The first preliminary meeting of
that organization was held August i, 1873, in
the District Court Room of the old courthouse,
which stood where the Bullard Block now stands.

Ex-Governor John G. Downey acted as chair-
man and J. M. Griffith as secretary. There was
a large attendance of the leading merchants and
business men of the city. It was decided at that
meeting to call the proposed organization a Board
of Trade, but at a subsequent meeting the name
was changed to a Chamber of Commerce. At a
meeting held in the same place, August 9, the
secretary reported one hundred names on the roll
of membership. The admission fee was fixed at
$5. A Constitution and By-Laws were adopted
and a board of eleven directors elected. The
persons chosen as directors were: R. M. Wid-
ney, J. G. Downey, S. B. Caswell, S. Lazard,
J.S. Griffin, P. Beaudrv, M. J. Newmark, J. M.
Griffith, H. W. Hellman, I. W. Lord and C. C.
Lipps. On the nth of August, articles of incor-
poration were filed. The objects of the organiza-
tion as set forth in the articles of incorporation
are: "To form and establish a Chamber of Com-
merce in and for the City and County of Los
Angeles, and to transact any and all business
usually transacted and conducted b}' Chambers of
Commerce and Boards of Trade. " It was incor-
porated for fifty years, and its charter is still in
force.

The first president was Solomon Lazard and
the first secretary I. W. Lord. Judge R. M.
Widney's office in Temple Block was selected as
the place of meeting for the directors. The
members went actively at work and the Chamber
accomplished a great deal of good for the city and
surrounding country. One of the first measures
that engaged the attention of the board was an
effort to secure an appropriation of $150,000 for
the survey and improvement of San Pedro Har-
bor, and it was largely through the efforts of the
Chamber that the first appropriation for that pur-
pose was finally secured.

Literature descriptive of Southern California
was circulated abroad and considerable attention
was given to the extending of the trade of the city
among the mining camps of Arizona. The Cham-
ber continued actively at work on various schemes
for promoting the advancement of our commerce
through the years of 1873 and 1874. In 1875
came the disastrous bank failures, which were
followed by the dry years of 1876-77. These
calamities demoralized business and discouraged
enterprise. The members of the Chamber lost
their interest and the organization died a linger-
ing death. It was buried in the grave of the
"has beens" at least a dozen j'ears before the
present Chamber of Commerce was born, but the
good that it did was not all "interred with its
bones."

BOARD OF TRADE.

The oldest commercial or business organiza-
tion now existing in Los Angeles is the Board of
Trade. It was organized March 9, 1883, in the
office of the Los Angeles Produce Exchange,
Arcadia Block, Los Angeles street. C. W. Gib-
son acted as president of the meeting and J. Mills
Davies as secretary. At that meeting six di-
rectors were elected, viz.: C. W. Gibson, M.
Dodsworth, I. N. Van Nuys, A. Haas, H. New-
mark and John R. Mathews. The articles of
incorporation were adopted March 14, 1883.
The incorporators were C. W. Gibson, H. New-
mark, M. Dodsworth, A. Haas, Walter S. Max-
well, I. N. Van Nuys, John Mills Davies, Eu-
gene Germain, J. J. Melius and John R. Mathews.
"The purposes for which it is formed" (as
stated in its articles of incorporation) "are to
develop trade and commerce, advance and pro-
tect the interests of the merchants of the city and
of the county of Los Angeles, to prevent
fraudulent .settlements by dishonest debtors, to
investigate the affairs of insolvent debtors, to
unite and assist the merchants of said city and
county in the collection of debts other than in
the ordinary course of business, and to prescribe
rules and regulations of trade and commerce for
the government of the members of this corpora-
tion."

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

145

In the earlier years of its existence, being the
only organized commercial body in the cit}', it
frequently took the initiative in originating and
pushing forward to completion enterprises bene-
ficial to the community, but which were not
directly in the line of work laid down as the
objects for which it was formed. Among these
may be named the securing of the location of the
Soldiers' Home at Santa Monica; the securing of
appropriations for the erection of the postoffice
building at Los Angeles, and the removal of the
army headquarters of the department of Arizona
and New Mexico to this city. The organization
of the Chamber of Commerce in 1889 relieved it
of the burden of promoting work outside of the
objects for which in was directly organized. Its
presidents and their years of service are as
follows:

C. W. Gibson 1883 84.

George H. Bonebrake. . 1885.

E. L. Stern 1886.

Eugene Germain 1887-88.

S. B. Lewis 1889.

Geo. E. Dixon i S90.

W. C. Patterson 1891-92.

R. H. Howell 1893.

J. M. Johnston 1 894.

A. Jacoby. 1895 96.

P. M. Daniel 1897 — .

The following named have filled the position
of secretary :

J. Mills Davies 1883-85.

A. M. Laurence 1885-S7.

T. H. Ward 18S7-90.

Gregory Perkins, Jr 1890 — .

Its first home was in the second story of the
Baker Block; from there it moved to the two story
brick building on the northwest corner of Broad-
way and First street, which was known as the
Board of Trade Building. The building was
bought by a committee or association of members
with the intention of locating the Board there
permanently, but the scheme failed. The build-
ing was pulled down in 1898 and the present
four-story block located on its site. The Board
at present has rooms in the Bullard Block.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

To Mr. W. E. Hughes belongs the credit of
inaugurating the movement that resulted in the
organization of our present efficient Chamber of
Commerce.

Mr. Hughes came to Los Angeles in 1887.
He had noticed the' lack of unanimity among the
people here in pushing forward any projected en-
terprise, and the want of an organization whose
chief objects would be to promote the business
interests of the city and county of Los Angeles

and aid in developing the resources of all South-
ern California. Having had some experience in
the organization and management of a chamber
of commerce in his former place of residence,
Wheeling, W. Va., it seemed to him that some
such organization was needed in this city.

Happening to meet Mr. S. B. Lewis and Maj.
E. W. Jones on the street he briefly broached the
subject to them. After a short discussion of the
scheme they parted, each agreeing to secure
the attendance of at least five other business men
at a proposed meeting to be held in the board of
trade rooms, then in a two-story brick building
standing on the northwest corner of First and
Fort streets, opposite the Times Building. The
time of the meeting was set for Thursday, Octo-
ber II, 1888, at 3:30 P. M. At that meeting
twenty-five persons were present. The following
extracts from the minutes of the different meet-
ings give a condensed history of the organizatiou
of the chamber:

The meeting of October 1 1 was called to order
by Mr. S. B. Lewis. Maj. E. W. Jones was
chosen chairman and J. V. Wachtel, secretary.
The object of the meeting was stated by Mr.
W. E. Hughes. Short addresses were made by
S. B. Lewis, Col. I. R. Dunkelberger, J. F.
Humphreys, C. A. Warner, J. P. McCarthy,
H. C. Witmer, Mayor Wm. H. Workman and
T. A. Lewis. The assemblage decided to form
a permanent organization, and adjourned to meet
in the same place Monday, October 15, at 3 P. M.

At this meeting, after some discussion on the
method of forming a permanent organization and
its objects, Col. H, G. Otis offered the following:

"Whereas, We, business men and citizens of
the city and county of Los Angeles, are in favor
of inducing immigration, stimulating legitimate
home industries and establishing feasible home
manufactories for the further upbuilding of the
city and county and for the development of the
material resources of Southern California upon a
sound basis; therefore,

''Resolved, That we hereby associate ourselves
into a temporary organization with the above ob-
jects, to be known as the

and that a permanent organization be effected at
the earliest practicable time."

The preamble and resolution were adopted.

J. F. Humphreys moved that the organization
be known as the Los Angeles Chamber of Com-
merce. The motion was seconded and carried.
Tlie initiation fee was fixed at $5.00. The fol-
lowing named persons handed in their names for
membership:

W. E. Hughes, E. W. Jones, S. B. Lewis, W.
H. Workman, Thomas A. Lewis, I. R. Dunkel-
berger, John T. Humphreys, John I. Redick,

146

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

J. H. Book, Clias. E. Day, H. Jeviie, Clarence
A. Warner, Frank A. Gibson, Burdette Chan-
dler, M. L. Wicks, H. C. Witnier, Jas. P. Mc-
Carthy, W. F. Fitzgerald, W. H. Seamans,
Hervey Undley, H. G. Otis, L. N. Breed, H. A.
Rust, Wm. Rommel, J. C. Oliver, L. H. Whit-
son, C. E. Daily, E. E. Dennick, A. W. Palmer,
Wra. H. Avery, J. S. VanDoren, H. Z. Osborne,
L. A. Oil Burning and Supply Co., W. W.
Montague & Co., Harrison & Dickson, R. H.
Hewitt, Milton Thomas, T. W. Blackburn, Hor-
ace Hiller, John C. Flourney, H. H. Spencer,
S. J. Mathes, G. W. Tubbs, A. H. Denker,
D. Gilbert Dexter, T. C. Naramore, F. C. Gar-
butt, W. A. Bonynge, John J. Jones, H. P.
Sweet, M. R. Vernon, T. M. Michaels, Chas. C.
Davis, Eouis R. Webb, E. C. Neidt and M. D.
Johnson. At the meeting of the 19th, before the
adoption of the constitution and by-laws, the fol-
lowing additional names were handed in: B. L.
Hays, E. A. McConnell, J. W. Green, G. W.
Simonton, H. H. Bixby, E. W. B. Johnson,
Strong & BIanchard,G. R. Shatto, Dr. M. Hagan,
John Goldsworthy, Houry & Bros., H. V. Van
Dusen, R. C. Charlton, R. W. Dromgold, C. S.
McDuffee, John Eang, T. W. T. Richards, W. B.
Herriott, W. H. Toler, M. R. Higgins and
J. T. Barton.

At the meeting of the 19th of October a com-
mittee of five (appointed at a previous meeting) ,
consisting of H. G. Otis, W. E. Hughes, S. B.
Eewis, I. R. Dunkelberger and W. F. Fitz-
gerald, submitted a plan of organization and pre-
sented a draft of a constitution and by-laws.
These were adopted. The objects of the organi-
zation, as stated in the constitution, are: "To
foster and encourage commerce; to stimulate
home manufactures; to induce immigration, and
the subdivision, settlement and cultivation of our
lands; to assist in the development of the natural
resources of this region, and generally to promote
the business interests of Eos Angeles city and
county and the country tributary thereto."

At the meeting of the 24th the organization
was completed by the election of officers and the
appointment of fifteen standing committees. The
following were the first officers: E. W. Jones,
president; W. H. Workman, ist vice-president;
H. G. Otis, 2nd vice-president; S. B. Eewis,
3rd vice-president; John I. Redick, treasurer,
and Thomas A. Lewis, secretary.

The first home of the Chamber of Commerce
was in a small two-story building on West
First street. From there, in 1890, it moved to
the armory, in the Mott Building on South Main
street. Here the permanent exhibit feature was
inaugurated and has been maintained ever since.
The following l)rief summaries of the "work of

the Chamber" and its "exhibitions" are taken
from its last annual (March, 1899):

"The Chamber has issued thirty pamphlets,
descriptive of this country and its resources, with
a total circulation of over seven hundred thou-
sand." "Matter has been prepared for hundreds
of eastern magazines and newspaper articles."

"Statistics of crop returns have been secured in
large numbers from farmers, and published."

"Information was prepared for the United
States census." "Hundreds of thousands of
sample copies of the daily papers of Los Angeles
city and their annuals have been distributed."

"Twenty thousand letters of inquiry are
answered yearly." "Circulars of advice and
information are printed and circulated among
farmers, dealing with the raising of winter
ve.a:etables, beets for sugar, hog-raising, olive-
growing, fruit-picking," etc.

EXHIBITIONS.

"Besides maintaining a permanent exhibit of
California products in its own quarters, which
has been visited by half a million of people, it has
had charge of and participated in four citrus
fairs, visited by 100,000 people;" "the Orange
Carnival in Chicago, visited by 100,000 people;
three agricultural fairs, all successful and in-
structive; regular shipments to 'California on
wheels' — a traveling exhibit visited by a million
of people; the Southern California exhibit in the
World's Columbian Exposition; the Southern
California display at the Midwinter Fair in San
Francisco; the permanent exhibit maintained for
two years in Chicago, and visited by half a
million people; the display at the national con-
vention of Farmers' Alliance, 1891; the display
at the Dunkard conference, 1890; exhibits pre-
pared for lecturers and travelers; exhibits sent to
eastern fairs; exhibit permanently maintained in
the board of trade at San Francisco: exhibit at
Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposi-
tion; exhibit at Hamburg; exhibit at Guatemala;
Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition,
Omaha."

The following named gentlemen have filled the
office of president of the chamber:

E. W. Jones 1888-91

C. M. Wells 1891-93

D. Freeman 1S93-95

W. C. Patterson 1895-97

Charles Forman 1897-99

J. S. Slauson 1899-1900

M. J. Newmark 1900

The following have filled the office of .secre-
tary:

J. \'. Wachtel 1888

Thos. A. Lewis 1888-89

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

147

M. R. Higgins 1889

H. W. Patton 1889-90

H. J. Hanchette ,, 1890-91

C. D. Willard 1891-97

Frank Wiggins 1897

In 1896 the exhibit of the Chamber was moved
to a new building on the southeast corner of
Fourth and Broad wa\-. It occupies all of the sec-
ond and third stories of the building. No other
organization has done so much for the develop-
ment of Southern California as the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce.

THE MERCHANTS AND MANUFACTURERS' ASSO-
CIATION.

The youngest of our commercial corporations
is the Merchants and Manufacturers' Associa-
tion. It has for its objects "the promotion of
the common interests of its members by increas-
ing the facilities for our mercantile and com-
mercial enterprises: by finding a market for our
local manufactured products; by co-operating
with the National Association of Manufacturers;
by such social features as may from time to time
be introduced to promote better acquaintance
among its members; and by taking such an intel-
ligent interest in public affairs as will tend to ad-
vance the business enterprises of Los Angeles and
vicinity."

This organization was formed b}' the union of
two associations — the Merchants' Association,
which was formed in the early part of 1894, and
the Manufacturers' Association, which was
organized in August, 1895.

"In June, 1896, a committee of conference
representing the two associations arrived at the
conclusion that a union of their respective mem-
bers into one organization would best promote
the interests of all, and formal action ratifying
the report of the conference led to their legal
consolidation under the name of the Merchants
and Manufacturers' Association."

In 1897-98 the association inaugurated an
active movement for the purpose of securing from
the citizens the patronizing of home products.
It labors to encourage the establishment and
successful prosecution of manufacturing industries
in our city and to assist merchants and the mer-
cantile community in general in devising and
recommending such trade regulations as may
seem desirable and expedient.

The presidents of the association have been:

H. W. Frank 1896-97

Fred L. Baker 1897-98

R. L. Craig i S98-99

The secretaries:

Wm. H. Knight 1S96-97

F. J. Zeehandelaar 1897

CHAPTER XXX,

CHURCHES OF LOS ANGELES.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES.

IN xSii the citizens obtained permission to
erect a new church in the pueblo. The
primitive chapel, built in 17S4, had be-
come too small to accommodate the increasing
population of the town and vicinity. The first
church or chapel, erected by the Roman Catholics,
stood at the foot of the hill near what is now the
southeast corner of Buena Vista street and Bellevue
avenue. It was an adobe structure about 18x24
feet. The corner 'stone of the new church was
laid and blessed August 15, 1814, by Father Gil,
of the Mission Sau Gabriel. Just where it was
placed is uncertain. It is probable that it was

on the eastern side of the old plaza. In 1818
it was moved to higher ground — its present
site. The great flood of 1815, when the waters
of the river came up to the lower side of the
old plaza, probably necessitated the change.
When the foundation was laid a second time the
citizens subscribed 500 cattle. In 1S19 the friars
of the missions contributed seven barrels of brandy
to the building fund worth $575. This donation,
wit'n the previous contribution of cattle, was suf-
ficient to raise the walls to the window arches by
1821.* There it came to a full stop. The pueblo
colonists were poor in purse and chary of exer-

143

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tioii. They were more willing to wait than to
labor. ludeed, they seem to have performed but
little of the labor. The neophytes of San Gabriel
and San Luis Rey did the most of the work and
were paid a real (i2>2 cents) a day each, the
missions getting the money. Jose Antonio
Rameirez was the architect. When the colonists'
means were exhausted the missions were appealed
to for aid. The missions responded to the appeal.
The contributions to the building fund were var-
ious in kind and somewhat incongruous in char-
acter. The Mission San Miguel contributed 500
cattle, San Luis Obispo 200, Santa Barbara one
barrel of brandy, San Diego two barrels of white
wine, Purisima six mules and 200 cattle, San
Gabriel two barrels of brand)^ and San Fernando
one. Bancroft says, "The citizens promptly con-
verted the brandy into money, some of them
drinking immense quantities in their zeal for the
spiritual welfare of the town. ' ' Work was begun
again on the church, and pushed to completion.
A house for the curate was also built. It was an
adobe structure and stood near the northwest
corner of the church. The church was completed
and formally dedicated December 8, 1822 — eight
j'ears after the laying of the first corner stone.

Captain de La Guerra was chosen by the ayun-
tamiento, padrino or god father. San Gabriel
Mission loaned a bell for the occasion. The fiesta
of Our Lady of the Angels had been postponed
so that the dedication and the celebration could
be held at the same time. Caimon boomed on the
plaza and salvos of musketry intoned the services.

The present building and its surroundings bear
but little resemblance to the Nueva Iglesia (new
church) that Padre Payeras labored so earnestly
to complete eighty years ago. It had no floor
but the beaten earth and no seats. The wor-
shippers sat or knelt on the bare ground or on
cushions they brought with them: There was
no distinction between the poor and the rich at
first, but as time passed and the Indians degener-
ated or the citizens became more aristocratic, a
'petition was presented to the ayuntamiento to
provide a separate place of worship for the
Indians. If the Indian's presence in church was
undesirable on account of his filthy habits, still
he was useful as a church builder. At the session
of the ayuntamiento June 19, 1839, the President
stated, "that he had been informed by Jose M.
Navarro, who serves as sexton, that the baptistery
of the church is almost in ruins on account of a
leaking roof. It was ordered that Sunday next
the alcaldes of the Indians shall meet and bring
together the Indians without a boss, so that no
one will be inconvenienced by the loss of labor of
his Indians and place them to work thereon,
using some posts and brea now at the guard

house, the regidor (or councilman) on weekly
duty to have charge of the work." Extensive
repairs were made on the church in 1841-42. In
the sindico's account book for the latter year
appears this entry: "Guillermo (William) Money
owes the city funds out of the labor of the
prisoners, loaned him for the church, $126." As
the prisoners' labor was valued at a real (i2}3
cents) a day it must have required considerable
of repairing to amount to $126.

In 1861 the church building was remodeled,
the "faithful of the parish" bearing the expense.
The front wall, which had been damaged by the
rains, was taken down and rebuilt of brick
instead of adobe. The tiled roof was changed to
a shingled one and the tower altered. The
grounds were inclosed and planted with trees and
flowers. The old adobe parish house built in
1822, with the additions made to it, later was
torn down and the present brick structure erected.
The church has a seating capacity of 500. It is
the oldest parish church on the Pacific coast of
the United States; and is the only building now
in use that was built in the Spanish era of our
city's history.

THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. VIBIANA.

The corner stone of the Cathedral of St. Vibiana
was laid by the Right Rev. Bishop Amat, October
3, 1869. "There was," says the S/ur, "an
immense concourse of citizens present, both ladies
and gentlemen, all desirous to witness the inter-
esting ceremonies. It was the largest assemblage
drawn together here and must ha\e amounted
to nearly 3,000 persons." "The cathedral is to
be cruciform, 116 feet wide, 266 feet long, the
transcript or cross 168 feet. The estimated cost

$[00,000."

The first site chosen for the Cathedral and the
place where the corner stone was laid October 3,
1869, was on the west side of Main street between
Fifth and Sixth, extending through to Spring
street. This location was well out of town then.
In 187 1 the site was changed to the present loca-
tion of the cathedral, east side of Main just south
of Second street. The edifice was opened for
service Palm Sunday, April 9, 1876, but the
formal dedication took place April 30, and was
conducted by Bishop Alemany. The other Cath-
olic churches of the city are the Church of St.
Vincent a Paul, established in 18S7, and located
on Grand avenue near Washington street; St.
Joseph's Church (German) located on Santee
street, .south of Twelfth, established in 1888;
Church of the Sacred Heart, Ea.st Los Angeles,
corner of South Sichel and Baldwin streets, built
in 1893, and St. Mary's, corner of Fourth and Chi-
cago street, established in 1897.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

149

MKTHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES.

The first Protestant sermon ever preached in
Ivos Angeles was delivered by a Methodist minis-
ter, Rev. J. W. Brier. The place of service was
the adobe residence of J. G. Nichols, which stood
on the present site of the BuUard Block, and the
time a Sunday in June, 1850. Mr. Brier was one
of the belated immigrants of 1S49, who reached
Salt Lake City too late in the season to cross the
Sierra Nevadas before the snowfall. A party of
these numbering 500 under the leadership of
Jeff Hunt, a Mormon, started by the then un-
known southern route to Los Angeles. After
traveling together for several weeks, a number
of the immigrants became dissatisfied, and leav-
ing the main body undertook to reach the settle-
ments on the sea coast by crossing the desert in
the neighborhood of Death Valley. Mr. Brier
was of this party. Many of these unfortunates
perished on the desert. After almost incredible
hardships and sufferings Mr. Brier, with his wife
and three children, reached Los Angeles in Feb-
ruary, 1850, by way of the Soledad Caiion. He
remained here for several months and then went
North.

Early in 1853 ^^v. Adam Bland was sent by
the California Conference to Los Angeles as a
missionary. His field was Southern California.
He rented or leased for a church a frame building
which had formerly been used for a saloon. This
building stood on the present site of the Merced
Theatre or Abbot Block. Here he held regular
services twice every Sunday from 1853 to 1855,
when he was made presiding elder. Mrs. Bland
taught a girls' school in the building in 1853,
which was known as the Methodist Chapel. The
other pastors who either assisted him while in
charge of the church or succeeded him were
Revs. J. Dunlap, J. McHenry Colwell and
W. R. Peck. In October, 1857, Elijah Mearchant
took charge, succeeding Rev, A. L. S. Bateman.
In the JVtr/c/j' Slaro^ March i, 1855, I find this
item: "Rev. Mr. Colwell informs us that a con-
tract has been made with Messrs. Loyd & Sons
to build a brick church in this city next summer.
The size is to be 40x24 feet. The materials are
to be of the best and the style the most modern.
The property is to belong to the Methodist Epis-
copal Church. The entire cost is provided for
except $500." The church was not built. After
1858 the field seems to have been abandoned.
There is no record of any other Methodist minis-
ter being stationed here until 1866, when Rev.
C. Gillet came as a missionary. He was suc-
ceeded by A. P. Hernden in 1S67. Rev. A. P.
Coplin had charge in 1868 and Rev. A. M.
Hough in 1869-70. The first church built by

the Methodist denomiuation in Los Angeles is
the brick building still standing in the rear of
No. 325-327 Broadway, between Third and
Fourth streets. It was dedicated November 15,
1868. The following extract from the IP'trf/r
Star gives an account of the dedication and cost
of the building. "The services of dedication of
the new Methodist Church in this city took place
on Sunday morning last, November 15. Rev.
Dr. Thomas of San Francisco preached the dedi-
cating sermon. Rev. A. Bland assisted on the
occasion. There was a large attendance and a
subscription of $750 was taken up, leaving as a
debt on the congregation $1,000. The lot and
building cost $3,150, of which $1,400 have been
paid." In 1875 a second church edifice was
erected on the south 70 feet of the lot on which
the first building was built. The second build-
ing cost $18,000. In 1887 it was enlarged and
improved at an expense of $14,000. The con-
version of Fort street, now changed to Broad-
way, to a business street necessitated the change
of the church's location. The lot was sold in
July, 1899, for $68,000. The last sermon was
preached in it August 20, 1899. The congrega-
tion of the First Methodist Church, formerly the
Fort street, has just completed a handsome build-
ing on the northeast corner of Hill and Sixth
streets. The following list gives the date of the
organization and location of the different Method-
ist churches of the city.

Grace I\Icthodist Episcopal Church, organized in
1883, originally located at No. 445 East First
street, since removed to Hewitt street.

Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church, No. 734
South Hope street, organized February 26, 1887.
The building and lot cost $50,000, since sold and
converted into an auditorium.

Central Methodist Church, organized September
12, 1S85, West Fifteenth street, between South
Main and Hill street.

Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, North
Workman, between Downey avenue and Hoff
street, organized in 1882.

\'incent Methodist Episcopal Church on East
Twenty-ninth street, near South Main, organized
May I, 1889.

Central Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church,
near corner Central and Vernon Avenue, organ-
ized March 18, 1888.

Doyle Heights Methodist Episcopal Church, No.
200 North St. Louis street, organized in 1883

First German Methodist Episcopal Church. West
Fourth street, between Broadway and Hill street,
organized November. 1876.

S7fedish Methodist Episcopal Chuich No. 717
South Los Angeles street, organized DeceniV-e-
25, 1887.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

WcslcY Chapel (Colored) corner Hast Sixth and
Maple Avenue, organized August 24, 1888.

University Metlwdist Episcopal C/iiirc/i, corner
WestTwentj'-seventh street and Weslej' Avenue,
organized 188 1.

Union Avcrtue Methodist Episcopal Church , cor-
ner Union Avenue and Court street, organized
in 1888.

Pico Heights Methodist Episcopal Church, West
Pico and Twelfth street, organized i8go.

Haven Methodist Episcopal Church, northwest
corner East Twentj'-seventh and Paloma street,
organized in 1890.

Prospect Park Methodist Episcopal Church, Sun-
set Boulevard and Park Place.

First Free Methodist Church, East Sixth, near
Crocker.

German Zioti Methodist Episcopal Church, No.
505 East Pico street."

Epu'orth Methodist Episcopal Church, corner
Bellevue Avenue and Centennial.

African Methodist Church, No. 312 Azusa street,
organized in 1S88.

German Evangelical Association, No. 718 South
Olive street, organized in 1884.

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES (SOUTH ).

The first permanent organization of this de-
nomination was effected in 1873. A lot was pur-
chased on the east side of Spring street, between
First and Second streets, where the Corfu Block
now stands. On this was erected the original
Trinity Church, under the pastorate of the Rev.
A. M. Campbell. This church was sold in 1884
and a larger lot purchased on Fort street, between
Fifth and Sixth streets. On this, in 1885, a
building costing about $40,000 was erected.
This lot was sold in 1894 at a handsome profit
and the pre.sent building on Grand avenue near
Eighth street built.

The other churches of this denomination are:

Bellevue Avemie, 1035 Bellevue avenue. Or-
ganized in 1886.

Free Methodist, East Fifth street, between
Crocker and Towne.

West End Methodist, 1809 South Union avenue.

Mateo Street Church, corner Mateo and Sixth
.street.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES.

As pioneers in the missionary field of Los An-
geles, the Methodists came first and the Presby-
terians second. The Rev. James Woods held the
first Presbyterian service in November, 1854, in
a little carpenter shop that stood on part of the
site now occupied by the Pico House. The first
organization of a Presbyterian church was ef-
fected in March, 1855, with twelve members.

The Rev. Mr. Woods held regular Sunday ser-
vice in the old Court House, northwest corner of
North Spring and Franklin streets, during the
fall of 1854 and part of the year 1S55, a"cl also
organized a Sunday School. He was succeeded
by the Rev. T. N. Davis, who continued regular
service until August, 1S56, when he abandoned
the field in disgust and returned to his home in
the east.

The editor of the Los Angeles Star, comment-
ing on his departure and on the moral destitution
of the city, says: "The Protestant portion of the
American population are now without the privi-
lege of assembling together to worship God un-
der direction of one of his ministers."

"The state of society here is truly deplorable."
:;; ;;: ;;; •.:: "To preacli week after week to empty
benches is certainh' not encouraging, but it in
addition to that a minister has to contend against
a torrent of vice and immorality which obliterates
all traces of the Christian Sabbath — to be com-
pelled to endure blasphemous denunciations of
his Divine Master; to live where society is disor-
ganized, religion scoffed at, where violence runs
riot, and even life itself is unsafe — such a condi-
tion of affairs may suit some men, but is not cal-
culated for the peaceful labors of one who follows
unobtrusively the footsteps of the meek and lowly
Savior."

The next Presbyterian minister to locale in
Los Angeles was the Rev. William E. Boardman.
He and his wife arrived February 6, 1S59. He
preached his first sermon February 26, in School'
House No. 2, located on Bath street north of the
plaza. He reorganized the Sunday school.

After the departure of the Rev. Mr. Davis in
1856, and the discontinuance of Methodist and
Episcopal services in the latter part of 1857 a
season of spiritual darkness enshrouded Los An-
geles. There was, as far as I can learn, no
Protestant service in Los Angeles during the
year 1858.

It had become clearly evident to the few church-
going people resident in the city that different de-
nominational church services could not be main-
tained in it. On the 4th of May, 1859, a
meeting was held (the Rev. W. E. Boardman act-
ing as chairman) at which an organization was
effected, known as the "First Protestant Society."
The object of the society was "to secure
for ourselves and others in our city the privilege
of divine worship according to the Protestant or-
der." The trustees elected were Judge I. S. K.
Ogier, Hon. B. D. Wilson, J. R. Gitchell, N. A.
Potter and Wm. McKee. J. R. Gitchell, Wni.
McKee and H. D. Barrows were appointed col-
lectors to obtain funds for the benefit of the so-
ciety. The organization was composed of mem-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

bers of different Protestant deiiomiiiatioiis and of
those who did not belong to any. The Rev. Mr.
Boardman continued to preach for the society up
to the time of his departure, April, 1862. The
services were held at first in the school house and
later in the court house.

A lot was secured at the southwest corner of
Temple and New High streets and the erection of
a brick church begun. The work progressed
slowly. When Mr. Boardman left, early in
1862, the walls were up and the roof on, but the
building was not fit for occupancy. After the
departure of Mr. Boardman another season of
"spiritual darkness" settled down on the city.
The War of Secession was in progress and sec-
tional hatreds were bitter. During 1863 and
1S64 there was no regular Protestant service. A
Methodist South minister bj- the name of Stewart
preached occasionally to a few Secession S3-mpa-
thizers, but the Unionists ignored his services.
The ne.Kt Presbyterian minister to locate in Los
Angeles was the Rev. W. C. Harding, who came
in 1869. He abandoned the field in 187 1. The
Rev. F. A. White, LL. D., came in 1875. He
was succeeded by the Rev. F. M. Cunningham,
and he by the Rev. J. W. Ellis. Under the min-
istry of Mr. Ellis in 1882-83 a church was erected
on the southeast corner of Broadway and Second
streets. The building and lot cost about $20,000.
Services were held in it until March, 1895, when
it was .sold for $55,000. The board of trustees,
backed up by a portion of the congregation, took
the funds and proceeded to build a palatial church
edifice at the corner of Figueroa and Twentieth
streets. This brought on a factional conflict.
The Presbytery divided the congregation of the
old First Church into two churches — the Central
and the Westminster— and awarded the Central
$23,790 of the proceeds of the sale of the First
Church lot and building. The Westminster fac-
tion claiming to be the real First Presbyterian re-
fused to divide. The conflict was eventually car-
ried to the highest ecclesiastical court of the de-
nomination—the General Assembly— and to the
highest civil court of the state — the Supreme
Court. In both these courts the action and the
award of the Presbytery was sustained. The
Westminster faction then deeded the lot and
church edifice at the corner of Twentieth and
Figueroa streets to the Central Church, incum-
bered by a $10,000 mortgage, and the majority
of them withdrew from the Presbyterian denomi-
nation; and under the leadership of B. E. How-
ard, whom the Presbytery had suspended from
the ministry, set up an independent church. A
portion of the members remained loval to the
Presbyterian faith and reorganized as the First

Presbj-terian Church and continued to occupy
the building at the corner of Figueroa and Twen-
tieth streets.

The other churches of this denomination in the
city are:

Scavid Pn'sbv/criaii, southwest corner of Daly
and Downey avenue. Organized in 18S4.

Third Presbyterian, southwest corner of Hill
and .Sixteenth streets, organized in 1885.

Bcyle Heights Presbyterian, North Chicago
street, organized in 1S86.

Iininanuel Presbyterian, southeast corner Fig-
ueroa and Tenth streets, organized in 1888.

Betliany Presbyterian, corner Bellevue and Hal-
liday, organized in 1887.

Bethesda Presbyte>ian, southwest corner Cen-
tral avenue and East Ninth street. Organized
in 1895.

Central Presbyterian, Y. M. C. A. Hall,
Broadway, organized in 1895.

Grand View Pirsbytei ian. West Washington
and Gertrude avenue.

Cliinese Presbyterian, 214 Wilmington street.

Welsh Presbyterian, 436 Crocker street.

Spanish Presbyterian, Avila and Macy streets.

Cumberland Presbyterian, 139 West Fifth. No
building. The church was organized in 1887.

First United Presbyterian, northeast corner Hill
and Eighth. This church was organized April
26, 1883, with fifteen members. It occupies its
own building.

Second United Presbyterian , corner Santee and
East Washington streets; organized in 1895.

Reformed Presbyterian, East Twenty-first and
Trinity streets.

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCHES.

The first Protestant Episcopal Church service
held in Los Angeles was conducted by Dr. Ma-
thew Carter. An item in the Weekly Star of May
9, 1857, states that " Dr. Carter announces that
he has been licensed and authorized by the Right
Rev. W. Ingrahain Kip, Bishop of California, to
act as lay reader for the Southern District." He
held regular service for a time in Mechanics'
Institute Hall, which was in a sheet-iron building
near the corner of Court and North Spring
streets. In October, 1857, St. Luke's parish was
organized, and the following named gentlemen
elected a board of trustees: Dr. T. J. White, Dr.
Mathew Carter and William Shore. A building
was rented on Main street, near Second, where
services were held every Sunday, Dr. Carter offi-
ciating. Services seem to have been discontinued
about the close of the year 1857, and the church
was dissolved. On January 1, 1865, the Rev.
Elias Birdsall, a missionary of the Protestant

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Episcopal Church, preached his first sermon in
Odd Fellows' Hall, Downey Block. The
Protestant society which had begun the erec-
tion of a church building in 1859 under the
ministration of the Rev. \Vm. E. Boardnian, a
Presbyterian minister, as has been previously
stated, offered the unfinished building to the
Rev. Mr. Birdsall for service. He assented to this
on condition that it be transferred to the Episco-
palians. Those who had contributed towards its
erection consented, and thetransftr was made. The
edifice was completed and named St. Athanasius
Church, and the Epi.scopalians continued to
worship in this building until Christmas, 1883, in
the meantime selling the property to the county
for a court-house site. A site for a new church
was purchased on Olive street, between Fifth and
Si.xth streets, where a handsome building was
erected. In 1884 the name of the organization
was changed to St. Paul's Church, the name it
still bears. The other churches of this organiza-
tion are:

Church of the Ascension, N. St. Louis, near
Brooklyn, organized in 1889.

Church of the Epiphany, corner N. Sichel and
Altura streets, organized in 1886.

Christ's Cliurch, N. E. corner W. Pico and S.
Flower, organized in 1887.

St. fohn's Church, S. E. corner \V. Adams and
S. Figueroa, organized in 1888.

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.

The first Congregational minister to locate in
Los Angeles was the Rev. Alexander Parker, a
Scotchman by birth and a graduate of Oberlin
College and Theological Seminary. He had
served in the Union army as a member of the
famous student company of Oberlin College — a
company whose membership was largely made up
of theological students.

He preached his first sermon here July 7, 1866,
in the court-house. A church was organized
July 21, 1867, with six members. A lot was
purchased on New High street, north of Temple,
where the Beaudry stone wall now stands, and a
movement begun to rai.se funds to build a church.
The effort was successful. The following extract
from the Los Angeles Star gives an account of
the dedication of the church:

"On Sunday morning la.st (June 28, 186S),
the new Congregational Church was opened for
divine service at 1 1 A. M.

"The Rev. E. C. Bissell, pastor of Green Street
Church, San Francisco, delivered the dedicatory
sermon. At the close of the sermon the Rev. Al-
exander Parker came forward and gave an account
of his stewardship in his exertions to raise this
house for the worship of God. The total cost

was about $3,000, of which $1,000 was obtained
from San Francisco; $1,000 partly as a loan and
partly as a gift from churches in the Atlantic
states, and collections of small amounts al home,
leaving at present a debt of about $400 on the
building, which, though complete, is not yet
quite furnished. The house is small, but very
neatlj' arranged; the pews are ample and com-
fortable, and the building is lofty and well venti-
lated. Its dimensions are 30x50 feet; it will seat
175 to 200 persons."

The Rev. Mr. Parker resigned in August, 1868.
He was succeeded by the Rev. Isaac W. Aiher-
ton, who reorganized the church November 29,
1868. Services were held in the little church on
New High street until 1883, when, on May 3d of
that year, the church on the corner of Hill and
Third streets was completed and dedicated. The
building lot and organ cost about $25,000. In
May, 18S8, this building was sold to the Central
Baptist Church, and a lot purchased on the south-
west corner of Hill and Si.xth street. On this a
building was erected in 1889. The cost of the
lot, church building and furnishing amounted to
about $72,000, to which has been added a fine
organ, at a cost of about $5,000. The other
churches of this denomination are:

The Second or Park Congre_<rational Church, cor-
ner Temple and Metcalf streets, organized June 8,
1884.

Third Congregational, cor. N. Main and Rail-
road streets, organized in 1884.

East Los Angeles Congregational, 140 N. Daly
street, organized March 20, 1887.

Plymouth Congregational, W. Twenty-first
street, near Lovelace, organized in 1888.

Olivet Congregational, W. Washington and
Magnolia, organized in 1889.

ll'est End Congregational, near Temple road,
organized in 1891.

Bethlehem Congregational, corner Vignes and
Lazard, organized in 1892.

Central Avenue Congregational, 2500 Central
avenue, organized in 1S92.

Pico Heights Congregational, El Molino street,
organized in 1887.

Vernon Congregational, 1270 Vernon avenue,
organized in 1885.

BAPTIST CHURCHES.

The first sermon preached by a Baptist minister
in Los Angeles was delivered by the Rev. Mr.
Freeman in 1853.

The fir.st regular church .services held in this
city by a Baptist minister were conducted by the
Rev. Mr. Fryer in .school house No. i, which
.stood on the northwest corner of Spring and
Second streets. The Rev. Mr. Fryer held serv-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

153

ices every, other Sunday during the year i860.
He seems to have abandoned the field in the early
part of 1 86 1. I find no record of any services by
a minister of that church between 1861 and 1874.

The First Baptist Cliurcli of Los Angeles was
organized September 6, 1874, by the Rev. Will-
iam Hobbs. There were but eight members in
the organization. The services were held in the
old court house. Dr. Hobbs severed his connec-
tion with the church in June, 1875. For fifteen
months the church was without a pastor. In
September, 1876, the Rev. Winfield Scott took
charge of it. He was succeeded in 1878 by the
Rev. I. N. Parker, and he by the Rev. Henry
Angel, who died in 1879.

The church meetings were transferred from the
court house to a hall owned by Dr. Zahn, on
Spring street between Fourth and Fifth streets.
From there it moved to Good Templars' Hall on
North Main street. The ordinance of baptism
was administered either in the river or in the
baptistery of the Christian Church on Temple
street.

For two years after the death of Dr. Angel the
church remained without a regular minister. In
1 88 1 the Rev. P. W. Dorsey took charge of it.
A lot was secured on the northeast corner of
Fort and Sixth streets, and in March, 1884, a
church building was completed and dedicated.
The building and lot cost about $25,000. In the
summer of 1897 the lot and building were sold
for $45,000, and with the addition of $5,000
raised by subscription a larger and more commo-
dious building was erected on Flower street, be-
tween Seventh and Eighth streets.

The other churches of this denomination are:

The East Los Angeles Baptist Church, corner of
Daly and Manitou avenue; organized Septem-
ber, 1885.

Memorial Baptist, Twenty- third and Grand
avenue; organized January, 1889.

Central Baptist, Pico and Flower streets; or-
ganized June, 1885.

American Baptist, Twenty-ninth and Orchard;
organized 1895.

Bethel, Twenty-fifth and Central avenue; or-
ganized 1896.

German, Eighth and Maple; organized 1886.

Swedish, -ji-j West Eighth; organized 1887.

Baptist Colored Churches — Mt. Zion, Second,
St. Paul's and Tabernacle.

The aggregate membership of the Baptist
churches in Los Angeles is about 2,500.

CHRISTIAN CHURCHES.

The first sermon preached by a member of the
Christian denomination was delivered by the
Rev. G. W. Linton in August, 1874, in the court

room of the old court house. In October and
November of that year inquiries were made in
the city for persons who had been connected with
the church in other places. Twent}-- three were
found. Of these fifteen signified their willingness
to unite in forming a church. On the 26th of Feb-
ruary, 1875, the first church was organized. The
Rev. W. J. A. Smith was the first preacher. He
conducted church services from 1875 to 1877.
He was succeeded by the Rev. John C. Hay, who
served as pastor from 1877 to 1881. The Rev.
B. F. Coulter filled the pulpit from 1881 to 1884.
During his ministry, and largely through his
contributions, the First church was built on
Temple street near Broadway. Services were
held in this building until 1894, when it was sold
and a church edifice erected on the corner of
Hope and Eleventh streets at a cost of $25,000.
The Rev. A. C. Smithers, pastor^ membership,
600. In 1895 the Rev. B. F. Coulter erected the
Broadway Church of Christ on Broadway near
Temple, at a cost of about $20,000. He con-
ducts the services in this church, which has a
membership of between five and .six hundred and
is free of debt.

The other churches of the denomination are:

East Los Angeles Christian Church, organized
in 1888.

The Central Christian Church, located at 3306
South Main; organized August 2, 1891.

East Eighth Christian Church, near Central
avenue; organized September 9, 1897. Rev.
W. J. A. Smith, pastor.

LUTHERAN CHURCHES.

First German, 755 S. Flower, was organized in
1883. Cost of lot and building, $20,000.

Sii'cdish, Tenth and Grand avenue, was or-
ganized in 1888. Value of church property,
$15,000.

First English Lutheran, Flower and Eighth
streets, was organized in 1887. Value of church
property, $25,000.

HOLINESS CHURCHES.

Church of the Redeemer, 1231 West Jefferson
street, was organized June, 1896.

No)ih Chicago Street. Value of propertj',
$1,000.

UNITARIAN CHURCHES.

The first religious services held by the Uni-
tarians were at the residence of T. E. Severance
in March, 1877. In May of that year an organi-
zation was perfected and regular services were
conducted by the Rev. John D. Wells.

In 1885 the Rev. Eli Fay located in Los An-
geles and conducted services for a time in the

154

IILSTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Masonic Hall, 135 S. Spring stiL-et. The cliuicli
was reorganized and the services were held in
Child's Opera House on Main street. A lot was
secured on Seventh street near Broadway, and
largel)- through the liberality of Dr. Fay a
church building, 45x100 feet in area, was erected
at a cost of $25,000. The church was dtdicattd
June 16, 1889. It was destroyed by fire in 1892.
The congregation then purchased from the Bap-
tists the church building on the northeast corner
of Hill and Third streets, originally built by the
Congregationalisls. This site was sold for busi-
ness purposes in 1899. The last sermon was
preached in it by the Rev. C. K Jones March
18, 1900. The congregation is building a new
church on Flower street near Nintli.

The Rev. J. S. Thomp.son, formerly pastor of
the Unity Church, organized the Independent
Church of Chcist, April, 1S99, a portion of the
membership of the Church of the Unity joining
the Independent Church. vServices are held in
the Simpson Auditorium.

SYNAGOGUES.

Congregation of B' nai B' rith. The first Jew-
ish services in Los Angeles were held in 1S54.
No place of worship was erected for several years
later. In 1862 Rabbi A. W. Edleman organ-
ized the congregation of B'nai B'rith and con-
ducted the services until 1886.

The first synagogue was built in 1873 on what
is now the site of the Gardner-Zeller Block, just

north of the cit>- hall grounds on the east side
of Broadway. The lot and building were sold in
1894 and a new synagogue erected on the corner
of Ninth and Hope streets.

Congregation Kali-FJ Israel meets at 107 J^ N.
Main street. Rabbi A. W. Edleman officiates.

Congregation Belli El meets at Ebell Hall.
M. G. Solomon, rabbi.

OTHER DENOMINATIONS.

The reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints
(Mormon) was first organized in the autumn of
18S2. Services are now held at 516 Temple
street.

The New Church (Swedenborgian) was organ-
ized in 1S94, and held services for some time in
Temperance Temple. It has since erected a
church building at 515 East Ninth street at a
cost of $3,000.

Seventh Day Adventist, organized in 18S0,
and built a church on Sixth street. They have
now a church at 121 Carr street which cost
$6,000.

Friends Church was organized in 1897. The
congregation will soon erect a church building
on the corner of Third and Fremont avenue at a
cost of $4,000.

Church of the Nazarene was organized in 1895
by Dr. J. P. Widney. The denomination has a
church building on Los Angeles street, between
Fifth and Sixth. It has twelve mission branches,
some of which have buildings.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XXXL

LOS ANGELES WATER SYSTEMS— LITIGATION AND ARBITRATION.

<^^HE principal source of the water supplj- of
fn the city of Los Angeles is the Los Angeles
\G) Ri^'er, which rises on the Encino Rancho,
^^ about twelve miles northwest of the city.

When the pueblo of Los Angeles was founded,
September 4, 1781, there were no settlements
above it on the river. Governor Felipe de
Neve's famous reglamento of 1779, approved by
King Carlos III. of Spain in 1781, gave to the
pueblos of California the right to the waters of
the rivers on which they were located.

The first community work done by the pobla-
dores or founders of Los Angeles was the con-
struction of a water distributing system. Their
water system was a very primitive affair. It
consisted of a toma or dam made of brush and
poles placed in the river just above where the
Buena Vista street bridge now crosses it, and
zanja or irrigating ditch to convey the water
from the river to their planting fields and to
supply them with water for domestic purposes.

This ditch was known then and for a century
after as the "Zanja Madre," or mother ditch. It
was constructed along the mesa at the foot hills
on the western side of the river above the culti-
vated lands. It passed near the northeastern
corner of the old plaza, and from this point the
colonists took from it their household water
supply.

As the population of the pueblo increased and
more land was brought under cultivation the
water system was enlarged by the construction of
new zanjas, but there was no attempt to convey
the water into the houses by pipes.

In early times the dam and the main zanja
were kept in repair by coramunit}' labor, or
rather by the labor of the Indians owned or em-
ployed by the colonists; each land owner being
required to furnish his quota of Indian laborers.
The work of cleaning the main zanjas and keep-
ing the tomas in repair was usually done under
the superintendence of one of the regidores
(councilmen) , each regidor taking his weekly
turn as ovenseer of community work. Some-
times, when the work was urgent and the labor-

ers few, a raid was made on the unemployed In-
dians around town, who were forced for a time to
carry the white man's burdens without recom-
pense. It kept them out of mischief

For several years after the American conquest
the old water distributing system was continued,
but it was not satisfactory to the new rulers.
Water for domestic use was taken from the
zanjas in buckets and carried to the consumers
by Indians. Then some genius devised a system
of distributing from barrels rolled through the
streets by horse power. Then water carts came
into use.

The firbt proposition to distribute water for
domestic purposes by means of pipes was made
by William G. Dryden to the council June 21,
1853. He asked for a twenty-years' franchise
and a bonus of two leagues of land. His offer
was rejected.

In 1854 the water system, both for domestic
use and irrigating, was made a special depart-
ment of the city and placed under the charge of a
water overseer.

February 24, 1857, William G. Dryden was
granted a franchise by the city council to convey
"all and any water that may rise or can be col-
lected upon his lands in the northern part of the
city of Los Angeles*, over, under and through
the streets, lanes, alleys and roads of Los An-
geles City." He was also granted the right "to
place on the main zanja a water wheel to raise
water by machinery to supply the city with
water."

Under this system, a brick reservoir was
built in the center of the plaza. It was supplied
by pumps operated by a wheel in the zanja,
near the present junction of San Fernando and
Alameda streets. Later on the wheel and pump
were moved to the northeastern corner of Ala-
meda and Marchessault streets, where the water
company's office building now stands, and, as

*The Dryden Springs so called, were located on wlial i
ner times was a marshy tract of land, lying jnst southeast c

San Fertiando depot grounds, where, later on, the Beaudr
er works were located. In earlier times they were known a

Abila Springs,

156

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

before, was propelled by the waters of the zanja.
Iron pipes were laid from this reservoir on the
plaza and water was distributed to a number of
houses along the principal streets.

The city had extended its water system as its
means would allow; its revenue was small and its
needs great. So but very little had been accom-
plished in the fifteen j^ears immediately follow-
ing the American conquest towards building up
a system for distributing water for domestic use.

December 23, 1861, the city council ordered
the issuing of $15,000 of water scrip for the com-
pletion of the "pipes, flumes and reservoir of the
new water works and the building of a brick
house near the dam for the zanjero." Next day
it rained and it continued to do so for a month
almost continuously. The dam in the river was
swept away, leaving the wheel which raised the
water into the flumes and zanjas high and dry.
With "water, water everywhere" the inhabitants
had not a drop to drink except what they ob-
tained from the water carts.

The council petitioned the legislature to pass
an act authorizing the city to borrow $25,000 to
complete the water works. The works then in
course of construction consisted of a current
wheel placed in a zanja at the city dam, which by
means of buckets attached to the paddles, raised
the water into a flume which conveyed it to a
reservoir near the Catholic cemetery, from
whence it was conducted in wooden pipes to con-
sumers. In August, 1862, the mayor and com-
mon council let a contract to Jean L. Sansevain
to build a dam, flume, and other works for the
sum of $18,000. This dam was quite an elabor-
ate affair. Two rows of piles fifteen and eighteen
feet long and six feet apart were driven acro.ss
the river. These were planked with two-inch
plank seven feet below the river bed and the
interstices between the rows excavated and filled
with rock. The dam was designed to raise the
water seven feet above the river bed.

Municipal ownership of its water works proved
too great a burden for the city to bear, so it cast
about for some one on whom to unload it.
February 8, 1865, a lease of the public water
works of Los Angeles City, with all its flumes,
pipes, canals, reservoirs and appurtenances, with
the right to build reservoirs on vacant cit\- lands,
distribute and sell water and collect water rates
from consumers, was made to David W. Alexan-
der for a term of four years, with the privilege of
contiiniing the lease six years after the expira-
tion of four years. Alexander was to pay the city
a rental of $1,000 a year, and at the expira-
tion of his lease to deliver up the works and
additions to the city free of all incumbrances or
debts. Alexander soon tired of carrying the

city's burdens. August 7, 1865, he assigned his
lease to Jean L. Sansevain. October 16, 1865,
the city made a lease direct with Sansevain.
Sansevain extended the wooden pipes down as
far as Third street. The pipes were bored out
of pine tree trunks in the mountains back of San
Bernardino and were similar to the wooden pump
stocks once in common use in the eastern states.
Sansevain's system was not a success. The
pipes leaked and burst with pressure and the
streets were frequently rendered impassable by
flooding from the broken pipes.

November 18, 1867, Sansevain entered into a
contract with the city to lay 5,000 feet of two and
three inch iron pipe at a cost of about $6,000 in
scrip, he to pay 10 per cent, per ainium on the
cost of the pipe for its use; the city to accept its
own scrip in payment.

The great flood of 1867-68 swept away the
dam, and again the city was without water.

Sansevain, discouraged by his repeated failures
and losses, in February, 1868, transferred his
lease to J. S. Griffin, Prudent Beaudry and Sol-
omon Lazard. They completed his contract with
the city to lay iron pipe, and received their pay
in city water scrip. P. McFadden, who had ob-
tained the old Dryden water system, was a com-
petitor with Griffin for the Sansevain lease, but
failed to secure it.

Griffin and his associates made a proposition to
the council to lease from the city the water works
for a period of fifty years on certain conditions.
These conditions and stipulations were incorpo-
rated into an ordinance, but instead of leasing, it
was now proposed to sell the works outright on
the same conditions offered in the proposed lea.se.
These were: Griffin and his associates to pay to
the city in gold coin $10,000 in 5 yearly payments
of $2,000 each; to surrender to the city $6,000
worth of warrants on the city water fund held by
them; to cancel $6,000 of claims against the city
for repairs; also to cancel a claim of $2,000 for
loss of four months' rental lost to them; to build
a reservoir at a cost of $15,000; to lay twelve
miles of iron pipe in the streets; to place a hydrant
at one corner of street crossings; to supply the
public buildings of the city with water free of
cost; and to construct an ornamental fountain on
the plaza costing not less than $1,000. The
whole expenditure was estimated to aggregate
$208,000. Upon Griffin, Beaudry and Lazard,
or their assigns, giving a bond of $50,000 for the
performance of these stipulations, the mayor was
to execute a quit-claim deed to them of the city
water works, pipes, flumes, etc., and a franchise
to take ten inches of water from the river.

The Griffin proposition was referred by the coun-
cil to a committee of three for examination. The

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

157

committee brought in a majority and minority
report. The minority report pronounced strongly
against the scheme. The majority advised its
acceptance, and in its lengthy report dealt a back-
handed blow at municipal ownership. "Thirdly,
we do not believe it advisable or prudent for the
city to own property of this nature, as it is well
known by past experience that cities and towns
can never manage enterprises of that nature as
economically as individuals can; and besides it is
a continual source of anno>ance and is made a
political hobby."

When the ordinance came before the council
for adoption (June i, 1868,) the vote was a tie.
After some hesitation Murray Morrison, the pres-
ident, cast his vote in the affirmative, signed the
ordinance immediatelj', and then resigned from
the council to take the position of judge of the
17th judicial district, to which he had recently
been appointed by the governor. Mayor Aguilar
vetoed the ordinance and saved to the city its
water privileges.

Griffin and his associates then made a proposi-
tion to lease the works and franchise for a period
of thirty years, paying$i,5oo a year and perform-
ing the other conditions stipulated in the former
offer. John Jones offered $50,000 in yearly in-
stallments of $1,000, or the whole in 25 years for
a lease. Juan Bernard and P. McFadden, owners
of the Dryden system, offered $30,000 for a
twenty years' lease, to begin at the expiration of
the Sansevain lease.

The water question became the all-absorbing
topic of discussion. Petitions and protests were
showered upon the council. A special election
was held on the 15th of June to choose two coun-
cilmen to fill vacancies in the city council. The
opponents of the Griffin scheme carried the day.

At the meeting of the council, July 20, Juan
Bernard and others presented a petition, propos-
ing to lease the city water works for twenty years,
paying therefor the sum of $2,000 a year, and
offering to perform the same specifications as were
contained in the Griffin proposition. J. G. How-
ard, Esq., in behalf of himself and a number of
citizens and taxpayers, asked to be heard on the
Bernard proposition. He was curtly informed
by the president of the council, John King, that
he (King) did not wish to hear a speech. Then
C. E. Thorn, Esq., on his own behalf as a citizen,
asked permission to be heard. The chair ruled
that they did not wish to hear discussion from
outsiders, whereupon Captain Thorn desired a
solemn protest to be entered against the ruling of
the chair. The question then arose upon a post-
ponement of final action upon the Griffin propo-
sition. The vote was a tie; the president cast
the deciding vote in the negative.

The question of the acceptance of the proposi-
tion of J. S. Griffin and his associates was put to
vote and carried — ayes, four; noes, two. The
ordinance was signed by the president of the coun-
cil and referred to the mayor, who approved it
on the 22d of July, 1868. And thus the specter
of "municipal ownership of a public utility," that
for two decades had haunted the council chamber
and affrighted the taxpayer, was exorcised — ad-
jured from evil for a generation to come. The
thirty years are gone, and again the specter
arises from the mists of the past to worry us.

The city gained nothing financially by leasing
for thirty years. It was receiving from the assigns
of Sansevain $1,500 a year rental on a lease that
had but little over six years to run. The long-
time lease did not increase this amount. With
the increase of population the water franchise
was growing more valuable every year. It is
difficult at this late day to discover the motive
that actuated a majority of the council to force
through a proposition that was certainly not the
best one offered. The most charitable conclusionr
is that the water question had become to the
councilmen a "bete noir," a bugbear, and they
were anxious to di.spose of it to the parties who
would take it off their hands for the longest time.
One of the most active and consistent opponents
of the Griffin proposition was councilman A. A.
Boyle, after whom Boyle Heights is named. In
the light of our present experience with the W^ater
Compan}- his protests seem almost prophetic.

Shortly after obtaining the thirty years' lease,
Messrs. Griffin, Beaudry and Lazard transferred
it to an incorporation named The Los Angeles
City Water Company; the first trustees of which
were J. S. Griffin, P. Beaudry, S. Lazard, J. G.
Downey, A. J. King, Eugene Meyer and Charles
Lafoon.

Juan Bernard and P. McFadden, the owners
of the Dryden franchise, made an attempt to
continue the distribution of water. As they could
no longer use their reservoir on the plaza they
petitioned the city council for a reservoir site on
Fort Hill. The City Water Company petitioned
for a reservoir site in the same place. In a pro-
test to the city council, September 14, 1868,
against granting Juan Bernard and others a
site for a reservoir on Fort Hill, P. Beaudry, pres-
ident of theLos Angeles City Water Company , uses
this language: "That the waterworks of which
the undersigned are lessees is the property of the
city and will at the expiration of the term of the
present contract revert to the city with the im-
provements made thereon by the undersigned ; that
any aid extended by the city to private companies
tends to reduce the value of property belonging
to the city and is a direct blow at her interests."

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

In the same protest the president of the
Los Angeles City Water Compaiu' declares
that Juan Bernard's company "has no legal
or equitable rights to or upon said plaza,
but are now trespassers thereon." The City
Water Company finally secured the Bernard
and McFadden Water Works, including the
brick reservoir on the plaza. With its rival
out of business, the company was not nearly so
anxious to build an ornamental fountain for the
city. Two years passed and no fountain played
on the plaza. The third year was passing when,
on December 2, 1870, the late Judge Brunson,
then attorney for the water company, appeared
before the council with certain propositions look-
ing to a settlement, as he st\led it, of "the much
vexed question of the reservoir and plaza improve-
ments," to wit: "The water company will remove
the reservoir from the plaza and convey all its
rights in and to the plaza to the city of Los
Angeles; will lay it off in walks and ornamental
grounds; will erect on it an ornamental fountain
•at a cost not to exceed $1 ,000, and will surrender
to the city all water scrip (about $3,000) now held
by the company; provided said city will reduce
the rent paid by the company to the city to $300
per annum." As the contract required the
company to build a fountain, some of the coun-
cilmen demurred to giving up $i,2co for very
little return. Then Brunson threatened to bring
suit against the city to defend the company's
rights. The council alarmed, hastened to com-
promise on the basis of $400 a year, thus surren-
dering $1,100 a year.

In 1872 P. Beaudry established a water system
for supplying the hills with water. Near the
crossing of College and Alameda streets, where
the Dryden springs were located, he excavated a
large basin and with a sixty horse power engine
running a pump with the capacity of 40,000
gallons per hour, forced the water to an elevation
of 240 feet into two reservoirs located on the hills
northeast of the present site of the Sisters' hos-
pital. From these it was distributed over the
hill section of the city in iron pipes.

The Citizens' Water Company was organized
in 1886. It bought out the Beaudry and Rogers
systems. The latter was a system which obtained
water from the seepings of reservoir No. 4. The
lease of the water from the Beaudry springs
expiring, February i, 1887. the works were taken
down and the Citizens' Company obtained its
water after that date from the river about four
miles above the city. This system was purchased
by the Los Angeles City Water Company in 1892.

The Canal and Reservoir Companj' was organ-
ized in 1868 with a capital stock of $200,000. Its
first officers were George Hansen, president; J.

W. Greensmith, treasurer; and J. J. Warner, sec-
retary. P. Beaudry was one of the largest stock-
holders. This company contracted with the city
to build writhin three years a dam twenty feet
high across the canon just below where Echo
Park is now located and to construct a ditch
down the canon of the Arroyo de Los Reyes to
Pearl street, the object of which was to furnish
water to the hill portions of the city and tupply
power for manufacturing. In 1S73 a woolen
mill was built on this ditch and was operated for
twelve or fifteen years and was then converted
into an ice factory. The company received in
compensation for the construction of this system
a large body of city land, since known as the
canal and reservoir lands.

A CENTURY OF LITIGATION.

Almost from the beginning of the century the
city at various times has been compelled to en-
gage in litigation to preserve her water rights.

The first legal contest over water rights on the
Los Angeles River was begun in 1810. The
padres of San Fernando had caused a dam to be
constructed at Cahuenga, by which the waters of
the river were diverted from its channel. The
authorities of the pueblo protested, and appointed
a committee to investigate. The committee re-
ported that the dam cut off the source of the
pueblo's water supply, thereby causing great
damage and suffering to the people of the town.
The padres denied the allegation, and set up a
claim to the water on the plea that the dam had
been used bj- a previous occupant of the land for
fourteen years. There were no lawyers in Cali-
fornia then, and the contestants fought their legal
battle to a finish among themselves. The padres
were finally compelled to concede the justice of
the pueblo's claim to the waters of the river.
They asked and were granted permission to use
enough water to irrigate a small tract of land to
supply the mission with corn. This was granted,
with a definite understanding that, should the
settlers' water supply at any time run short, the
mission should cease to use the river water. The
agreement between the contestants was signed
March 26, 18 10, and was approved bv Governor
Arrellaga.

Time passes. Spain no longer controls the
destinies of California, but the missions, in the
language of a protest in the old archives, "still
maintain their proud old notions of being the
owners of all the natural products of forest and
field."

The pueblo had won its suit for possession of
the waters of the river umlerthe rule of monarch-
ical Spain, but it must again contend for its right
under republican Mexico.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

In the proceedings of the most illustrious
ayuntamiento of Los Angeles, October 8, 1833,
is this entr}': "The ayuntamiento of this town
finding it absolutely necessary to obtain by all
means possible the prosperity of our fellow citi-
zens residing in this community, so as to facili-
tate the greatest advantages to their interest: we
have been compelled to name an individual with
sufficient power from this body to defend with all
the power of the law the question arising between
this corporation and the reverend father, the
teacher of the San Fernando Mission, with refer-
ence to his claim on the lands called Cahuenga,
where said father has built a house and made
other improvements (constructed a dam in the
river). Notwithstanding, the lands are known
as public lands. To that effect we name citizen
Jos^ Antonio Carrillo, on whom sufficient power
is conferred to prosecute, defend and allege ac-
cording to law before the proper tribunals the ques-
tions between the corporation of this town and
the reverend father of the mission of San Fernando.
Said Carrillo may refer to this ayuntamiento at
any time for all information and documents.
Unanimously ordered by this corporation."

Carrillo, who was at that time alcalde of Los
Angeles, and also a member of the territorial
legislature, although not a practicing lawyer, was
well versed in the law and one of the ablest men
of California.

He won his case. The reverend father aban-
doned his claim to the Cahuenga, conceded the
claims of the ayuntamiento and allowed the
waters of the river, unpent, to flow to the pueblo.
Two years later the mission of San Fernando was
secularized. Then contention between the pueblo
and the mission fathers over the waters of the
river that had existed for more than a generation
was ended forever. In every contest the pobla-
dores of the pueblo had won.

The mission propertv passed into the hands of
an agent or commissioner of the government,
and he, too, like his predecessors of San Fer-
nando, had to learn that the river waters belonged
to the pueblo, or cit}', as it had now become. In
the session of the ayuntamiento of April 7, 1836,
the president said "that the party in charge of
San Fernando Mission was damming the water
of the river at Cahuenga," as he had been in-
formed by a commission he had appointed to in-
vestigate. "The damming of the city's river
water was reducing the supply in the public res-
ervoir and causing injury to this vicinity." He
said that he acquainted the ayuntamiento of these
facts, "so that it might take measures to protect
the interests of the community." The city at-
torney and Regidor Lugo were appointed a com-
mittee to defend the city's rights.

At the next session "the city attorney, as one
of the committee appointed to investigate the
damming of one of the branches of the river by
the man in charge of the ex-mission of San Fer-
nando, gave as his opinion that there was suffi-
cient water in the 'city's river' to supply the
main zanja and the private zanjas;" but, he said,
furthermore, "that the man in charge of San
Fernando had promised him in case said dam
should break and damage the city reservoir that
he (the man) would repair the same at his own
expense, and if the supply of water should at any
time fall short in the river he would break said
dam that he had constructed and allow all the
water to flow into the river. ' ' Thus we see in
the early days of the pueblo the authorities
guarded with jealous care the pueblo's water
rights. There was no dallying with adverse
claimants; no allowing of cases to go by default;
no jeopardizing the city's rights by criminal de-
lay. The old regidores might be "poco tiempo"
in some things, but when the city's water rights
were in danger they were prompt to act.

Nor did they guard their claim to the waters
of the river alone. The royal reglamento gave
the pueblo the right to the waters of the springs
as well as to the river.

In the city archives is a parallel case to the
Crystal Springs controversy. It is the "Aguage
de los Abilas, ' ' the spring of the Abilas. During
the great flood of 18 15 the river cut a new chan-
nel for itself along the edge of the mesa on the
western side of the valley. It left its old channel
at the point of the hills and flowed down the val-
ley very nearly on what is now the line of San
Fernando and Alameda streets. It subsequently
returned to its old channel on the eastern side of
its valley. For many years after, along the base
of the hills where the San Fernando Depot
grounds now are, and below that where the
Beaudry water-works were formerly located,
there were springs formed by the percolation of
the water through the old river channel. Along
about 1826 or '27, Francisco Abila was allowed
to use the waters of the largest of these springs
for irrigation.

In 1833 his widow, Sefiora Encarnacion Sepul-
veda, applied for a land grant and the exclusive
possession of this spring on the plea of having
had the exclusive use of the spring for a long
time. The case was argued in the ayuntamiento,
and that august body prompfly decided it against
her. While its decision is not couched in the
legal verbiage of a supreme court decision, it
nevertheless abounds in good sense and good law
points.

This is the decision: "The illustrious ayunta-
miento decided that the spring in cjuestion should

[6o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

be held for the benefit of the public, who would
be injured if this spring belonged to a private in-
dividual. Furthermore, this illustrious aj'unta-
miento is informed that the immediate ueighbor-
hood is in need of the water from that spring.
In this particular, Captain Don Jos^ Noriega,
who granted said Abila the use of this spring, de-
creed as follows: 'The said water springs are
hereby granted to Abila in case the public does
not desire to use its waters.'

"This ayuntamiento also takes into considera-
tion that when said spring was granted to the
late Francisco Abila, the number of residents in
this city was not as large as now. Also at that
time said Abila possessed a small orchard, which
he irrigated with the waters of this spring, but at
present he does not possess any lands; and there
is nothing to irrigate on his former place. Seiiora
Encarnacion Sepulveda has no more right to the
waters of this spring than any other resident, it
being community property. She as well as the
rest of the community shall apply to the alcalde
for a permit at any time they may need to use the
water of said spring."

It was ordered that this decision be published
as an ordinance of the city.

During the .sixty-six years that Los Angeles
was under Spanish and Mexican domination, no
cloud was allowed to rest on the water rights of
the pueblo or of its successor, the ciudad, but
during the fifty-two years of American rule clouds
have shadowed it, nor have they all rolled by. I
have space in this only to briefly glance at a few of
the legal contests which the city has fought over
its water rights of late years.

In 1873 the city of Los Angeles brought suit
against Leon McL. Baldwin to quiet its title to
two irrigation heads of water that said Baldwin
and others were appropriating and claiming to
own. These heads were taken from the river
and used on Los Feliz Rancho. The court held
that, so far as appears from the evidence given,
the city is not the owner of the "corpus" of the
water of the river. By reason of this decision
and failure to prosecute a former action brought
against the same parties, the city in 1S84 paid
$50,000 to buy back the.se two irrigation heads of
water and some other privileges lost by default.

A suit was brought by Anastacio Feliz against
the city of Los Angeles for cutting off the water
of the river from the plaintiff's ditch. In this
case the court foundnhat ever since the founda-
tion of the pueblo in 1781, the pueblo or its suc-
cessor, the city, had claimed the exclusive right
to use all the waters of the Los Angeles River,
and said right had been recognized and allowed
by owners of the land at the source and border-
ing on said river.

The judge of the lower court (McNealy)
granted a perpetual injunction, enjoining the city
from depriving the plaintiff Feliz of sufficient
river water for irrigation and domestic use. The
Supreme Court set aside the injunction and re-
versed the judgment of the lower court. The
Supreme Court, however, held in its decision,
that if there was a surplus in the river over and
above the needs of the lands situated within the
city limits, that surplus might be appropriated by
riparian owners above the city, but that the city
could not sell water to parties outside of its limits
to the detriment of riparian owners above it.
This decision was rendered before our municipal
expansion began.

The last important legal battle which the city
has fought to a finish is the Pomeroy-Hooker
case, entitled "The City of Los Angeles, respond-
ent, vs. A. E. Pomeroy and J. D. Hooker,
appellants," decided by the Supreme Court June,
1899. It was begun in one of the superior courts
of Los Angeles in 1893 and carried to the Su-
preme Court of the state.

It was a suit to condemn a tract of about 315
acres of land lying near the base of the Cahuenga
range, and extending along the river nearly two
miles in length by half a mile in width.

Being at a point where the Verdugo hills come
nearest the Cahuenga range and thus narrow the
river valley, the land was needed by the city for
headworks. The city and the owners could not
agree on the price, the owners asking a high price
on account of the percolating waters from the river,
which waters they claimed the right to sell. The
city began a suit of condemnation and gained it.
The defendants appealed from the decree of con-
demnation and from the order overruling their
motion for a new trial. The Supreme Court, in
a lengthy decision, sustained the rulings of the
lower court.

When the thirty years' contract with the as-
signs of Messrs. Griffin, Beaudry and Lazard
expired July 22, 189S, a number of schemes were
broached by which the city could get possession
of the water works. None of these resulted in
anything more than talk and some long-winded
resolutions for political effect.

The question of the value of the water com-
pany's plant was submitted to arbitration, as
provided for in the original contract. The city
council chose James C. Kays and the water com-
pany Charles T. Healey. After considerable
time spent in collecting data and discussing
values, these two arbitrators, being unable to
agree, chose for the third Col. George H. Men-
dell. On the 12th of May, 1S99, James C. Kays
and George H. Mendell made an award fixing the
value of the Los Angeles City Water Company's

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

property at $1,183,591.42. From this award
Charles T. Healey dissented.

August 23, 1899, an election was held to au-
thorize the issuing of city bonds to the amount of
$2,090,000, part of this to pay the City Water

Company the award of the board of arbitration
and the remainder to be used in the construction
of head works, the building of reservoirs, pipe
lines, etc. The bond issue carried seven to one.
And there the question rests for the present.

CHAPTER XXXIL

LOS ANGELES CITY OFFICIALS, PAST AND PRESENT.

The following lists contain the names and dates
of service of the persons who have held office in
the city government from July, 1 850, to December,
1900. From 1850 to 1868 the city elections were
held annually on the first Monday of May, and
the term of office was for one year. Since 1868
the term of office has been two years, and the
elections have been held on the first Monday of
December, biennially:

MAYOR.

A. P. Hodges 1 8 SO

B. D. Wilson 1851

John G. Nichols 1852

A. F. Coronel 1853

Stephen C. Foster 1854

Thomas Foster 1855

Stephen C. Foster 1856

(Foster resigned, and was succeeded by
John G. Nichols.)

John G. Nichols 1857-58

D. Marchessault 1859

H. Melius* i860

D. Marchessault 1861-64

Jose Mascarel .... 1865

C. Aguilar 1866

D. Marchessault 1867

C. Aguilar 1868-69

Joel Turner 1 869-7 1

C. Aguilar 1871-72

J. R. Toberman 1873-74

P. Beaudry 1875-76

F. A. McDougal 1877-78

J. R. Toberman 1879-82

C. E. Thorn 1883-84

E. F. Spence 1885-86

W. H. Workman 1887-88

John Bryson to March, 1889

(New Charter Adopted.)

H. T. Hazard March, 1889-90

H. T. Hazard 1891-92

Thos. E. Rowan 1893-94

Frank Rader 1895-96

M. P. Snyder 1897-98

Fred Eaton 1899

CITY MARSHAL.

City Marshals were elected at first annually —
from 1869 on, till the office was discontinued,
biennally.

Samuel Whiting 1850

Alex. Gibson 1851

Wm. Reader 1852

A. S. Beard 1853

(Beard was removed from office. )

Geo. W. Cole 1854

A. Shelby 1855

W. C. Getman* 1856-57

F. H. Alexander 1858-59

Thomas Traflford 1860-63

J. Ownby 1864

Wm. C. Warren 1865-67

John Trafiford 1 868

Wm. C. Warren* 1869-70

Francis Baker 1871-72

R.J. Wolf 1873-74

J. J. Carrillo 1875-76

CHIEF OF POLICE.

The office of City Marshal was di.scontinued in

•Killed while in office.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1876, and that of Chief of Police created. The
chiefs are appointed by the council :

J. F. Gerkins 1S77

Emil Harris 1878

Henry King i S79

Henry King 1880

George C. Gard 1881

Henry King 1882

(King resigned June, 1883.)

T. J. Cuddy 1883-84

E. M. McCarthy, appointed in Jan.,

1885; removed May 12, 1885.
John Horner, May 14, 1885 to 1886.

J. W. Davis 1886

J. W. Davis removed; C. A. Ketler

acting for three months.
J. K. Skinner, 1887 (removed).
P. M. Darcy, acting for three months.
T. J. Cuddy, 1888 (removed).
H. H. Benedict, for three mouths.
Terrence Cooney, 1889; went out on
adoption of the new charter; J.
F. Burns, appointed March, i8go
(removed July 24, 1S90).
J. M. Glass, appointed July, 1S90; re-
signed January, igoo.
Chas. F. Elton (January). 1900

CITY CLERK.

(Appointed by the council from 1850 to 1889.)

Wm. G. Drvden 1850-59

W. W. Stetson 1860-62

B. 8. Eaton 1863

C. R. Ayers 1864-65

O. N. Potter 1866

W. G. Dryden 1867-70

M. Kremer 1871-75

S. B. Casswell 1876-78

W. W. Robinson 1879-86

F. G. Teed 1887-88

M. F. Stiles 1889

(Stiles went out of office on the adop-
tion of the new charter. The
City Clerks since 18S9 have been
elected at the city elections.)

F. G. Teed.. 1889-92

Chas. Luckenback 1 893-96

C. H. Hance 1897

CITY .VTTORNEV.

Benjamin Hayes 1850

W. G. Dryden 1851

J. Lancaster Bent 1852

C. E. Carr. 1853

Isaac Hartman 1854

Lewis Granger 1855

C. E. Thom 1856-57

J. H. Lander 1858-59

S. F. Reynolds i860

J. H. Lander 1861

M. J. Newmark 1862

A. B. Chapman 1863-64

J. H. Lander 1865

A.J. King 1866-67

C. H. Larabee 1868

Wm. McPherson 1869-70

F. H. Howard 1871-72

A. W. Hutton 1873-76

J. F. Godfrey 1877-80

H. T. Hazard 1881-82

W. D. Stephenson 1883-84

J. W. McKinley 1885-86

J. C. Daly 1887-88

Chas. McFarland 1889-94

Wm. E. Dunn 1895-98

Walter E. Haas 1899

CITY .\.S.SKSSOK.

A. F. Corunel 1850-52

Yg. Coronel 1853

M- Keller 1854

J. D. Hunter 1855

W. H. Peterson 1856

B. S.Eaton 1857

M. Coronel 1858

W. H. Peterson 1859

J. Metzker i860

J. C. Swain 1861

N. Williamson 1862

CNone elected) 1863

J. D. Woodworth 1864

J. W. Beebe 1S65

J. Bilderrain 1866-68

Antonio Rocha 1869-70

Juan Robarts 1871-72

L. Seebold 1873-74

J. Z. Morris 1875-78

R. Bilderrain 1879-82

Geo. A. Yignolo 1S83

John Fi.scher (March ) 1884

John Fischer 1885-86

W. R. Stephenson 1887-88

John Fischer 1889

( Re-elected under new charter) .... 1889-90

John W. Hinton 1891-94

George Hull 1 895-96

L. S. Seaman 1897-98

Ben E. Ward 1899

CITY T.VX AND LICENSE COLLECTOR.

City Marshal, ex-ofiicio 1 850-1876

J. J. Carrillo 1877-78

A. J. Hamilton 1879

(Hamilton absconded; his term completed

by C. H. Dunsmoor).
M. Kremer 1880

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

163

H. Burdick 1881-82

H. S. Parcels 1883-86

D. W. Field 1887-88

Len. J. Thompson 1889

(Re-elected under new charter.)

L,en. J. Thompson 1889-92

R. D. Wade 1893-94

John H. Gish '. 1895-98

William White. 1899

TREASURER.

Francisco Figueroa 1850

F. P. F. Temple 1851

S. Arbuckle 1852-56

H. N. Alexander 1857-59

T. G. Baker i860

H. N. Alexander 1861-62

J. L. Morris 1863-64

J. F. Burns 1865-67

Thos. E . Rowan 1868-70

G. R. Butler 1871-74

J. J. Melius 1875-76

I. M. Hellman 1877-78

E. Lichtenberger 1879-80

J. C. Kays 1881-86

O. Macy 1887-88

M. D. Johnson . i S89

(Re-elected under new charter.)

M. D. Johnson 1889-92

H. J. Shoulters 1 893-94

William E. Hartwell 1895

AUDITOR .

(Created by the new charter.)

F. E. Lopez 1889-90

F. E. Lopez 1891-92

Fred H. Teale 1893-94

Fred H. Teale 1895-96

T. M. Nichols 1897-98

E. A. Carson 1899

CITY ENGINEER.

William Moore 1874

J. M. Baldwin 1875

M. Kellehar . 1876-7S

John Goldsworthy 1879

John E. Jackson 1880-82

G. C. Knox 1884-85

Fred. Eaton 1886-87

W. T. Lambie 1888

J. H. Dockweiler 1889

(Went out with the old charter.)

Fred. Eaton 1889-90

J. H. Dockweiler 1891-94

C. S. Compton 1895-96

J. H. Dockweiler 1897-98

Frank H. Olmstead 1899

STREET SUPERINTENDENT.

(Made elective by the new charter.)

W. E. Morford 1889-90

E. H. Hutchin,son 1891-92

Henry A. Watson 1893-94

P. A. Howard 1895-96

J. H. Drain 1897-98

J. H. Drain 1899

MEMBERS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL.

(Names of members elected to fill vacancies
are enclosed in brackets. ) Term of office one
year.

1850— D. W. Alexander, A. Bell, M. Requena,
Juan Temple, M. L. Goodman, C. Aguilar,
J. Chaves, (B. D. Wilson, W. Jones).

1851 — Stephen C. Foster, John O. Wheeler,
D. W. Alexander, A. Olvera, M. Requena,
Ygnacio Coronel, T. A. Sanchez, (J. L. Brent).

1852 — M. Requena, J. G. Downey, M. Norton,
Y. del Valle, M. Keller, M. Botello, Yg. Coronel.

1853— W. T. B. Sanford, W. H. Rand, A.
Jacobi, J. F. Jones, M. Requena, J. M. Doporto,
Pio Pico, (E. Drown).

1854— M. Requena, C. Wadhams, W. T. B.
Sanford, L- Granger, F. Melius, S. Lazard,
A. F. Coronel, (J. M. Doporto, H. R. Myles).

1855— William Lloyd, J. H. Nichols, H. Z.
Wheeler, E. Drown, I. H. Stewart, Obed Macy,
J. W. Ross, (Timothy Foster, H. Uhrbroock,
R. Glass, John Schumacher, C. Aguilar).

1856 — E. Drown, M. Requena, I. Gilcrist,
N. A. Potter, J. G. Downey, A. Ulyard, Y. del
Valle, (C. Aguilar, J. Schumacher, R. Glass,
Obed Macy, H. Uhrbroock).

1857— A. Ulyard, G. Carson, A. F. Coronel,
Juan Barre, John Frohling, J. Mullally, H.
McLaughlin, (N. A. Potter, M. Norton, M.
Requena, E. Drown).

1858— A. F. Coronel, D. M. Porter, J. S.
Griffin, J. Goller, C. Aguilar, P. Banning,
Stephen C. Foster, (Juan Barri?, H. McLaughlin,
G. N. Whitman, J. Mullally, John Frohling).

1859— D. M. Porter, N. A. Potter, J. Baldwin,
A. M. Dodson, E. Drown, W. Woodworth, J.
Ybarra, (A. F. Coronel, S. C. Foster, C.
Aguilar, J. Goller, V. Hoover, P. Banning, J. S.
Griffin).

i860— D. Marchessault, T. B. Collins, J. Ed-
wards, A. Stearns, V. Hoover, E. Moulton, P.
Batty, (N. A. Potter, W. Woodworth, J. Bald-
win, E. Drown, J. Ybarra).

1861— A. F. Coronel, A. M. Dodson, J. B.
Winston, E. Drown, C. Aguilar, N. A. Potter,
S. Lazard, ( — Peterson, — Moore, — Anderson,
J. Huber, E. Moulton, V. Hoover).

164

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1862— N. A. Potter, A. F. Coroiiel, A. Pou-
lain, P. Sichel, J. Weixel, J. Turner, J. Ruber,
(A. M. Dodson.J. B. Winston, S. Lazard, C.
Aguilar, E. Drown).

1863— J. Turner, A. F. Coronel, P. Sichel, J.
Huber, J. B. Winston, E. Taylor, T. Signoret,
(J. Weixel, N. A. Potter, A. Poulain).

1864— J. Huber, P. Sichel, J. Mascarel, A. F.
Coronel, M. Requena, V. Hoover, W. Wood-
worth, (J. Turner, E. Taylor, J. B. Winston, T.
Signoret) .

1865— H. Taft, J. Goller, J. Chaves, W. S.
Van Dusen, J. Jones, C. Vejar, W. H. Perry,
(W. Woodworth, J. Huber, M. Requena, J.
Mascarel, P. Sichel, V. Hoover, A. F. Coronel).

1866— E. Workman, L. Roeder, J. Schu-
maker, M. Morrison, J. King, A. F. Coronel, M.
Morris, (W. H. Perry, W. S. Van Dusen, J.
Jones, J. Chaves, H. Taft, J. C. Vejar, J.
Goller).

TERM OF OFFICE INCREASED TO TWO YEARS.

1867 — M. Morris, M. Requena, A. F. Coronel,
J. C. Vejar, A. A. Boyle, J. Wolfskill, V.
Hoover, (J. King, L. Roeder, J. Schumaker,
M. Morrison, J. Mascarel.

1868— J. King, J. R. Toberman, J. Metzker,
M. Kremer, A. J. King, T. Geary, W. H. Perry,
H. Wartenberg, J. Goller, F. Sabichi (J. Schu-
macher, L. Roeder, J. Mascarel, M. Morrison,
A. A. Boyle, G. Dalton, L. Botiller).

1869— L. Roeder, O. W. Childs, J. King, H.
Wartenberg, M. Keller, D. Botiller, M. Morris,
W. H. Perry, J. Mascarel, J. Metzker.

1870— J. Mascarel, E. H. Workman, S. B.
Caswell, M. Morris, J, Metzker, J. King, D.
Botiller, L. Roeder, O. W. Childs, A. A. Boyle,
(H. Wartenberg, J. R. Toberman, L. B. Martinez,
J. C. Vejar).

1871 — J. Chaves, J. Jones, B. Dulourdiux,
G. Fall, W. Ferguson, M. Teed, H. Dockweiler,
F. Sabichi, J. Osborne, Wm. Hammel.

1872— F. P. Campbell, Obed Macy, J. Valdez,
P. Beaudry, E. H. Workman, H. K. S. O.
Melveny.

1873— J. Valdez, J. Mullally, E. E. Long, P.
Beaudry, M. Teed, Wm. Osborn, W. H. Work-
man, F. Sabichi, E. F. De Celis, H. Dockweiler.

1874 — J. Chaves, J. Gerkins, J. Mascarel, F.
Sabichi, C. E. Huber, P. Beaudry, W. H.
Workman, E. F. de Celis, H. Dockweiler, J.
Valdez.

1875— F. P- Campbell, R. Satello, J. Mullally,
J. G. Carmona, M. Teed, L. Lichtenberger, W.
W. Robinson, J. Mascarel, C. E. Huber, E. H.
Workman, L. Wolfskill, T. Leahy.

1876— R. Sotello, J. Gerkins, W. H. Work-

man, J. Kuhrts, D. V. Waldron, T. Leahy, M.
Teed, L. Lichtenberger, J. Mullally, E. Huber,
L. Wolfskill, F. P. Campbell.

1877— F. Tannet, B. Valle, B. Cohn, J. W.
Potts, E. K. Greeu, J. S. Thompson, R. Sotello,
W. H. Workman, J. Kuhrts, D. V. Waldron, T.
Leahy, J. Mullally.

1878— J. Mullally, C. Apablasa, J. E. Hollen-
beck, C. C. Lipps, J. H. Jones, A. F. Kercheval,
J. S. Thompson, E. K. Greeu, J. W. Potts, B.
Valle, F. Tannet, B. Cohn.

1879— S. M. Perrv, L. Meinzer, J. Shaffer, J.
H. Butler, W. B. Lawler, S. A. Francis, R.
Maloney, J. Robenreith, C. Brode, N. R. Vail,
E. N. Hamilton, S. H. Buchanan, J. G. Mc-
Donald, W. H. Workman, S. J. Beck.

1880— L. Meinzer, R. L. Beauchet, W. N.
Monroe, R. Maloney, H. Schumacher, J. Kuhrts,
S. H. Buchanan, E. K. Green, E. F. Spence, S.
J. Beck, W. H. Workman, O. H. Bliss, W. B.
Lawlor (president), J. G. McDonald, J. P.
Moran.

1881— R. L. Bauchet, W. N. Monroe, J. G.
Bower, J. Kuhrts, J. Mascarel, M. Teed, E. K.
Green; E. F. Spence (president), G. Gephard,
O. H. Bliss, B. Chandler, B. Cohn, J. G. Mc-
Donald, J. P. Moran, W. S. Moore.

1882— J. G. Bower, J. Mullally, C. Schieffelin,
J. Kuhrts, J. Mascarel, M. Teed, J. S. O'Neil,
A. W. Ryan, Robert Steere, B. Chandler, B.
Cohn, G. Kerckhoff, W. S. Moore, J. P. Moran
(president), O- G. Weyse.

1883— J. Mullally, C. Schieffelin, C. W.
Schroder, J. Kuhrts, H. Hammel, P. Ballade,
A. L. Bush, J. W. Wolfskill, J. P. Moran (pres-
ident), O. G. Wevse, W. S. Moore.

1884— C. W. Schweder, W. T. Lambie, E.
M. Hamilton, H. Hammel, P. Ballade, F. R.
Dav, C- Gassen, L- W. French, C. R- Johnson,
J. W. Wolfskill, D. E. Miles, F. Sabichi, W.
S. Moore (president), D. M. McGarrv, J. B.
Niles.

1885— E. M. Hamilton, W. T. Lambie, J.
Velsir, F. R. Day, M. V. Biscailuz, J. F. Hol-
brook, L- W. French, C- R. Johnson, A.
Brown, D. E- Miles (president), J. D. Bullis,
M. Santee, D. M. McGarry, H- Sinsabaugh.

1886 -J. Velsir, T. Goss, G. L- Stearns, M.
V. Biscailuz, J. F. Holbrook, A- Brown,
(resigned), E- W. Jones, C. R- Johnson (vice
Brown), J. D. Bullis, M. Santee, S. M. Perrv,
H. Sinsabaugh, J. Frankenfield, C Willard .

1S87— T. Goss, G. L. Stearns, E. A. Gibbs,
M. Teed, M. T. Collins, J. Kuhrts, Chas. R.
Johnson, L- N. Breed, E- W. Jones, J. Lovell,
J. Hyans, S. M. Perrv, Horace Hiller, J.
Frankenfield, C. Willard.

1888— E- A. Gibbs, James Hanley, N.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

165

Mathews, M. Teed, J. Moriarty, M. T- Collins,
J. H. Book, J. F. Humphreys, E- C Bosby-
shell, J. Lovell, B. Cohn, B. Chandler, H.
Hiller, A. W. Barrett, H. Sinsabaugh.

1889— A. W. Barrett, J. H- Brvant, C N.
Earl, J. F. Humphreys, E- C Bosbvshell, A.
C. Shafer, E. R- Threlkeld, A. McNally, J-
Hanley, J. Moriarty, G. O. Ford, H. Sinsa-
baugh, H. T. D. Wilson,}. Kiihrts (president).

This council went out of office on the adoption
of the new charter.

COUNCILS UNDER THE NEW CHARTER-

1889-90 — H. V. Van Dusen, G. P. McLain,
W. H. Bonsall, A. C Shafer, J. Frankenfield
(president), A.N. Hamilton, J. T- Brown, T.
Summerland, R. Wirsching.

1891-92— F. M. Nickell, D. Inness, W. H.

Bonsall (president), W. H. Rhodes, J. O. Tufts

C. H. Alford,D. McGarry, Thee Summerland
S. Rees.

1893-94— F. M- Nickell, Dan Inness, F. S
Munson, Wm. H. Rhodes, Freeman G. Teed
Geo. D. Pessell, T. Strohm, John Gaffey, Geo
W. Campbell.

1895-96— Geo. W. Stockwell, E- L- Blanch
ard, T. Savage, Jas. Ashman, G. D. Pessell, F
G. Teed, S- H. Kingery, T. S- Munson
(president), M. P. Snyder.

1897-98— F. M. Nickell, Fred L- Baker, Z

D. Mathus, H. Silver (president), Chas. H
Toll, L- M. Grider, Jas. Ashman, E- L- Hut
chinson, E- L- Blanchard.

1899-1900 — William H. Pierce, Fred. L. Ba-
ker, Louis F. Vetter, H. Silver (president)
Chas. H. Toll, Geo. D. Pes.sell, Robert L. Todd
E- L- Blanchard.

CHAPTER XXXIIL

THE PRESS OF LOS ANGELES.

PIONEER NEWSPAPERS.

CVN OUR American colonization of the "Great
I West" the newspaper has kept pace with
I immigration. In the building up of a new
^ town the want of a newspaper seldom be-
comes long felt before it is supplied.

It was not so in Spanish colonization; in it the
newspaper came late if it came at all. There
were none published in California during the
Spanish and Mexican eras. The first newspaper
published in California was issued at Monterey
August 15, 1846, just thirty-eight days after
Commodore Sloat took possession of the territory
in the name of the United States. This paper
was called The Californian and was published
by Semple & Col ton. The type and press used
had been brought from Mexico in 1834 by Au-
gustin V. Zamorano, and by him sold to the ter-
ritorial government. Several of the territorial
governors had used it for printing proclamations
and official papers. For some time before the
conquest it had not been used. Governor Pico's
official orders and proclamations were all written

by hand and promulgated in script. The only
paper the publishers of the Californian could pro-
cure when they issued their first number was that
used in making cigarettes, which came in sheets
a little larger than ordinary foolscap.

After the discovery of gold in 1848 a number
of printing outfits were brought to the coast, and
soon all the larger towns in the mining regions
had their newspapers.

La Estrella (The Star). The first propo-
sition to establish a newspaper in Los Angeles
was made to the city council October 16, 1850.
I find the following record in the proceedings of
the city council for that date:

"Theodore Foster petitioned for a lot situate
at the northerly corner of the jail for the purpose
of erecting thereon a house to be used as a print-
ing establishment. The council, taking into con-
sideration the advantages which a printing house
offers to the advancement of public enlighten-
ment, and there existing, as yet, no such estab-
lishment in this city; therefore, Resolved, That
for this once only a lot from amongst those that

1 66

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

are marked ou the city map be given to Mr.
Theodore Foster for the purpose of establishing
thereon a printing house; and the donation be
made in his favor because he is the first to in-
augurate this public benefit, subject, however, to
the following conditions.

"First. That the house and printing office be
completed within one j'ear from to-day.

"Second. That the lot be selected from
amongst those numbered on the city map and
not otherwise disposed of."

At the meeting of the council October 30,
1850, "Theodore Foster gave notice that he had
selected a lot back of Johnson's and fronting the
canal as the one where he intended establishing
his printing house, ' ' and the council resolved that
he be granted a lot "forty varas each way."

This lot was located on the west side of Los
Angeles street, between Commercial and Arca-
dia, on what is now covered by Nos. 309 to 315
North Los Angeles street. The canal referred
to was the Zanja Madre Tthe mother ditch).

A small two-story building was erected on the
lot, and the first number of the paper, La Estirlla,
issued May 17, 1851. Foster does not appear as
one of the first publishers. The first proprietors
were John A. Lewis and John McElroy. It was
a five-column, four-page weekly, two pages
printed in English and two in Spanish. Sub-
scription price, $10.00 a year.

The first job of printing done for the city was
the printing of one hundred white ribbon badges
for the newly organized police force. The in-
scription on the badge, printed in both English
and Spanish, read, "City Police, organized by
the Common Council July 12, 1851." The bill
of La Estrctla for the job was $25.00.

In July, 1851, William H. Rand became a
partner. In November of the same year McElroy
retired. Manuel C. Rojo edited the Spanish
pages of the paper, but seems not to have been a
partner. The editors and printers bunked and
boarded in the second story of the building. Oc-
tober 19, 1854, McElroy again became a partner.
In 1855 J. S. Waite acquired an interest, and
the style of the firm name was J. S. Waite & Co.
December 15, 1855, J. S. Waite became sole pro-
prietor. The Spanish department was trans-
ferred to El Clamor Publico (The Public Outcry) .
The subscription price had been reduced to $6.00
a year, if paid in advance; $9.00 if paid at the
end of the year. Waite, having been appointed
postmaster, sold the paper April 12, 1856, to
William A. Wallace, an ex-schoolmaster. Wal-
lace evidently found the editorial tripod an un-
comfortable seat; at the end of two months he

transferred tripod and paper to H. Hamilton.
Mr. Hamilton was an experienced new.spaper
man and made a good paper of it.

He continued its publication until October 12,
1S64, when, having fallen under the ban of the
Federal government on account of his outspoken
.sympathy for the Southern Confederacy, he was
forced to discontinue the paper. The plant was
sold to Gen. Phineas Banning, who removed it to
Wilmington and used it in the publication of the
Wilmington /()«;v/a/. TW Journal failed to be
self-sustaining and its publication ceased in 1867.
The old press and type were bought in 1870 by
G. W. Barter and used in the publication of the
pioneer paper of the Santa Ana Valley — the Ana-
heim Gazette. The Ga-jctte office was consumed
by fire in 1878, and the old press that had
printed the first paper published in Southern Cal-
ifornia was destroyed. It was a Washington
Hoe press of an ancient pattern, and had made a
voyage around Cape Horn in the fall of '49 or
spring of '50. It is to be regretted that it was
not preserved as an historical curio.

May 16, 1868, Hamilton resumed the publica-
, tion of the Star. In his salutatory he said:
"Nearly four years have elapsed since our last
issue. The 'little onpleasantness' which at that
time existed in the family has been toned down
considerably." It was conducted as a weekly
until June ist, 1870, when the first number of
the daily was published by Hamilton c& Co., the
members of the firm being H. Hamilton and G.
W. Barter. Barter retired September 6, 1870, and
Hamilton conducted the paper alone until March,
1872, when he leased it to G. W. Barter, who
ran it one year. March 31, 1873, Hamilton
again took charge of it. On July i, 1873, Mr.
Hamilton leased the Daily and ]\\ckly Star to
Maj. Ben. C. Truman, who conducted the paper
until July i, 1877. ^^ ihen passed into the
possession of Paynter & Co., then to Brown &
Co. The Rev. A. M. Campbell published it for
a time. Finally, in 1879, the sheriff took charge
of it. The material and files were stored in an
outbuilding belonging to J. C. Hollenbeck. His
Chinese help accidentally set fire to the house,
and La Estnila, The Star, or what was left of it,
blazed up once more and then disappeared from
the newspaper horizon forever.

The Southern Caufornian. The second
paper founded in Los Angeles was the Southern
Californian. The first issue appeared July 20,
1854, C. N. Richards & Co., publishers: Wiiliam
Butts, editor. November 2, 1S54, William Butts
and John O. Wheeler succeeded Richards & Co.
in the proprietor.ship. In November, 1855,
A. Pico was the proprietor and J. P. Brodie the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

editor. lu January, 1856, i I died. It is said to
have cost Pico $10,000. One page of the paper
was printed in Spanish.

Ei. Cl.'\.mor Publico was the first paper in Los
Angeles that was entirely printed in Spanish.
The first number appeared June 8, 1855, Fran-
cisco P. Ramirez, editor and proprietor. It was
the organ of the better class of the native Cali-
fornians of the south and was the first Republi-
can newspaper published in Los Angeles. It
warmly advocated the election of John C. Fremont
to the presidency in 1856. It suspended publica-
tion December 31, 1859, for want of support.

The Southern Vineyard was founded by
Col. J. J. Warner, March 20, 1858. The press
and material used in its publication had formerly
belonged to the Southern Califoniian , in which
paper Warner had an interest at the time of its
suspension. The Vincyat-d was a four-page
weekly, twenty-two by thirt}- inches in size.
December loth of the same year it became a
semi-weekly, issued Tuesday and Friday morn-
ings. It was mildly Democratic in the begin-
ning, but bolted the regular Democratic ticket in
1859. At the time of its demise, June 8, i860,
it was leaning towards Republicanism. The
plant was transferred to the Los Angeles News.

Los Angeles Daily and Weekly News.
The Semi-Weekly Southern A'czcs, independent,
issued every Wednesday and Friday, was estab-
lished in Los Angeles by C. R. Conway and
Alonzo Waite, January 18, i860. The sheet was
enlarged July 18, i860, and again August 13,
1862. The name was changed to the Los An-
geles Semi- Weekly lYe-ics, October 8, 1862.
January 12, 1863, it appeared as the Los Angeles
Tri-Weekly News, issued Mondays, Wednes-
days and Fridays.

Conway & Waite sold the Ne-ws to A. J. King
& Co., November 11, 1865, A. J. King becoming
editor. It was again changed to a semi-weekly.
Under the management of Conway & Waite it
was union in politics, after its transfer it became
Democratic.

January i, 1869, the semi- weekly was discon-
tinued and The Los Angeles Dai/v Nezcs ap-
peared. King & Offutt, publishers.' The daily
was enlarged in May, 1S69. This was the first
daily published in Los Angeles. It was issued
every day except Sunday, subscription price
$12 00 a year. October 16, 1869, R. H. Offutt
sold his interest to Alonzo Waite and the firm
name became King & Waite. January i, 1870,
A. J. King retired from the editorial manage-
ment and was succeeded by Charles E. Beane.
October 10, 1872, Mr. Waite sold his entire in-
terest to Charles E. Beane. The paper suspended
in 1873.

.MOI)I;kN NKWSI'AI'ERS.

By the term "Modern Newspapers" I mean
those founded since 1870, and still published. It
is impossible in the single chapter devoted to a
review of the press of Los Angeles to notice all
the newspapers and periodicals that have ap-
peared and disappeared in this city in the past
thirty years. Our journalistic graveyard of
long-felt but unappreciated wants is well filled.
The dead outnumber the living, but it is for the
"survivals" only that I have space.

The Los Angeles Evening Express, the
oldest daily paper now published in Los Angeles,
was founded March 27, 1S71, by an association
of practical printers, comprising Jesse Yarnell,
George Yarnell, George A. Tiffany, J. W.
Paynter and Miguel Varela. It was Republican
in politics, with Henry C. Austin, editor. The
members of the association dropped out until, in
1S73, only George A. Tiffany and J. W. Paynter
were left; James J. Ayers having taken the place
of H. C. Austin as editor.

March 15, 1875, J. J. Ayers and Joseph D.
Lynch purchased the paper from Tiffany & Co.
The new firm enlarged the paper to eight col-
umns and later in t he year it was enlarged to
nine columns to the page. On October 3, 1876,
Mr. Lynch retired from the Express and took
editorial charge of the Z><r//)/ //dV-a/(/; Ayers con-
tinuing in charge of the .£'-i/'rcM, which was vir-
tually an evening edition of the Herald. In 1882
Governor Stoneman appointed Col. Ayers state
printer and Mr. Lynch, who had retained his in-
terest in the Express, conducted both papers, but
with separate editorial and local staffs. In 1884
H. Z. Osborne and E. R. Cleveland bought the
Express. In 18S6 these getitlemen organized the
Evening Express Company, an incorporation.
J. Mills Davies became a stockholder and busi-
ness manager of the company. C. C. Allen,
after completing his term of office as adjutant-
general of the state, became a member of the Ex-
press Company. J. Mills Davies retired. In
1896 H. Z. Osborne was president of thecompany,
C. C. Allen vice-president and E. R. Cleveland
secretary and treasurer. H. Z. Osborne was ap-
pointed United States Marshal of the Southern
District in 1897 ^ii*^ C. D. Willard became gen-
eral manager of the paper. He was succeeded
bv J. B. Abell. In January, 1900, John M.
Miller, W. A. Kelsey, Richard G. Beebe, William
F. Botsford and Edwin B. Haskell bought up
the various interests represented in the old Even-
ing Express Company and took charge of the
paper. John M. Miller was elected president of
the new firm; W. A. Kelsey, vice-president and
general manager; and Richard G. Beebe secretary

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and treasurer. J. B. Abell was retained as busi-
ness manager.

Las Dos Republicas (The Two Republics),
successor to La Cronica, was established June 2,
1872, by M. S. Arevalo and B. F. Teodoli,
B. F. Ramirez, editor. Ramirez retired shorth-
after the paper was founded, and was succeeded
bj' E. F. De Celis. Under his editorship the
paper became the most influential journal pub-
lished in the Spanish language in the state. In
the 5-ear 1880 Mr. Arevalo organized the La
Cronica Publishing Company— a joint stock
association. Mr. Teodoli withdrew from the
company, and after a time the stockholders leased
the paper to Pastor de Celis and Miguel J. Varela.
From them its management passed to Cordona
Brothers, then to E. F. de Celis, next to S. A.
Corona and from him to Tomas Temple. Temple
shortly before his death in 1892, sold it to its
present proprietor, A. J. Flores, who changed
its name to its present form. It is devoted to
general news, independent in politics and re-
ligion.

The Daily and Weekly Herald was
founded by C. A. Storke, now an attorney in
Santa Barbara. The first number appeared Octo-
ber 3, 1873. Mr. Storke conducted the paper
until August, 1874, when he sold it to a stock
company, the membership of which was largely
made up of grangers, or patrons of husbandry.
The paper was edited and managed by J. M.
Bassett in the interest and as the organ of the
Grange. With the decline of the patrons their
organ was sold, J. D. Lynch, who had retired
from the Express, becoming editor and publisher
of the Herald. He continued to edit and manage
the paper until the fall of 1886, when he sold a
half interest to Col. James J. Ayers. Ayers and
Lynch were old time newspaper men and made
the Herald the leading Democratic journal of
Southern California, if not of the state. In Oc-
tober, 1894, Lynch and Ayers sold the Herald io
a syndicate of leading Democratic politicians.
Next year it was sold to John Bradbury. Brad-
bury, after sinking considerable money in the
venture, discovered that he was not cut out for a
newspaper man and disposed of his burden. In

1895 W. R. Creighton was editor-in-chief. In

1896 William A. Spalding became business
manager of the Herald Company. He retired
early in 1900 and was succeeded by Randolph H.
Miner.

On the 7th of July, 1900, the Herald was sold to
a syndicate composed largely of men interested in
the petroleum industry. Its publication is con-
ducted, as formerly, under the Herald Publish-
ing Company. The present officers of the com-
pany are: Wallace L. Hardison, president and

general manager; H. G. James, manager; Guy
L. Hardison, vice-president and secretary; W.
Benjamin Scott, treasurer; R. H. Hay Chapman,
managing editor. The politics of the paper was
changed from Democratic to Republican by the
new managers. The Herald has been enlarged
and greatly improved in its typographical ap-
pearance by its new owners. Its motto is, "No
enemies to punish — no special friends to serve."

The Weekly Herald is published every
Saturday morning. It is a seven column twelve
page paper. Special attention is given to local
happenings and under appropriate departments,
it gives information "regarding the farm, orchard,
the mining industry, literary and scientific mat-
ters, society and the home." It has a large
country circulation.

Sud-Califorxia Post. A w-eekly paper pub-
lished in the German language was established
by Conrad Jacoby July 25, 1874. In 1887 ^^
daily was issued and was continued until 1890,
when it was suspended. The weekly has quite
an extensive circulation among the German
population of Southern California. Mr. Jacoby
severed his coimection with the paper in Feb-
ruary, 1893, when the present proprietors, Mor-
lock & Glauch, assumed the management. It is
an eight page, seven column journal, devoted to
news and general literature. The founder of the
paper, Conrad Jacoby, died in March, 1900.

The Rural Californian. The predecessor
of this illustrated monthly magazine was the
Southern California HorlieiiKurisl, the first num-
ber of which was issued September, 1877, at Los
Angeles, by the Southern California Horti-
cultural Society, L. M. Holt, editor. Its
columns were devoted to the interests of horti-
culture and agriculture. The size of the magazine
then was six b^- nine inches. In Januarj', 1880,
Carter & Rice obtained control of it and pub-
lished it under the caption of Semi-Tropic Cali-
fornia and Southern California Hortieultioist. The
size of the page was enlarged to nine by twelve
inches. Carter retired after the third issue and
George Rice obtained sole control of it. He
changed the name to its present form. In 1881
he sold it to Coleman & Dickey. They con-
ducted it about a year, when Dickey died. Rice
bought it of Coleman and in 1883 sold it to Fred
L. Alles. Charles A. Gardner bought a half in-
terest and for a time the firm was Alles & Gard-
ner, while later Gardner became its sole owner
until George Rice again came into possession of
it. In 1 89 1 it passed into the hands of C. M.
Heintz, who still conducts it.

Los Angeles Weekly Mirror. The first
number of the IFfrX-/)' J//r;wr appeared February
I, 1873. It was a small sheet 10x13 inches, four

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

c69

pages aud three columns to the page. It was
published every Saturday by Yarnell & Caystile,
and distributed free. March i, 1873, William M.
Brown became a partner and the firm name was
changed to Yarnell, Caystile & Brown. In 1S75
the Minor was enlarged to a twenty-four column
sheet 17x22 inches, its subscription price being
$1 per year. Brown retired from the firm on ac-
count of ill-health. In August, 18S0, S. J.
Mathes came into the firm and the paper was
enlarged to an eight column paper, 24x38 inches;
subscription price $2 per year, vS. J. Mathes,
editor. After the Dai/y Times was started, in
December, 1881, the Mirror became practically
the weekly edition of the former, but retained its
original name.

The Los Angeles Daily Tijies. The first
luimber of the Daily Times was issued December
4, 1 88 1, Cole & Gardiner (Nathan Cole and
James Gardiner), publishers. It was a seven
column folio. Gardiner retired with the first
issue and Cole continued the publication until
January i, 1882, when he sold the paper to the
publishers of the Weekly Mirror, Yarnell, Cay-
stile & Mathes, who continued its publication
as a Republican morning journal. Immigration
had set in from the northwestern states, which
were then as now strongly Republican. This
brought a change in the political complexion of
Los Angeles and made the successful publication
of a Republican journal possible. In April it was
enlarged to eight columns and in July to nine
columns to the page. August i, 1882, Col. H,
G. Otis became a partner in the firm and editor
of the Z?(?//i' 7"/;«« and of its weekly issue, the
Mirror. On the 22d of May, 1883, A. W.
Francisco bought Mr. Yarnell's interest and in
the following October was made business mana-
ger, a position which he filled until his retire-
ment in 18S4. Mr. Mathes retired from the
firm to engage in other pursuits. In September,
1884, the paper was again enlarged and the
telegraphic service increased. In October of the
same year the Times-Mirror Company was in-
corporated with a capital stock of $40,000, which
was increased in 1886 to $60,000, for the purpose
of erecting the Times building on the northeast
corner of Broadway and First street. In April,
1886, the Times- Mirror Company was reorgan-
ized, Albert McFarlandand William A. Spalding
acquiring stock in the company. The former
was elected vice-president and the latter .secretary.
Col. H. G. Otis being elected president. In
September, 18S6, Charles F. Lummis acquired
an interest, and in August, 1887, L. E. Mosher
became a member of the company. In March,
1888, Col. C. C. Allen bought an interest and
was elected vice-president. He was appointed

adjutant-general of the state by Governor Mark-
ham, and severed his connection with the paper.
William A. Spalding also retired from the com-
pany.

In 1897 Harry Chandler, who had been con-
nected with the paper a number of years, became
business manager, and during General Otis'
.service in the Philippine war had full charge of
the business part of the paper. The present
officers of the Times-Mirror Company are: H. G.
Otis, president and general manager; Harry
Chandler, vice-president and assistant general
manager; L. E. Mosher, managing editor;
Marian Otis-Chandier, secretary; Albert Mc-
Farland, treasurer. The following extract from
the January, 1900, number of the "Land of Sun-
shine" gives a brief outline of the remarkable
growth of the Daily Times:

"From the old water power threshing-machine
of a 'Potter drum cylinder, ' which pounded out
one side of 1,400 sheets an hour in 1882, to the
magnificent perfecting Hoe press, which to-day
prints, stitches, folds and delivers 48,000 8-page,
or 24,000 16-page, or 12,000 24-page copies of
the Times per hour, is a long step. Between
have come also five other presses, each bigger
than its predecessor and more competent. Ten
Mergenthaler linotypes were put in in July, 1893,
and four have since been added. The capital
stock at incorporation (October, 1884,) was
$40,000; increased two years later to $60,000, and
since then doubled four times — being set up to
$960,000 December 18, 1899."

The Western Graphic began its career as
Greater Los Angeles. At the time of its birth the
city was in one of its spasms of municipal ex-
pansion. The principal local question then
agitating the public was the annexation of the
suburbs to the south and west of the city, and
Greater Los Angeles was a favorite phrase with
those favoring expansion; hence the name.

The first number of Greater Los Angeles was
issued November 21, 1896; Joseph D. Lynch,
editor and proprietor; Ben C. Truman, business
manager. In giving a prospectus of what the
paper is to be the editor says: "It is proposed
that Greater Los Angeles shall be a distinctive
journal of its section and a source of pleasure and
instruction to its readers, covering all topics usual
to journals of its character and embracing in its
range literature, politics, music, the drama and
society. It shall also discuss and urge the
building of the Salt Lake Railroad, the Nica-
ragua Ship Canal, a deep sea harbor and other
necessary projects."

Mr. Lynch sold out his interest in the paper
to George Rice & Sons in November, 1897, Maj.
Ben C. Truman continuing his connection with

17©

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the paper as udilur. In iSyS Major Tin man
retired and Irving Hays Rice became editor.
The same j-ear the name was changed to the
]Veslcni Graphic. During the present year it
has absorbed the Sunday World and the Cali-
fornia Curio. The journal has carried out the
policy outlined by its founder, "at all times
championing the interests of Los Angeles and
of all Southern California." It is ably con-
ducted and finely illustrated.

The Capital, a weekly illustrated journal,
was founded January, 1895, by Henry W. Patton
and published by the Capital Publishing Com-
pany, with Henry W. Patton as general manager;
J. M. Tiernan, business manager, and Ben C.
Truman editor. It was issued as a sixteen-page
paper, without illustrations, but soon became an
illustrated journal. Mrs. W. PI Rothery suc-
ceeded the Capital Publishing Company in the
ownership of the paper and conducts it as editor
and proprietor. Under the management of
H. W. Patton the Capital devoted considerable
space to the discussion of political questions and
the topics of the day. Under Mrs. Rothery's
management it has become strictly a first-class
society journal.

L' Union Noun'Ellr is the oldest paper pub-
lished in the French language in this city. It
was founded in 1879 and has been continuously
edited by the founder, Pierre Ganee. It circu-
lates among the French families, many of whom
were the early pioneers of Los Angeles. It is an
ably edited and well conducted weekly news-
paper.

Le Franca-IS, a French independent paper,
was established in 1896. It is an eight- page
weekly; size of page 11 x 16 inches; publi.shed
by Trebaol & Briseno. It is a conservative
literary journal, with a good circulation.

Land of Sunshine, an illustrated monthly
magazine, was founded by F. A. Pattee. The
first number was issued in June, 1894. It was
started as a local publication, designed to set
forth the attractions of Southern California.
Charles F. Lummis acquired an interest in it and
during the latter part of its first year it was pub-
lished by F. A. Pattee & Co. The December
number of 1894 announces that, "Beginning
with the January number the editorial manage-
ment of this magazine will be in the hands of
Charles F. Lummis. ' ' The size of page then was
9x12 inches — double column to the page. In
the May number, 1895, the editor announces
that with its next issue (June) "the Land o/
Sunshine will become a magazine full-fledged but
not full-grown." The size of its page contracted
to 6x9 inches, but the magazine increased in
thickness. The Land of Sunshine Publishing

Conipan\ took the place of F. A. Pattee & Co.
F. A. Pattee became busine.ss manager under the
new firm or corporation. The present board of
directors is composed of W. C. Patterson, presi-
dent; Charles F. Lummis, vice-president; F. A.
Pattee, secretary; Charles Cassat Davis, attorney;
and Cyrus M. Davis.

The Los Angeles Journal is published by
the Daily Journal Company (incorporated), at
205 New High street. It was founded as the
Court Journal, the first number of which was is-
sued April 6, 1888, by Charles W. Palm andH.
H. McCutchan. With the next number the firm
name was changed to Charles W. Palm & Co.,
who continued to publish it until August 8,1893,
when the ownership passed to Warren Wilson.
About a year later the name was changed to its
present form, and The Daily Journal Company
incorporated, Warren Wilson becoming general
manager. Its specialty is legal news — such as
court records and decisions, records of real estate,
transfers, mortgages, etc. It is a four-page
seven-column paper, published daily, Sundaj's
excepted. It secured the contract to do the
county advertising for the fiscal year, July, 1900,
to July, 1901, and is the official county paper.

The Tidings, the Catholic paper of the dio-
cese of Monterey and Los Angeles, was estab-
lished in June, 1895, by Capt. James Connally,
P. W. Croake and Miss Kate Murphy, who en-
tered into a copartnenship for that purpose, under
the title of The Tidings Publishing Company.
After some months Captain Connally sold his in-
terest in the concern to his partners, and later on
Mr. Croake acquired the entire ownership of the
paper. January i, 1898, he sold a half interest
to John J. Bodkin, who a j-ear later acquired by
purchase the full ownership and control of the
paper. The paper is the church organ of South-
ern California.

The Builder and Contractor was estab-
lished March i, 1893, by George Lawrence. It
was then a four-column four-page paper; size of
sheet, 14x22 inches. Harry lies bought out
Lawrence in 1S95, and has ever since been its
publisher and editor. Its present .size of sheet is
30x40 inches, four pages, six columns to the
page. Its field is advance information to build-
ers and contractors — descriptions of new build-
ings and lists of all legal instruments pertaining
to building filed for record in the city or county
offices.

Los Angeles Mining Review, devoted to the
mining, petroleum, financial and other interests
of Southern California, Arizona and other portions
of the great southwest, was established by A.
Richard.son, February 12, 1898, and he still con-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tiiiues to be the sole proprietor and editor of the
paper. It is a sixteen-page illustrated weekly,
four columns to the page; size of page, 10x14
inches. It is the only paper in Southern Califor-
nia devoted to mining.

The California Cultivator was estab-
lished in 1889 by W. B. Nesbit, as "Poultry in
California." Mr. Nesbit died in 1890, and G. H.
A. Goodwin, the present editor and proprietor
of The Cullivator, bought of Nesbit' s heirs Tlie
Poultry, and changed the name to its present
form. The Cultivator x?, a weekly illustrated jour-
nal devoted to the interests of the agriculturists
of Southern California. It is a sixteen-page
paper; size of page, 11x15 inches.

The Los Angeles Record (daily.) The
first number of the Los Afigcles Record was is-
sued March 4, 1895, by William F. Burbank,
editor and owner. It was a four-page paper,
based on the idea that the news of the day after
the happenings chronicled by the morning papers
could be put into smaller compass and sold for a
less price than any other daily paper in Los An-
geles. Its editorials were short, and the editorial
announcement of its birth was put in a very few
lines. The paper was intended to be newsy,
readable and independent. The first advertise-
ment of the forthcoming appearance of the Record
was put in the columns of its rival, the Express.
After a little while it was decided to put the price
of the paper down to two cents per copy, but be-
fore this could be done Mr. Burbank purchased
from the United States mint at Philadelphia ten
thousand pennies, which have since done service
in enabling shoppers to get exact change. The
Record was subsequently incorporated, with
E. W. Scripps as president, Mr. Burbank as
vice-president, and Paul H. Blades as secre-
tary and manager. The price was again re-
duced, making it a one-cent paper, and so it has
continued. With the revival of business, in 1898,
the Record went ahead rapidly, and during the

Spanish war its circulation went up by leaps and
bounds. Mr. Burbank, its founder, is not now
financially interested in the paper.

Several exceptionally brilliant and able news-
paper men have been connected with the Record
at different times, among whom may be named
George D. High, O. A. Stevens, George M. Eby,
Georgd Riddell, W. R. Ream and Thomas
Garrett.

The Los Angeles Record is a part of the Scripps-
Blades league of California evening papers. The
officers of the league are Edward W. Scripps, presi-
dent; Paul H. Blades, general manager, and E- H.
Bagby, business manager.

The Oil Era is a sixteen-page weekly paper;
size of page, 11x15 inches, four columns to the
page. It was founded February 3, 1900, and is
published by the Oil Era Publishing Company.
Jas. Phillis, manager, and Ira B. Wood, editor.
It is devoted to the championing of the south-
west oil industry. In connection with the
Weekly Journal, the company publishes a daily
bulletin, giving quotations and sales of stock at
the two oil exchanges. The ()// Era is a neatly
printed and ably edited journal. It is, in truth,
what it purports to be, the "champion of the
southwest oil industry." Its reports cover the
oil districts of Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles and
Orange Counties. The history of the petroleum
industry and its development in these counties is
interesting, but for want of space it cannot be
taken up in this volume.

The Saturday Post, a ' 'family story paper," is
a twenty-page weekly; size of page, 9x13 inches.
It was established b)' Hon. Abbot Kinney in
November, 1899, and is now published by The
Post Publishing Company, Abbot Kinney, editor,
and H. M. Wright, assistant editor. Its mission,
other than the publication of fiction for family
reading, is to fight the trusts, and to advocate
political reforms from a Democratic standpoint.
It is Democratic in politics.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

CHAPTER XXXIV,

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS-COLLEGES.

CVN THE chapter on schools and school teachers
I of Los Angeles, an outline history of public
I school education in that citj' has been given.
■^ In this chapter will be given brief sketches of
denominational colleges and other institutions of
learning not classed as public schools.

Under Spanish and Mexican rule there were
no collegiate institutions of learning nor anj-
church schools founded b}- the dominant church
in Los Angeles. What little was done in the way
of education was done through the public schools
supported b}^ municipal funds. A change of
rulers seems to have effected a change of senti-
ment in regard to the necessity of educating the
j'outh of the city; for shortly after the acquisition
of California by the United States we find in the
city archives petitions to the ayuntamiento from
Catholic clergymen for tracts of land on which to
build church schools.

At the session of June 9, 1849, a petition was
received for a tract of unappropriated pueblo lands
for a college, from the Bishopric of California,
signed by Reverend Fathers Sebastian Bongron-
vanni, Juan Crissostomo Olvien and Antonio
Jimenez del Recio.

The ayuntamiento resolved "That the Holy
See of California be granted from amongst the
municipal lands of this city and adjoining the
caiiada which leads to the San Fernando road, a
square lot measuring 150 varas on each of its
sides, subject to the following conditions. First,
this land cannot be sold, transferred or hypothe-
cated directly or indirectly; second, the building
erected thereon shall at all times serve the sole
and exclusive purpose of public instruction."
This tract lies immediately north of College
street and west of Buena Vista street. College
street took its name from this tract.

At the same meeting a grant of 150 varas
square in the southeastern part of the town was
made to the Sisters of Charity to establish a con-
vent and .school, on the same conditions as in
the grant named above. This tract lies on the
southeast corner of Alameda and Macy streets. At
the meeting of the ayuntamiento, in May, 1850, a

petition was received from the Rev. Father
Antonio Maria Jimenez del Recio "For the plat
of ground in the angle forming an elbow with the
church and parochial residence." "To put up a
new building on this plat" (so he says in his
petition) "would result in closing up a quadrangle
which would be a very good thing for two reasons:
First, as an improvement to the plaza, adding to
its symmetry; Second, as a convenience to the
clergymen who are to teach in it, as well as to
the pupils, on account of its proximity to the
church."

This he does "for the sake of the youth of the
city who could be made educated citizens and
good Catholics, but who receive no other instruc-
tion now than the sad examples of rusticity
and loose morals." He will establish "a. primary
school principally to teach the duties of Catholi-
cism, and should do all that within my power lies
to impart primary instruction; and what is more
needed, to teach the duties of our religion, towards
which my compassion particularly draws me."
At the meeting of June 15, 1850, the council
granted the land for the purpose indicated in the
petition.

ST. VINCENT'S COLLEGE.

The first collegiate institution founded in Los
Angeles was St. Vincent's College. The corner
stone of the college building was laid in August,
1866, on the block bounded by Sixth, Seventh,
Fort and illW streets. The first building was
two stories high, with an attic and basement; the
main building was 40x80 feet on the ground, with
an extensive wing at each end. This building
was completed in 1867.

The college was erected under the auspices of
the Fathers of the St. Vincent dePaul Mission, and
a staff of professors was secured from the Atlantic
states and Flurope with a view to making the
curriculum as thorough as po.ssible. The curric-
ulum included not only scientific and classical
courses of study, but also a full commercial course.
The first executive officers were Father McGili,
president: Father Flynn, vicepre.sident; and
Father Richardson, treasurer.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

'73

In 1884 the building was remodeled and en-
larged, and an additional story added. Early in
1887, during the boom, the college grounds and
building at Sixth street were sold for $100,000
and a new site purchased on the corner of Wash-
ington street and Grand avenue. Commodious
college buildings were erected on these grounds.
The institution is ably conducted, and many of
its graduates have obtained distinctions in the
different professions.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

This is the oldest Protestant educational insti-
tution in Southern California. The idea of build-
ing up a university in Los Angeles originated
with Judge R. M. Widney. He consulted with
the Rev. A. M. Hough, E. F. Spence, Dr. J. P.
Widney, Rev. M. M. Bovard and G. D. Compton.
It was decided to attempt the building of a Method-
ist college or university in or near Los Angeles.
As soon as their design was known they received
oflfers of land in East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights,
Temple street and West Los Angeles. A major-
ity of the trustees decided in favor of West Los
Angeles. July 29, 1879, J. G. Downey, O. W.
Childs and I. W. Hellman deeded to A. M.
Hough, J. P. Widney, E. F. Spence, M. M.
Bovard, G. D. Compton and R. M. Widney, 308
lots in the West Los Angeles tract, in trust as an
endowment fund for the University of Southern
California. In addition to the lots about forty
acres of land was donated by owners of adjacent
tracts. In 1880 thirty of the lots were put on
sale. Their market value probably did not exceed
$50, but friends of the institution took them at
$200 each. The place selected for the site of the
college buildings and the campus is on Wesley
avenue near Jefferson street.

From the proceeds of the sale of the lots a frame
building, now used for a music hall, was erected.
At the time of locating the institution at West
Los Angeles the tract of land donated was covered
with tall wild mustard stalks, the streets were
undefined except by stakes and there were no
houses near. In August, 1880, Revs. M. M. and
F. D. Bovard entered into a contract with the
trustees to carry on the educational work of the
institution for five years. The Rev. M. M.
Bovard was elected president. A small endow-
ment was secured partly from sale of lots ard
partly from gifts. In 1886 the present four story
college building was erected and the school moved
into it. The college soon began to branch out.
In 1882 Messrs. George and William B. Chaffey,
the founders of the Ontario Colony, made a
tender of a deed of trust to a large body of land
for a Chaffey college of agriculture of the uni-
versitv.

The corner stone of a brick college building
was laid at Ontario, San Bernardino County, in
March, 1883, and in 1885 the school was opened
as a branch of the University of Southern Cali-
fornia and has been conducted ever since as a
preparatory school.

The College of Medicine of the University of
Southern California was founded in 1885, by Dr.
J. P. Widney. The school was opened in a build-
ing on Aliso street, where it was conducted until
1897, when it removed to a building of its own
located on the west side of Buena Vista. This
fine three story building is constructed on plain
architectural lines, but presenting withal a neat
exterior. The college is well conducted and
ranks high among medical schools.

The Maclay College of Theology was estab-
lished in 1885, at San Fernando. Hon. Charles
Maclay donated about $150,000 worth of land as
an endowment and erected a building for its use.
The school was closed at San Fernando in 1893
and opened at the university in West Los Angeles
in October, 1894.

STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.

The Normal School at Los Angeles was estab-
lished as a branch of the State Normal School at
San Jose by the Legislature of 1881. The bill
creating it was signed by Governor Perkins,
March 14 of that year. The sum of $50,000 was
appropriated for the erection of the building.
The citizens had agreed to furnish a site free. Of
the several offered, the trustees, after examina-
tion, chose the Bellevue Terrace orange grove
of five acres, located at the head of Fifth street,
fronting on Grand avenue (then called Charity
street). The property belonged to P. Beaudry
and was valued at $8,000. The money was
raised by subscription, and the property deeded
to the state. The building was completed and
the school opened August 29, 1882, with sixty-
one pupils in attendance — Prof. C.J. Flatt, vice-
principal; Emma L. Hawks, preceptress; J. W.
Redway, assistant teacher; Prof. Charles H.
Allen being principal of both the San Jos6 and
Los Angeles schools. In 1883 the school was
made independent of the San Jose state school,
Prof. Ira More was made principal of the Los
Angeles school, and J. W. Redway retired.
Professor More filled the position of principal
until 1893, when he resigned and was succeeded
by Prof. E. T. Pierce, who at the time of his
appointment was principal of the State Normal
School at Chico, Cal. Prof. Pierce has filled the
position of principal or president of the school
ably and .satisfactorily. Prof. C. J. Flatt, who
had held the position of vice-principal from the
organization of the school, resigned and retired

1/4

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

from the profession, and has since been engaged in
orange culture. Miss Emma L. Hawks, who had
filled the position of preceptress from the beginning
of the school, retired and was succeeded by Mrs.
Isabel VV. Pierce. Of the earh- teacliers in the
school only Prof. Melville Dozier, MissS. P. Monks
and Miss Harriet E. Dunn remain. For sixteen
years they have labored faithfully in the upbuild-
ing of the school and can look with pride and
satisfaction on their work. Prof. C. Pv. Hutton
succeeded Professor Flatt as vice-principal and
is also at the head of the mathematical depart-
ment. In 1894 Sloyd was introduced into the
course and has become an important part of the
training of the future teachers.

POMONA COLLEGE.

Pomona College, located at Claremont, 36
mileseastof Los Angeles, was founded by the Gen-
eral Association of the Congregational churches
of Southern California. The college was incor-
porated October 14, 1887. Several propositions
for a college site were presented to the associa-
tion. The most suitable location seemed to be a
tract of land about four miles north of Pomona
City. The following January Rev. C. B. Sum-
ner was appointed financial secretary. He
secured plans for a central building and the cor-
ner stone was laid. The first term of the school
was opened in September, 1888, in a rented
house at Pomona. Messrs. G. H. Fullerton,
E. F'. Kingman and F. A. Miller, of Riverside,
and H. A. Palmer, of Pomona, before the close of
this term presented to the college a hall, together
with a number of lots at Claremont, which thus
became the permanent location of the preparatory
.school, and the second term of school work was
opened in this hall. The first president, Rev.
Cyrus C. Baldwin, was elected in July, 1890. In
April, 1892, it was decided to abandon the
original college site and to bring the college and
preparatory school together permanently at Clare-
mont. The same year Holmes Hall was built.
It was erected as a memorial to Cjtus W.
Holmes, Jr., by his wife and daughter. It con-
tains a reading room, faculty rooms, art room,
chapel, society hall and recitation rooms for the
classical and English departments. Pearsons'
Hall of Science is a donation from Dr. D. K.
Pearsons, of Chicago. It is a building 6oxgo
feet, two stories high with a basement. In this
building are the biological department, the de-
partment of physics, the chemical department,
the astronomical and mathematical equipments
and the library. The hall was dedicated in Jan-
nary, 1899. .Sumner hall is devoted to the use
of the young lady students as a dormitory.
President Baldwin resigned in July, 1897, and

was succeeded the following January by Rev.
Frank L. Ferguson, who is the present presi-
dent. The first class was graduated in 1894.
The college has three courses of study that lead
to Bachelors' degree, classical, literary and
scientific.

OCCIDKX'IWL COLLEGE.

Occidental College was founded in 1887 by an
association of ministers, representing Presby-
terian Churches of Los Angeles and vicinit\-. Its
first location was just east of the city between
First and Second streets. A number of lots and
some acreage were donated to it. In 1888 a fine
three-story brick structure was erected for the
main college building. School was opened in
this in 1888; Rev. L. H. Weller, president. He
was succeeded in the presidency by Prof. J. M.
McPherron. In 1896 the building and nearly
all its contents were destroyed by fire. After this
the school for several months was carried on in
Boyle Heights Presbyterian Church; from there
it was removed to the old St. Vincent College
building on Hill street, between Fifth and Sixth
streets, where it was conducted for two years.
After considerable delay a new location was
secured at Highland Park, about midway between
Los Angeles and Pasadena. Here in 1898 a
commodious and attractive building was built
and the classes transferred to it in September,
1898. Rev. Guy W. Wads worth is president of
the institution.

THE THROOP POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE.

This institution of learning, located in Pasa-
dena, was founded by Hon. Amos G Throop in
1891. The first name chosen was Throop Uni-
versity. Its curriculum was planned to include
a university course.

Father Throop, as he was reverently called,
endowed the university with $200,000 and con-
secrated all his energy to its support. Articles
of incorporation were filed with the secretary of
state September 23, 1891. On October 2d the
first board of trustees was organized. It con-
sisted of the following named persons: H. H.
Markham, H. W. Magee, J. C. Michener, \\'. U.
Ma.sters, J. S. Hodge, George H. Bonebrake,
Delos Arnold, T. P. Lukens, E. F. Hurlburt,
T. S. C. Lowe, P. M. Green, F. C. Howes, Milton
D. Painter, A. G. Throop and L. A. Sheldon.
Hon. A. G. Throop was elected president: L- W.
Andrews, secretary, and P. M. Green, treasurer.
The Wooster Block, a four-story building on the
corner of F'air Oaks avenue and Kansas street,
was leased for five years and preparations were
made for the opening of the school. The uni-
versity opened November 2, 1891, with a good
attendance of .students.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

At the close of the first college year (1892)
the name of the institution was changed from
Throop Universit}- to Throop Polytechnic Insti-
tute, and it was decided to "make the manual
training and polytechnic departments" the lead-
ing features of the institution.

In 1892 a body of land was secured at the cor-
ner of Fair Oaks avenue and Chestnut street.
On this a building known as Polytechnic Hall
was erected, and to this the shops and laboratories
of the manual training department were trans-
ferred.

To provide for the increased attendance, an-
other building, known as East Hall, has been
erected. It is 68x150 feet, three stories in height,
and is located directly east of Polytechnic Hall.
It cost, finished and furnished, nearly $40,000.
On the first floor are the class rooms for lan-
guages, literature, mathematics, historj', stenog-
raphy, typewriting, etc. On the second floor are
an assembly room, library and quarters for the
department of biological sciences.

The institute comprises four departments: The
Sloyd grammar school, the manual training
academy, the normal department and the college.

The officers of instruction and government are
as follows: Walter A. Edwards, A. M., presi-
dent and professor of ancient languages and Ger-
man; Herbert B. Perkins, professor of mathe-
matics and instructor in mechanical drawing;

Wallace K. Gaylord, professor of chemistry and
registrar; Lucien H. Gilmore, professor of
physics and electrical engineering; Arthur H.
Chamberlin, professor of pedagogy and instructor
in Sloyd; Mrs. Jennie Coleman, professor of En-
glish history and librarian; Edward W. Clay-
pole, professor of geology and biology and cura-
tor of museum; Bonnie Bunnelle, principal Sloyd
grammar school; Fannie F. Sterrett, instructor
in freehand drawing, painting and clay model-
ing; Charles H. Wright, instructor in wood and
iron shops; Mrs. Grace E. Dutton, instructor in
domestic science; Robert E. Ford, instructor in
machine and pattern shops; Charles E. Barber,
instructor in mathematics; Pearl B. Fisher, in-
structor in French and assistant in freehand
drawing; George W. Braden, instructor in gym-
nastics; Harry D. Gaylord, instructor in wood
carving; Charles Dudley Tyng, instructor in
Spanish; Mrs. L. V. Sweesy, instructor in music;
Walter W. Martin, assistant in wood shop; Elis-
abeth Graham, assistant in Sloyd grammar
school; Clara J. Stillman, assistant in Sloyd
grammar school; Stella M. Metcalf, assistant in
domestic science; Ida M. Mellish, assistant in
Sloyd.

The total attendance in all the departments
last year (1899-1900) was 319. The institu-
tion has an excellent reputation for thorough
educational work.

CHAPTER XXXV.

TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION.

I OS ANGELES was not designed by its
If founder for a commercial town. The chief
16) purpose in its founding was the locating of a
•-* colony devoted to agriculture, from which
the presidios could procure supplies of grain, cat-
tle, horses, etc. In the early years of its history
there were no stores or bu.siness houses, although
from its reputation for disorder there were no
doubt saloons or vinaterias (wineshops) in it.

What little business was carried on in the mer-
cantile line in its vicinity was done at the Mission
San Gabriel. Some rude manufacturing was
done there in tanning hides into leather, weaving

cloth and making soap. Although these prod-
ucts were intended for the Indians, the inhabi-
tants of the pueblo no doubt purchased their lim-
ited supplies at the mission. The pobladores
were often hard pressed to procure manufactured
articles and their wardrobes were scanty, even
with those of some means.

Padre Salazar relates that when- he was at the
Mission San Gabriel in 1795, a man who was the
owner of a thousand horses, and cattle in propor-
tion, came there to beg enough cloth to make
him a shirt; there was none to be had'^t the
pueblo or the presidio.

176

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Tliere is 110 record when the first store was
opened in the town. Juan Temple was the pio-
neer American merchant. He, in partnership
with George Rice, opened a store in 1827 in an
adobe building on North Main street which stood
on part of the site now covered bv the Downey
Block.

After the downfall of Spanish domination in
Mexico, some of the restrictions on commerce
were taken ofiF by the Mexican government.
When the hide droghers with their department
store cargoes came to the coast, trading and shop-
ping was done on board ship and customers were
taken to and fro in boats. The money for pay-
ment (hides, called California bank notes) of pur-
chases was hauled on carretas to the embar-
cadero. The commerce of California in those
days was all by sea, there being no land trade or
traffic.

The first warehouse at San Pedro (the shipping
point for the pueblo and the missions of San Ga-
briel, San Fernando and San Juan Capistrano)
■was built by the padres of San Gabriel Mission
some time between 18 10 and 1820. It was located
about midway between Point Firmin andTimm's
Point on the tableland, back from the bluff about
three hundred feet. It was a large adobe build-
ing and was roofed with tules. It was used by
the padres of San Gabriel to store hides and
tallow which they .sent to the port to exchange
for goods.

After the secularization of the missions in 1835,
Don Abel Stearns bought the old warehouse. He
obtained permission from Governor Figueroa to
bring water from a spring about a league distant
from the embarcadero and to build additional
buildings, his object being to found a commercial
settlement at the landing and enlarge the com-
merce of the port. His laudable efforts met with
opposition from the anti-expansionists of that
day. They feared smuggling and cited an old
Spanish law that prohibited the building of a
house on the beach where there was no custom
house. The captain of the port protested to the
governor against Stearns' contemplated improve-
ments and demanded that the warehouse be de-
molished. Ships, he said, would pass in the
night from Santa Catalina, where they lay hid in
the daytime, to San Pedro, load or unload at
Stearns' warehouse and "skip" out before he
could come down from his home at the pueblo,
ten leagues away, to collect the revenue. Then
a number of calamity howlers joined the captain
of the port in bemoaning the ills that would fol-
low from the building of warehou.ses, and among
other things charged Stearns with buying and
.shipping stolen hides. The governor referred
the matter to the ayuntamiento and that municipal

body appointed a committee of three sensible men
to examine into the charges and report. The
committee reported that the interests of the coun-
try needed a commercial settlement at the embar-
cadero; that if the captain of the port feared
smuggling he should station a guard on the beach
and finally that the calamity howlers, who had
charged Stearns with buying stolen hides, should
be compelled to prove their charges in a court of
justice or retract their slanders. This settled
the controversy, but Stearns built no more ware-
houses.

Nathaniel Pryor had charge of Stearns' busi-
ness at San Pedro. He was succeeded bj- Moses
Carson, brother to the famous scout. Kit Carson.
In 1840 the late John Forster took charge of the
business there and removed his family from Los
Angeles to the landing. He was succeeded by
Capt. Santiago Johnson, who built a house a
little east of the old warehouse and nearer the
bluff.

Don David W. Alexander was captain of the
port from 1844 to 1846. After the conquest, in
1S46, Commodore Stockton reappointed him to
the position. He, in partnership with Juan
Temple up to 1849, had a general merchandise
store at San Pedro and did about all of the for-
warding business of the port. Goods were
freighted to Los Angeles in carts, each cart drawn
by two yoke of oxen yoked by the horns. The
carts were similar to the Mexican. carretas, ex-
cept that they had spoked and tired wheels in-
stead of solid ones. A regular freight train was
composed of ten carts and forty oxen. Freight
charges were $1 per cwt.

During the Mexican era and for four or five
years after the conquest the only means of con-
veying passengers from San Pedro tothecitj' was
on horseback. A caballada (band of horses) was
kept in pasture near the landing, when a vessel
was sighted entering the harbor the mustangs
were corraled, lassoed and saddled, ready for
their riders. If the riders happened to be new-
comers unused to bucking broncos the passenger
sometimes parted company with his steed on the
journey and arrived in the city on foot. In 1852
stages were put on the route by Banning & Alex-
ander. In 1853 J. J. Tomlinson put on an oppo-
sition line, and wagons drawn bj- horses super-
seded the Mexican ox-carts in conveying goods.

The rivalry and racing between the stages of
Banning and Tomlinson furnished many an ex-
citing episode to the passengers between the port
and the city in the early '50s. Banning and
Tomlinson were rivals in freighting, lighterage,
warehousing, and indeed in about everything per-
taining to shipjiing and transportation.

Banning conducted his business in tlic ancient

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

■11

adobe warehouse on the bluflf and liad besides it
some smaller buildings under the bluff. Toni-
linson built a warehouse near Captain Timm's
place. He had a wharf (partl,v made of the hull
of an old schooner) which extended out over the
reef. His stage house, stables and corrals for his
mules and horses were located near the ware-
house.

When the stages were first put on between San
Pedro and Los Angeles the fare was ten dollars —
then seven dollars and fiftj- cents — and finally it
was fixed at five dollars. When rivalry was
keen between Banning and Tomlinson passengers
were sometimes carried for a dollar. Before the
completion of the Los Angeles and San Pedro
Railroad, in 1869, the regular fare was two
dollars and a half from steamer to the city.
Freight was ten dollars per ton.

The first steamer that ever entered the Bay of
San Pedro was the Gold Hunter, which anchored
in the port in 1849. She was a side-wheel vessel
which made the voyage from San Francisco to
Mazatlan, touching at way ports. The Gold
Hunter was followed by the steamers Ohio,
Southerner, Sea Bird and Goliath, in 1851, and
the America in 1854. The line at first was
owned by a New Orleans company. Later on it
was purchased by "Commodore" John T. Wright.
Semi-monthly trips to San Pedro and monthly to
San Diego were made regularly. The price of
passage in the cabin between San Pedro and San
Francisco in the early '50s was fifty-five dollars.
The cabin bill of fare consisted of salt beef, hard
bread, potatoes, and coffee without milk or sugar.
Freight was twenty-five dollars per ton. The
trip occupied four days. The way ports were
Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey.
There were no wharves or lighters on the route;
passengers and freight were landed in the
steamer's boats. About i860 the fare had been
reduced to $25 and freight to $15 per ton. In
1869 the fare was $20, and it remained at that
figure until the S. P. R. R. was completed from
San Francisco to Los Angeles.

In 1858 Banning, to put a greater distance
between himself and his rival, founded the town
of New San Pedro on a tract of land that he
had some time previously acquired from Manuel
Dominguez and which was located at the head of
the San Pedro slough. Here he built a wharf
and warehouses and removed all his shipping and
freight interests.

During the Civil war he had a monopoly of the
lighterage business, and the locating of Camp
Drum near the town which was now called Wil-
mington gave the place quite a boom. All the
army supplies for the troopsin Arizona and New
Mexico passed through it and there was a con-

siderable force of soldiers stationed at the camp in
the town. Tomlinson died and Captain Timras,
after an ineffectual rivalry with Banning, failed.
Then Banning had a monopoly on all the trade
and travel of Southern California and Arizona;
it all had to arrive and depart on his boats and
stages; Wilmington was the great seaport of the
South.

That genial humorist and traveler, the late J.
Ross Browne, who visited Wilmington in 1864,
thus describes the town and the conditions that
existed there then:

"Wilmington is an extensive city, located at
the head of a slough, in a pleasant neighborhood
of sand banks and marshes. There are not a
great many houses in it as yet, but there is a
great ^leal of room for houses when the popula-
tion gets ready to build them. The streets are
broad and beautifully paved with small sloughs,
ditches, bridges, lumber, dry-goods boxes, and
the carcasses of dead cattle. * * *

"The city fathers are all centered in Banning,
who is mayor, councilman, constable and watch-
man— all in one. He is the great progenitor of
Wilmington. Touch Wilmington and you touch
Banning. It is his specialty — the offspring of
his genius. And a glorious genius has Phineas
B., in his way. Who among the many thousands
who have sought health and recreation at Los
Angeles within the past ten years has not been a
recipient of Banning's bounty in the way of
accommodation ? His stages are ever ready — his
horses ever the fastest. * * =■= I retract all I
said about Wilmington— or most of it."

Early in the '50s Los Angeles made an effort to
secure the Salt Lake trade. The Mormons there
had a good home market for their products— the
overland travel to California taking their agricul-
tural surplus and paying for it in coin. It was
difficult for the Mormons to procure mercantile
supplies. The road to the west of Salt Lake over
the Sierra Nevadas and that to the east over the
Rocky Mountains were usually blocked by snow
half the year. The road to Los Angeles was
open summer and winter and trade sought the
most available route.

Just when the first venture in trade by this
route was made I have not been able to ascertain.
I find in the Weekly Star that Banning & Alex-
ander, in May, 1855, dispatched for Salt Lake a
wagon train of fifteen ten-mule teams heavily
freighted with merchandise. The venture was a
successful one financially. The teams returned
in September, consuming four months in the
round trip. The route was by the old Mormon
trail through the Cajon Pass, across the desert to
the Rio Virgin, then up that river and over the
divide to the Salt Lake Valley.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Ill the Slar oi Februar)- ii, 1S59, we read;
"The trade through and from Los Angeles to
LTtah is rapidly on the increase. Since the first
of January there has left this city about sixty
wagons loaded with goods for that market, the
value from $60,000 to $70,000. There is now 011
the way here not less than one hundred tons of
goods in transit to Utah. The transportation will
take about one hundred six-mule teams."

March ist; "Since the first ult. , including those
that will leave to-day, there has left this city not
less than one hundred and fifty wagons loaded
with goods for Utah. The gross value of the
goods here must be about one hundred and eighty
thousand dollars."

March nth: "Goller & Tomlinson sent forty
teams to Salt Lake loaded with merchandise."

"In April, Bachman & Co.'s agent returned
from a three-months' trip to Salt Lake with six
loaded teams of goods. His own share of the
profits amounted to $2,000 per month."

The trade of Los Angeles increased and ex-
tended away beyond Utah — into Idaho and Mon-
tana.

Mr. H. D. Barrows, correspondent of the San
Francisco Bulletin, writing under dateof January
26, 1866, says: * * * "Last winter they
commenced coming down from Bannock, Idaho,
four hundred and fifty miles beyond Salt Lake,
after goods and live stock. Considerable num-
•bers of both horses and sheep were driven from
here to Bannock and Boise. This winter there
are parties here after goods all the way from
Helena, Montana, five or six hundred miles be-
yond Salt Lake, away up near the head waters
of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers. Thirteen
or fourteen hundred miles of land transportation
for heavy freight by mule trains seems appalling,
but there is no help from it a portion of the year.
Ill summer they get supplies up the Missouri
River to within 175 miles of Helena.

"One of these parties (Mr. Lusk) isloadingten
teams and offers thirty cents per pound for con-
siderable additional freight that he has not facili-
ties for transporting himself. He expects to be
two and a half to three months on the road, ar-
riving in Montana in early spring, when, for a well
assorted .stock, he can get his own prices."

One of the novel means of transportation
during the '50s in California and Arizona
was a train of camels. During Pierce's ad-
ministration, in 1856, .some a.stute individual
connected with the War Department conceived
the brilliant idea that the camel might be
successfully used in transporting government
supplies to the military stations in Califor-
nia, Arizona and New Mexico. Accordingly
Commodore David D. Porter was authorized to

purchase in Africa a certain number of camels.
With the assistance of Philip Tedro, known as
"HiJoU}'," sevenlj'-six camels were purchased
and shipped under charge of "Hi Jolly" to Indi-
anola, Texas. From there thej' were sent to Al-
buquerque, New Mexico, where a caravan was
made up under the superintendence of Ned Beale
to proceed to Fort Tejon, California. The expe-
dition consisted of forty-four citizens and an escort
of twenty soldiers. The camels packed about
1000 pounds and found their own subsistence on
the way. Their route from Albuquerque to Fort
Tejon lay along the thirty-fifth parallel. The
caravan made several trips between Albuquerque
and Fort Tejon, and were used between different
military stations in California aud Arizona.
They were frequently seen in Los Angeles. The
-S/rtrof January 8, 1858, says: "A drove of fourteen
camels under the management of Lieutenant
Beale arrived in Los Angeles. They were 011
their way from Fort Tejon to the Colorado River
and the Mormon country; and each animal was
packed with one thous.T d pounds of provisions
and military stores. With this load they made
from thirty to forty miles per day, finding their
own subsistence in even the most Isarren country,
and going without water from six to ten days at
a time." July 21, 1858: "The camels, eight in
number, came into town from Fort Tejon after
provisions for that camp. The largest ones pack
a ton and can travel (light) sixteen miles an
hour." It would seem that with such qualifica-
tions— carrying a ton, traveling sixteen miles an
hour, and going ten days at a time without
water — that the experiment of navigating the
sandy wastes of the Southwest with the "ship
of the desert" ought to have been a success, but
it was not. The American soldier and teamster
could not be metamorphosed into an Arabian
camel driver and the camel himself could not be-
come accustomed to American ways and methods.
There was always trouble, mutiny and di,scord on
an expedition in which the camel was the ship-
ping agent. Finally the government condemned
the whole camel outfit and sold the animals to
two Frenchmen, who took them to Reese River,
Nevada, where they were used in packing salt to
Virginia City. From there they were taken to
Arizona and were used for some time in packing
ore from the Silver King mine to Yuma down the
Gila River. The Frenchmen were no more suc-
cessful in adapting themselves to the habits of
the camel than were the American soldiers, so,
tiring of their hump-backed burden-bearers, they
turned them loose upon the desert near Maricopa
Wells. Their ungainly forms looming up sud-
denly on the desert frequently stampeded the
mules of the freight trains and scattered wagons

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and freight over the plains. The drivers, out of
revenge, shot the camels. In the fall of 1882
several were caught and shipped east for a show.
A few maj- yet be running wild in the deserts of
Southern Nevada; and thus disastron.sly ended
the first and last experiment of navigating the
arid wastes of the Southwest with the "ship of
the desert" — of utilizing the camel in America.

R.VILROADS.

The scheme of uniting Los Angeles with its
port, San Pedro, by railroad was agitated for a
number of years before it was put into effect. As
early as May, 1861, the state senate passed a bill
authorizing the board of supervisors of Los An-
geles County to subscribe one hundred thousand
dollars and the mayor and common council to
subscribe fifty thousand dollars to the capital
stock of a railroad between Los Angeles and San
Pedro. In 1863 an act for the construction of
such a road passed both houses of the legisla-
ture. In December, 1864, the scheme was again
discussed in a convention of citizens of Los An-
geles and San Bernardino, but nothing came of
it. The terribly dry years of 1863 and 1864 had
paralyzed all business in the southern country.

In 1866, when Hon. Phineas Banning was in
the senate, he introduced a bill to build a road
from Los Angeles to Wilmington. Remonstrances
were filed against this as it would make the ter-
minus of the road four miles from steamboat an-
chorage, and would put the merchants and trav-
eling public to the expense of lighterage and to
delays from low tides and the uncertain channel of
the Wilmington slough; and, besides, an "ad-
ditional debt of one hundred thousand dollars,"
in the opinion of the protestants, "would so
oppress the taxpayers of the city as to make
their burdens unbearable." The project slum-
bered two years longer. In 1868 bills were
passed by the legislature authorizing the board
of supervisors of the county to take and subscribe
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars towards
the capital stock of a railroad between Los An-
geles and Wilmington, and the mayor and com-
mon council to subscribe seventy-five thousand
dollars toward the same object. An election was
called for March 24, 1868, in the various pre-
cincts of the county to vote upon the question of
granting a subsidy. The result of the election
was favorable. Ground was broken at Wilming-
ton September 19th following, and work was
pushed vigorously. The cars for the railroad
were all built at Wilmington, and a shipyard was
established there in which a tug and passage boat
for harbor duty was built.

On October 26, 1869, the last rail was laid, and
the project that had been agitated nearly a decade

before was finally completed, and great was the
rejoicing thereat. Freight and fare were still high.
It cost six dollars to get a ton of freight from
anchorage to Los Angeles, and Banning taxed
you a dollar and a-half to take you from the
steamer on his tug up the slough to Wilmington,
and the railroad charged a dollar from there to
the city; yet nobody complained, the charges
were so much less than formerly. The advent of
the railroad stimulated the growth of the city and
increased its trade; the old pueblo grew ambitious
to become a railroad center.

A new overland railroad was projected. It
was to cross the continent by the Southern route.
Starting from Lathrop, on the Central Pacific
road, it was proposed to build a road up the San
Joaquin \'alley to its head, then cross over the
Tehechapai range and down into the Mojave
desert; from there its route was uncertain. It
might go eastward to the Colorado on the thirty-
fifth parallel, or, if sufficient inducements were
offered, it might come down the Soledad Caiion
and over the San Fernando mountains into Los
Angeles and thence eastward to the Colorado.
Negotiations were entered into between a com-
mittee of thirty citizens and the magnates of the
Southern Pacific, as the road was called. After
considerable parleying the following agreement
was reached: the Railroad Company would,
within fifteen months after the announcement of
a favorable vote on the proposition hereinafter
named, agree to construct within the County of
Los Angeles fifty miles of its main trunk road
leading from San Francisco via Visalia through
San Bernardinoto the Colorado River, connecting
at Yuma with the Texas Pacific. Twenty-five
miles of this were to be built northward and twen-
ty-five eastward from Los Angeles. This left the
southeastern portion of the county out in the
cold and objection was raised. To appease that
portion the company agreed to build a branch
road to Anaheim, to be completed in two years.
In consideration of the foregoing the people were
to vote a subsidy to the railroad company of five
per cent, on the taxable property of the county.
Two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars of
this was to be paid in stock of the San Pedro and
Los Angeles Railroad owned by the city and
county, and three hundred and seventy-seven
thousand dollars in twenty-year bonds of the
county bearing seven per cent. In addition to
this the city was to donate sixty acres for depot
grounds. An election was called for Nov. 5,
1872. to vote on the proposition. The Texas
Pacific had made a proposition to build from San
Diego a railroad up the coast to Los Angeles,
giving sixty miles of railroad in the county.
The previous year (1871) a franchise had been

I So

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL Rl'XORD.

granted to Tom Scott to build from some point
in Texas an overland line to San Diego. A
lively contest ensued between the two roads to
secure the acceptance of their several propositions.
The war was reallj- a triangular contest. The
voters were divided between the Texas Pacific,
the Southern Pacific and no subsidy- to anj- rail-
road. Pamphleteers and newspaper correspon-
dents painted in roseate hues the era of prosperity
that would dawn upon us when the neigh of the
iron horse broke the stillness of our unpeopled
wastes. "Taxpayer" and "Pro Bono Publico"
bewailed the waste of the people's money and
bemoaned the increase of taxes. The battle was
fought to a finish and at the election on Nov. 5,
the Southern Pacific won. The total donation
amounted to about $610,000; and the gift of the
Los Angeles and San Pedro road virtually gave
the Southern Pacific control of the San Pedro Har-
bor and a monopoly on our transportation that
clung to us for years with theevertightening grip
of the Old Man of the Sea.

The company began work both on the line
northerly to San Fernando and easterly to Spadra.
The first trains from Los Angeles to these two
points were run April 24, 1874. Work on the
Anaheim branch was commenced in the winter
of 1873-74 and the first through train reached
that town Jan. 17, 1875. This branch was sub-
sequently extended to Santa Ana. The long
tunnel situated about six miles north of San Fer-
nando and twenty-seven miles from Los Angeles
is the great engineering feat of this road. It
passes under a spur of the San Fernando moun-
tains and is six thousand nine hundred and sixty-
four feet or nearly a mile and a quarter in length.
Fifteen hundred men were employed on the work
for over a year. The total cost was estimated at
two million dollars.

The northern and the southern ends of the
road were united September 6. 1876. Three
hundred and fifty-five invited guests from Los
Angeles met a deputation of fifty persons from
San Francisco, including the Mayor of that city,
and the President and Board of Directors of the
road at Soledad station, where the point of union
was made. Col. Charles Crocker, President of
the road, drove the last spike, which was made
of solid gold, with a silver hammer.* Speeches
were made by Col. Crocker, Gen. D. D. Colton,
Ex-Governor Downey, Mayor Beaudry, Mayor
Bryant, Governor Stanford and Gen. Banning.
After the celebration all of the party repaired to
Los Angeles, where a grand banquet was held in

•The snike and hammer w<
pany by t,. W. Thatcher, at
I<os Angeles.

Union Hall (now the Jones Block, 175 N. Spring
St.), followed by a grand ball which lasted until
morning, when the San I'ranciscans returned to
their home city on the first through train over
the road from the Los Angeles end.

Los Angeles .\nd Independence Railroad
Company was incorporated in January, 1875.
The purpose of the company was to build a rail-
road beginning at Santa Monica and passing
through Los Angeles and San Bernardino and
from there via the Cajon Pass to Independence,
Inyo County. Work was begun at once and the
first train between Los Angeles and Santa Moni-
ca was run December i, 1875. A long wharf
was built at Santa Monica and the ocean steam-
ers stopped there for pa.ssengers and freight. The
financial panic of 1875 and the dry years that
followed put an end to the extension of the road.
In 1878 it was sold to the Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company. That company pulled down the
long wharf because it interfered with its business
at Wilmington, or rather because at that time it
did not pay to maintain two shipping points.

The Southern California Railroad, as the
western end of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
system is called, was completed in May, 1887.
It asked no subsidy or concession, but paid for
what it got. It absorbed the Los Angeles &
San Gabriel Valley Railroad, which had been
completed to Duarte in November, t886. The
Southern California road branched off from the
Atlantic and Pacific at Barstow and came through
the Cajon Pass to San Bernardino, and thence
westward to Mud Springs, where the union
was made with the San Gabriel Valley road,
which had been extended eastward from Duarte
to the point of union.

The Santa Fe system had in 1S85 leased the
right to run trains over the Southern Pacific road
from Deming to Los Angeles. It obtained an
interest in the Atlantic & Pacific between Albu-
querque and Barstow. and the ownership of the
Southern California road, and thus secured an un-
broken line between Los Angeles and Chicago.
The advantage of two transcontinental roads was
felt immediately. Emigration poured in rapidly,
real estate advanced in value unprecedentedly
and the population of Los Angeles increased more
in three years than it had done in a century. A
few years later the Santa Fe obtained by purchase
the Atlantic &; Pacific road to Mojave. From
there, using the Southern Pacific tracks, it con-
nects at Bakersfield with what was formerly the
Valley Road, which it has absorbed, thus giving
it connection with San Francisco. The Santa Fe,
in 1886, built from Colton, a road to San Diego,
by way of Temacula and Fallbrook, but the
great flood of 1889 destroyed the road through

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

i8i

the caiion. That portion was not re-built. The
Coast Line to San Diego was built in 1891 and
this now constitutes part of its transcontinental
system. It has also a branch to Santa Monica.

The Terminal Railroad, or rather the east-
ern end ofit from Los Angeles to Altadena, is built
of the wreckage of several rapid transit, narrow
gauge and dunim_v lines, the products of the boom,
all of which came to grief when that financial bub-
ble, "the boom," burst. The western end of it,
from Los Angeles to San Pedro, via Long Beach
and Rattlesnake Island, now Terminal Island,
was completed in 1891. The opening of the road
from Pasadena to its ocean terminus was celebrated
November 14, 1891, b}- a grand excursion under

the management of the Pasadena Board of Trade.
Its name, "terminal," was adopted on the suppo-
sition that at no distant day it would become the
terminus of some great transcontinental line.
The supposition has not 3-et become a fact, but its
managers and the public generally live in hope
that it soon may be. Its acquisition of Rattle-
snake Island gives it a magnificent ocean frontage,
and the conpletion of the free harbor will make
it immensely valuable.

Since the above was written the Terminal has
been sold to the Salt Lake road or rather a large
interest in it has been sold to Senator Clark, of
Montana, who proposes to push the road through
to Salt Lake.

CHAPTER XXXVL

MISCELLANY-MAINLY STATISTICAL.

^^ HE following statistics of population, schools,
/r» assessments, city and county, and vote at
\G) presidential elections, with the exception
^^ of two or three items, have been compiled
from ofiicial sources. They are presented in con-
venient form for reference:

POPULATION OF LOS ANGELES CITY.
Years. No. Iiihabitanls.

178 1 (founded) official 44

1790 " 141

1800 " 315

1810 " 415

1820 " 650

1830 estimated 770

1840 " 1,250

1 850 official 1,610

i860 " 4,399

1870 " 5,614

1880 " 11,183

1890 " 50,395

1900 " 102,479

POPULATION OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

1850 oflScial 3,530

i860 " 11,333

1870 " 15,309

1880 " 33,881

1890 " 101,454

1900 " 170,298

In 1850 Los Angeles County, besides the area
it now has, included all of what is now San Ber-
nardino and Orange Counties and nearly one-half
of Kern County; in i860, all of the area in Orange
and part of Kern County, and in 1870 and 1880,
all of Orange County.

COUNTY SCHOOL REPORTS.

The first Los Angeles County school report
that I have been able to find, and probably the
first ever made, is that of County Superintendent
J. F. Burns for the school year ending Octo-
ber 31, 1855.

It is as follows:
Total number of schools in the county 6

Total number of teachers g

Total number of children attending

school 3gg

Whole number of days taught 830

Average daily attendance 134

Total number census children between

4 and 18 years 1,522

Amount paid teachers by trustees. . . . $1,276

Amount paid teachers by patrons. . . . 766

Total teachers wages $2,042

Amount spent for building and pur-
chasing school houses $ 8,230.75

Total amount expended on the schools

of the county $10,272.75

I82

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RliCORI).

Report for the school vear ending October 31,
i860:

Number of schools iu the county (3 gram-
mar, 4 primary) 7

Number of teachers (6 male, 5 female) . . 11

Total number of pupils enrolled 460

Average daily attendance 140

Total number of census children between

4 and 18 j-ears 2,343

Paid for teachers salaries $ 4.827

Value of school houses built 7,000

Total amount expended on schools dur-
ing year $11,827

The following table gives the number of cen-
sus children, enrollment and the number of
teachers employed at different periods between
1866 and 1900 in the schools of the county:

No. Teach-

EuroUment EuroUnient ers

No. Ceusus Public Private Public

Year. Children. Schools. Schools Schools.

1866 2,445 581 424 14

1869.... 4,424 1,344 534 28

1876 9,319 5,469 829 86

i88o---- 10,602 6,055 572 130

1885.... 15,130 11,368 1,031 211

1890 23,390 19,068 1,829 391

1895 33,729 25,450 600

1900.... 47,227 32,396 .... 839

The census age iu 1866 and 1869 was between
5 and 15 years. From 1876 to date, between 5
and 17 years.

In 1889 the formation of Orange County from
the southeastern part of Los Angeles took away
from the latter county 4,095 census children, 31
districts and 72 teachers,

(For Los Angeles city school reports see Chap-
ter XXIV.)

WEALTH OF THE COUNTY.

The following tables of the assessed valuation
of property give the assessors' estimates of the
wealth of Los Angeles County at different periods
from 1852 to 1900, both inclusive.

The first report of a county assesisor that I
have been able to find is one made by Don
Antonio F. Coronel, ^vho filled the office from
1850 (when the county was organized) to 1S56.
It is made on unruled sheets of Spanish foolscap
pasted together into leaves two feet long and
stitched into a book of 34 pages, and is covered
with blue calico. This one book constitutes the
assessment roll for that year. The county then
extended from San Juan Capistrano on the south
to Tehachapi on the north, and from the Pacific
Ocean to the Colorado River. Don Antonio made

a careful and no doubt accurate estimate of the
value of the property in his extensive district.
The following are the principal items:

Number of acres assessed i ,505, 180

Value of real estate $ 748,606

\'alue of improvements 301,947

Value of personal property 1,183,898

Total .$2,234,451

County assessor's report for the fiscal year
ending November 29, 1856:
Total number of acres in the county

assessed 1,003,930

Value of real estate $ 402,219

Value of county improvements 230,336

Value of city real estate 187,582

Value of city improvements 457,535

Value of personal property 1,213,079

Total $2,490,750

County assessor's report for i860:

Value real estate $ 547,253

Value improvements 897,118

\'alue personal property i ,620,330

Total $3,064,701

County assessment for 1866:
Total value of real estate and im-
provements $1,149,267

Total value of personal property 1,204,125

Total $2,353,392

Comparing the assessment of 1866 with that
of 1856, it appears that not only was there no in-
crease in value in ten years, but actually a fall-
ing off of nearly $140,000. This was due in part
to the destruction of cattle and sheep by the
great drought of 1863-64. The greatest depres-
sion the county has ever known occurred during
the early '60s. The division of political senti-
ment and the antagonisms growing out of the
Civil war had considerable to do with the de-
pressed condition of the county.

County assessments from 1864 to and includ-
ing 1900:

Total County

Including Railroad
Vear. .Assessment.

1864 $ 1,622,370

1867 2,556,083

1868 3,764,04s

1869 5,797,171

1870 6,918,074

187I 6,358,022

IIISTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

183

Total County
Assessment
Including Railroad

Year. Assessment.

1872 $ 9,147,073

1873 9.854-593

1874 12,085,110

1875 14,890,765

1876 14,844,322

* * * * ^ ;;: *

1882 20,916,835

1883 26,138,117

1884 30,922,290

1885 35.344.483

1886 40,091,820

1887 89,833,506

1888 102,701,629

1889 • • 93,647,086

1890 69,475,025

I89I 82,616,577

1892 82,839,924

1893 77.244.050

1894 79.495.921

1895 1 84,797,196

1896 99,520,611

1897 92,580,978

1898 93,256,089

1899 98,391.783

1900 100,136,070

CITY ASSESSMENT-

[860

Value each of real estate, improvements and
personal property:

Value of real estate $ 254,250

Value of improvements 594,009

Value of personal propertj- 577.389

Total $1,425,648

CITY ASSESSMENTS.

1860-61 $ 1,425,648

1861-62 1,299,719

1862-63 1,098,469

1863-64

1864-65 878,71s

1865-66 989,413

1866-67

1867-68 1 , 27 1 , 290

1868-69

1869-70 2,108,061

1870-71

1871-72 2, 134,093

1872-73 4,191,996

1873-74 3.816,679

1874-75 4,589,746

1875-76 5.935.219

1876-77 5-291,148

877-78 $ 5,871,881

878-79 5.947-580

879-80 6,871,913

880-81 7-259.598

881-82 7,574,926

882-83 9.294-074

883-84 12,232,353

S84-85 14,781,865

885-86 16,273,535

886-87 18,448,535

887-88 27,803,924

888-89 39.476,712

889-90 46,997, lOI

890-91 49,320,670

891-92 45.953.704

892-93 45,310,807

893-94 47,281,778

894-95 47,396.165

895-96 48,814,145

896-97 52,242,302

897-98 52,140,293

898-99 60,930,266

899-1900 64,915,326

900-1901 67,576,047

Vote of Los Angeles County at each presi-
dential election from 1856 to 1896, both inclusive,
figured on the basis of highest vote cast for any
elector.

856.

Republic:
•••356

864.

722

ckeuridge. Dougla:
Dem, Dem.

703 494

Republican.

555

748

Greeley,
Republican. Dem.

..1,312 1,228

Republican.

3,040

135

Bell and

744
1.236

650
iiocratic.
3.616

Republica
880 2,915

884 5,596

Republican.

888.. -.13,803

Republican.
0,226

2,855
4,684

892.

896.

Rep.
[6,891

Populist.
16,043

787

Greenback. Prohibit'
306 I

208 34

1, 20b Si

Prohibition. Populist.
1,348 3,086

Nat. Nat. Social-
Dem. Party. ist.
131 81 108

LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY.

The only attempt at founding any institution
of the character of our modern reading room and
library, during the Mexican era of our city's his-

i84

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

tory, was that made b\' the Aiiiig(js del Pais in
1844. The Aiiiigos del Pais (Friends of the
Country) was a society or club made up of the
leading citizens of the town, both native and
foreign. A lot 100 varas square, free of taxes,
was granted the society by the ayuntaniieiUo.
An adobe building was erected and fitted up with
a dancing hall. A reading room was partitioned
off from the main hall and a small library of
books collected. There were no daily news
papers in the reading room. A newspaper six
months old was late news, and a book of the last
century was quite fresh and readable. The
Amigos for a time enjoyed their social privileges
and the society flourished. Then the society ran
in debt and its membership fell off. The build-
ing was disposed of by lottery. Andres Pico
drew the lucky number. The McDonald Block,
North Main, stands on the site of the Amigos'
hall. After the American conquest several at-
tempts were made to found a library and reading
room. The Mechanics' Institute, in 1S56, '57 and
'58 was a flourishing literary association. It
maintained a course of lectures which were well
patronized. The society owned a corrugated iron
building on North Spring street, where the
Southern California Savings Bank Building now
stands. It was ambitious to found a public
library and reading room, but the times were un-
propitious. Money was scarce and population
migratory. The society died and its good inten-
tions perished with it or went where all good in-
tentions go.

In the early '70s, when the city began to take
on a new growth, the project of founding a public
library was again revived. On the 7th of Decem-
ber, 1872, a meeting was called at the old Merced
Theatre, located on North Main street just south
of the Pico House or National Hotel; the build-
ing is still standing but long since ceased to be used
as a theatre. Over two hundred citizens were pres-
ent. Gen. J. R. McConnell, a prominent lawyer,
acted as president, andW. J. Broderick, then the
proprietor of a bookstore, acted as secretary . Sixty-
six vice-presidents were selected from the promi-
nent men of the city. The Los Angeles Library
Association was formed, and a committee was
appointed to canvass the city for members, sub-
scriptions and donations of books. This commit-
tee included ex-Gov. John G. Downey, H. K. W.
Bent, Harris Newmark, W. J. Broderick and
S. B. Caswell. A life membership cost $50; a
yearly membership $5.

Governor Downey gave the use of four rooms on
the second floor of his block, corner of North Main
and Temple streets, free for three months; these
rooms were fitted up with open shelves, news-
paper racks and reading tables. The first board

of trustees consisted of J. G. Downey, S. B. Cas-
well, H. K. W. Bent, G. H. Smith, Ignacio
Sepulveda, W. H. Mace, A. W. Potts, T. W.
Temple, R. H. Dalton, Gen. George Stoneman,
E. M. Stanford, W. B. Lawlor and J.R. McCon-
nell; this board to have control of the library and
the appointment of the librarian and assistants.

The legislature of 1 873- 74 passed an act author-
izing the levying a .small tax on the property of
the city for the maintenance of the library. In
1878, by act of the legislature, the mayor and
members of the city council were made ex-officio
a board of regents to manage the affairs of the
library.

During the '70s sub.scriptions, donations, balls,
theatrical performances and membership fees
mainly supplied the funds for the purchase of
books and periodicals. The amount raised bj-
taxation was barely sufficient to keep up the run-
ning expenses, salary, rent, etc. The period be-
tween 1880 and 1889 was not covered by so many
donations, but occasional subscriptions and mem-
bership fees kept the library running until the
adoption of the new charter changed the manner
of conducting the institution. The new charter
dispensed with the board of regents and provided
for a board of five directors appointed b}- the mayor.
In July, 1889, the library was removed from the
Downey Block to the city hall. The Dewey sys-
tem of classification was then adopted and is still
used. The records show that the library then
contained just 6,600 books. An extra large ap-
propriation was made that year on condition that
$10,000 be applied to the purchase of books.

The librariaus, with their term of service, are as
follows:

J. C. Littlefield, December, i872-January, 1879
Patrick Connolly, January, iS79-June, 18S0

Mary E. Foy, June, iS8o-January, 1884

Jessie A. Gavitt, January, i8S4-January, 1889
Lydia A. Prescott, January, 1889-April, 1889
Tessa L. Kelso, April, 1889-May, 1895

Clara B. Fowler, May, i8g5-June, 1897

Harriet C. Wadleigh, June, 1897-June, 1900
Mary L. Jones, June, igoo

In 1 891 the annual membership fee which at
that time was $3.00 was aboli.shed and the library
made free. A training class was organized the
same year for training attendants and the follow-
ing year (1892) the board of education placed
school libraries in custody of the library board.

The total number of volumes in the library
November 30, 1899, was 51,334 and the home
circulation for the year preceding that date was
26,358,898. The appropriation forthe year 1899
was $26,850 The library now occupies all of
the third floor of the city hall and all of the avail-
able space in the attic.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

185

HiSTOKICAL SOCIKTV UV vSoUTHKKN CAL-
IFORNIA. Although Southern Califoniia is rich
in historical material, yet more than a century
passed before any society was organized for its
preservation. On the evening of November 1st,
1883, in a room of the old Temple Block, corner
of North Main and Market streets, used at that
time for a council chamtier, the following-named
gentlemen met for the purpose of organizing an
historical society: Col. J. J. Warner, Gen. John
Mansfield, H. D. Barrows, N. Levering, Prof. J.
M. Guinn, Maj. C. N. Wilson, ex-Gov. J. G.
Downey, Prof. Ira More, J. B. Niles, A. Kohler,
Don Antonio F. Coronel, George Hansen, A. J.
Bradfield, Maj. E. W. Jones and Prof. Marcus
Baker. The question of organizing a society
was discussed and a plan formulated. At a sub-
sequent meeting held December 6th, officers were
elected, a constitution and by-laws adopted and
the organization completed. The first officers of
the society were: J. J. Warner, President, H. D.
Barrows, A. F. Coronel, J. G. Downey, John
Mansfield, Vice-Presidents; J. M. Guinn, Treas-
urer; C. N. Wilson, Secretary. Its meetings at
first were held in the council chamber, later on
in the citj- court room, and now at the houses of
members. During the seventeen years of its
existence about two hundred persons have been
received into membership. Of these thirty are
dead, a number have been lost through removal,
withdrawal and non-payment of dues. The
active membership is now about fifty.

The Society has issued fifteen annual publica-
tions of papers read before it or contributed to it.
These publications make over twelve hundred
octavo pages and form four complete volumes of
valuable history. It has expended in publication,
purchase of books and newspaper files about
$3,000 cash; and in addition to this it has received
in donations of books, curios, files of papers,
periodicals, pamphlets, manuscripts, maps, etc.,
historical material worth at least $3,000 more. Its
library includes bound volumes and pamphlets,
in all about five thousand titles. Its publications
have a wide circulation. They are sent to his-
torical, scientific and geographical societies, to
public libraries and to the leading colleges and
universities of the United States and Europe.
Its present officers are Walter R. Bacon, Presi-
dent; H. D. Barrows and Mrs. M. Burton William-
son, Vice-Presidents; J. M. Guinn, Secretary and
Librarian; and Edwin Baxter, Treasurer.

Southern C.\LiFORNiA Academy of Science.
The Southern California Academy of Science first
bore the name of the Southern California Science
Association. It was organized in 1S91. Its first
president was Dr. A. Davidson, and Mrs. Mary
E. Hart filled the position of secretary. Its

growth was slow at first. In 1896 the associa-
tion was reorganized and took its present name.
Since then it has had a healthy growth. Its
present officers and Board of Directors are;
W. H. Knight, President; Abbot Kinney, First
Vice-President; J. D. Hooker, Second \nce-Presi-
dent; W. C. Patterson, Treasurer; B. R. Baum-
gardt. Secretary; Prof. J. A. F'oshay, D. W. Cun-
ningham, Prof. W. L. Watts, A. Campbell
Johnston, Prof. Melville Dozier, Dr. S. M.
Woodbridge, Directors. Its prospectusthus out-
lines the object of the societ)-: "It is the special
province of our Academy to engage in those
investigations which will acquaint us with our
physical environment. No richer field exists for
the prosecution of .scientific inquiry than that of
which Los Angeles is the metropolis. Its pecul-
iar topographical features, rugged mountain
chains, varied mineral deposits, and plains and
fertile valleys, and its strange forms of animal
and plant life, furnish abundant material for the
physicist and the student of nature." The
Academy has an active membership of about one
hundred and fifty. The members are divided
into sections for special and technical work. The
following are the principal sections:

Astronomical — B. R. Baumgardt, Chairman,
Prof. Melville Dozier, Secretary.

Botanical — A. Campbell Johnston, Chairman;
Louis A. Greata, Secretary.

Agricultural Experiment — S. M. Woodbridge,
Director.

Biological — Prof. B. M. Davis, Chairman; Miss
Alma S. Brigham, Secretary.

Geological — Prof. Theodore B. Comstock,
Chairman; W. M. Jones, Secretary.

General meetings are held the second Tuesday
evening of each month from September to June
inclusive.

Pioneers of Los Angeles County. Among
the purposes for which this society was organized
are "to collect and preserve the early history ot
Los Angeles County and to perpetuate the mem-
ory of those who, by their honorable labors and
heroism, helped to make that history." The
work, therefore, of this society is largely histori-
cal in its nature and it cannot be classed with
purely social or fraternal societies, extended
historical notices of which it has been found im-
possible to insert in this work.

The preliminary meeting for the organization
of a Pioneer Society was held in the business of-
fice of the Daily Herald, then located on Third
street in the Bradbury Block, August 2, 1897.
There were present J. M. Griffith, A. L. Bath,
H. S. Orme, M. Teed, J. M. Elliott, J. W.
Gillette, J. M. Guinn, H. W. O'Melveny and W.

iS6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

A. Spalding. The question of forming a Pioneer
or Old Settler.s' Societj- was discussed and a com-
mittee to formulate a plan of organization was
appointed. The members of the committee were:
H. D. Barrows, J. W. Gillette, J. M. Guinn, Dr.
H. S. Orme, Dr. J. S. Griffin, Harris Newmark,
Henry W. O'Melveny and B. S. Eaton. The
president of the meeting, J. M. Griffith, was
made a member of the committee. At the meet-
ing of the committee, August 5, B. S. Eaton was
made chairman and J. M. Guinn secretary. A
sub-committee, consisting of B. S. Eaton and H.
D. Barrows, was appointed to draft a constitution
and by-laws and submit them to the general com-
mittee at a meeting to Ise held on August 10. At
that meeting the name of the organization was
chosen and the time of residence in the count}'
necessary to render a person eligible to member-
ship was fixed at twenty-five years. It was
argued that by adopting a movable date for
eligibility to membership the society would con-
tinue to grow, whereas if a fixed date was
adopted the society would begin to decline as
soon as all eligible had been enrolled. The
growth of the society has proved the wisdom of
this argument. A call was issued for persons

eligible to membership under the twenty-five year
residence clause to meet at the Chamber of Com-
merce, September 4, 1897, at 8 P. M., for the pur-
pose of adopting a constitution and by-laws,
electing officers and otherwi.se completing the
organization. At the meeting of September 4
twenty- four persons were present and signed the
roll. The constitution and by-laws prepared by
the committee after a few changes were adopted.
The following-named persons were chosen a
board of directors: Louis Roeder, \V. IL Work-
man, H. D. Barrows, J. M. Griffith, B. S. Eaton,
J. M. Guinn and H. W. O'Melveny. The
directors then proceeded to elect the officers of
the society from their number. B. S. Eaton was
chosen President; J. M. Griffith, First Vice-Presi-
dent; W. H. Workman, Second Vice-President;
Louis Roeder, Treasurer; and J. M. Guinn, Secre-
tary. The society grew rapidly and at the end
of the first year its membership reached two hun-
dred; it now numbers three hundred. Its
present officers are: President, W. H. Workman;
First Vice-President, R. R. Haines; Second Vice-
President, S. A. Rendall; Treasurer, Louis
Roeder; Secretary, J. M. Guinn; Directors, B. S.
Eaton, M. Teed.

CHAPTER XXXVIL

PASADENA-THE CROWN OF THE VALLEY.

r^R. HIRAM A. REID, in his excellent his
Inl tory of Pasadena, published in 1895, has so
Izl thoroughly investigated the sources of Pasa-
'^ dena history that there is but little original
matter left for those who come after him to
examine. In this brief sketch I shall draw to a
considerable extent from the doctor's extensive
storehouse of facts.

Dr. Reid devotes considerable space in discus-
sing the origin of the name of the rancho on which
Pasadena is located and its early owners. It may
be possible that the baptismal name, "Pascual,"
of old Haliamovic, chief of the Hahamog-na tribe
of Indians, was applied to the region where the.se
aborigines dwelt, but I have found nothing in
my researches to confirm the statement and I
doubt whether the story is founded on facts.

Doua Eulalia Perez de GuiUen's title to the
rancho San Pasqual seems to me to be rather
mythical. There is more of romance than reality
in it. The story runs that Padre Jos^ Maria
Zalvidea, after his removal to San Juan Capis-
trano, prepared a deed to three and one-half
square leagues of land for Eulalia Perez de Guillen
and sent it to his friend and successor. Father
Sanchez, at San Gabriel, who approved and rati-
fied it on Easter Day (called "San Pascual in the
Spanish language"). Unfortunately facts do not
confirm this romantic story of the origin of the
name nor do they confirm Dona Eulalia's title
either.

At the head of the list of twenty-four ranches
named by Hugo Reid as belonging to the Mission
San Gabriel, when Padre Zalvidea was in charge

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

187

of that mission, appears the rancho Sau Pasqual.
It was certainly so named before Father Zalvidea
was transferred to San Juan Capistrano. And
again Padre Sanchez was not the successor of
Zalvidea, but his contemporary at the mission
from 1821 to 1826. If Zalvidea had wished to
provide for Doiia Eulalia he could have made the
deed while at the mission and secured the sig-
nature of Father Sanchez if it had been worth
while securing it; but the missionaries had no
power to deed 'away the mission lands. These
lands belonged to the government and in theory
at least were held in trust for the Indians. In
1826, when this deed was supposed to have been
made, the Mission San Gabriel was flourishing
and the fear of secularization was not imminent.

I think it is extremely doubtful whether Doiia
Eulalia Perez de Guillen ever had any claim
whatever to the rancho San Pasqual; and conse-
quently could not have given it to Juan Marine,
her discarded husbaud, in exchange for his house
and land at San Gabriel.

Dr. Reid in a note written, as he tells us, after
his chapter on the Pre-Pasadenian was in type,
gets on the trail of the first private owner of the
rancho. Had he found the following entry in the
proceedings of the ayuntamiento of Los Angeles,
dated December 27, 1833, it would have saved
him a great many "unsuccessful trips hunting
for documents," and possibly some romancing
about the origin of the name. "An espediente
was read wherein Don Juan Marine asks posses-
sion of the place known as 'Rincou de San
Pascual.' The gefe politico asks for a report in
conformity with the law in the matter. ' '

After discussion, "it was decided to report that
Don Juan Marine is possessed with the necessary
qualifications to make that petition, and the land
he solicits is not within the twenty leagues consti-
tuting the neighboring grant; that it has tempor-
ary irrigable lands and a watering place for cat-
tle and belongs to the San Gabriel Mission."
Marine's application was made after the decree of
secularization had been promulgated, but before it
had been enforced. Governor Figueroa granted
the rancho San Pasqual to Don Juan Marine in
February, 1835.

It may be possible that San Pasqual is abbrevi-
ated from "La Sabanilla de San Pasqual" (the
altar cloth of Holy Easter). It is more probable
that the poppy fields so brilliant at Easter time sug-
gested to the padres the name given the valley—
Rincon de San Pasqual — and that is all the
romance that attaches to the name. From
Marine or his heirs the rancho passed to Jose
Perez. It would seem from subsequent proceed-
ings that Perez' claim was abandoned or probably
"denounced," for November 28, 1843, Governor

Micheltorena granted the rancho to Don Manuel
Garfias, a young ofiicer of the Mexican army,
who had come to California with the governor.
Garfias married Luisa Abila, a daughter of Dona
Encarnacion Abila. On April 3, 1863, a United
States patent for theland comprised in the rancho
San Pasqual was issued to Manuel Garfias, but
before he had obtained his patent he and his wife,
January 15, 1859, had deeded all their "right,
title and interest as well ' in possession as in
expectancy in the rancho to B. D. Wilson.

During the succeeding ten years a number of
transfers were made of the rancho or parts of it
between B. D. Wilson, J. S. Griffin, Phineas
Banning and others. Prior to 1870 the land had
been used for pasturage of cattle and sheep. In
April, 1870, the first scheme for planting a fruit
growing colony on it was promulgated. In the
Los Angeles Jrirk/v Star, of April 30, 1870, and
in subsequent numbers for several weeks, appears
the prospectus of the "San Pasqual Plantation."
I quote a portion of it:

' 'The tract of land selected is a portion of the
San Pasqual ranch in Los Angeles County, com-
prising 1 ,750 acres of the finest qualit}'. A ditch
which forms the northern boundary of the tract
at a cost of $10,000 has also been purchased.
The ditch furnishes in the driest seasons sufficient
water to irrigate the entire tract.

"It is proposed to cultivate this land with
oranges, lemons, olives, nuts, raisins, grapes, etc.,
and to commence at once. For this purpose the
above company has been formed, with a capital
of $200,000, divided into 4,000 shares of $50 each.
Payments to be made in regular and easy install-
ments as follows: $10 per share at date of sub-
scription and $5 each year afterward till the
whole amount is paid. All money to be used in
paying for the land and cultivating the same."
Officers, John Archibald, president; R. M.
Widney, vice-president; W. J. Taylor, secretary;
London and San Francisco Bank, treasurer; J.
A. Eaton, general agent. Subscription books
were opened at the office of R. M. Widney in the
Hellman Bank Building; but evidently the stock
did not go off like hot cakes. The scheme fell
into a state of "innocuous desuetude' ' then passed
from the memory even of the oldest inhabitant of
Pasadena. The tract named in the prospectus is
the "Widney tract," which Dr. Reid mentions
but does not locate.

The colonization scheme that indirectly brought
about the peopling of the San Pasqual had its in-
ception in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the winter
of 1872-73. It was to have been called the Cali-
fornia colony of Indiana; but the colony did not
materialize. The money panic that followed the
failure of Jay Cooke and Black Friday in Wall

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

street financially shipwrecked the projectors of
the colony and left their committee that had been
sent to spy out the land stranded in Los Angeles.

D. M. Berr}', one of the most active promoters
of the colon}- scheme, on the invitation of Judge
B. S. Eaton, visited the San Pasqual rancho and
was delighted with the valley. After his return
to the city, he, J. H. Baker and Calvin Fletcher,
all that were left of the projected California
colony, went to work to organize an association
to buy the San Pasqual lands.

At a meeting held in the real estate office of
Berry & Elliott, that stood on what is now part
of the site of the Baker Block, of Los Angeles,
the following persons were present in person or
represented by proxy: B. S. Eaton, T. F. Croft,
D. M. Berry, A. O. Bristol, Jabez Banbury, H.G.
Bennett, Calvin Fletcher, E. J. Vawter, H. J.
Holmes, J. M. Mathews, Nathan Kimball, Jesse
Yarnell, Mrs. C. A. Vawter, N. R. Gibson, T. B.
Elliott (by proxy), P. M. Green, A. O. Porter,
W. T. Clapp, John H. Baker.

It was decided to incorporate under the name
of the San Gabriel Orange Grove Association.
The capital stock was fixed at $25,000, divided
into 100 shares of $250 each. In December, 1 873,
the association purchased the interest of Dr. J. S.
Griffin in the San Pasqual rancho, consisting of
about 4,000 acres. Fifteen hundred acres of the
choicest land in the tract was subdivided into lots,
varying in size from 15 to 60 acres. One share
of stock was considered equivalent to 15 acres of
laud; and when the distribution was made, Jan-
uary 27, 1 874, each stockholder made his selection
according to his interest in the corporation. The
one and two share men were allowed first choice,
and such was the diversity of the land and the
diversity of taste that when the land was all appor-
tioned each one had gotten the piece he wanted.*

The settlement was called the Indiana Colony,
although the majority of the colonists were not
ex-Hoosiers. The colony was a success from the
beginning. The colonists were the right men in
the right place.

' 'It was a singular fact," says Mrs. Jeanne C.
Carr, "that there was not a professional, and
hardly a practical, horticulturist or farmer among
them: but the spell of the neighboring orchards
and vineyards soon transformed them into enthu-
siastic culturists of the orange and the vine.''

April 22, 1875. the settlement ceased to be the
Indiana Colony, and officially became Pasadena.
To Dr. T. B. Elliott, the originator of the Cali-
fornia Colony scheme, belongs the credit of con-
ferring on Pasadena its euplionious name. The
word is of Indian origin (Chippewa dialect\ and
means crown of the valley.

•Dr. Reid'-s History of Pasailena.

So rapidly were the Indiana Colony- lands ab-
sorbed by settlers that in four years after their
purchase only a few small tracts were left unsold.
In 1876 B. D. Wilson threw on the market about
2,500 acres, lying eastward of Fair Oaks avenue.
This was the Lake \'ineyard Land and Water
Company Tract. The settlers on this tract were
known as "east siders," while the original colo-
nists were the "west siders," F"air Oaks avenue
being the division line. Chance more often than
design has fixed the location of our American
cities, and so it was with the city of Pasadena.
The Indiana colonists had planted the nucleus of
their town on Orange Grove avenue, near Cali-
fornia street, where the first schoolhouse was
built and the first churches located: but a west-
sider, L. D. Hollingsworth, built a small build-
ing near the corner of Fair Oaks avenue and
Colorado street, opened a store and secured the
post-office, which had once been discontinued,
because no one would serve as postmaster at the
salary of one dollar a month. Then a black-
smith shop and a meat market were located near
the store, and B. D. Wilson donated near these
five acres for a school site, and the germ of the
future city was planted; but it was of slow
growth at first. A correspondent in the Los An-
geles Herald, writing June 5, i88o, describes
the town as consisting of "a store and post-office
building, a blacksmith shop and a meat market
at the cross roads near the center of the settle-
tlement."

No one had dreamed as yet of a city iu the val-
ley. The people were devoted to orange culture,
and their pride and ambition was to produce the
finest citrus fruits in Southern California. At
the great citrus fair held in Los Angeles, March,
1 88 1, Pasadena was awarded the first premium
over all competitors for the largest and best ex-
hibit of the kind ever made in the state, and
again in the fall of the same year she carried off
another first premium.

In the meantime, the town was growing in a
leisurely way. The eastern tourist had found
that it was a good place to stop at. The great
Raymond Hotel had been built on the top of Ray-
mond hill, where it could be "seen of all men;"
and smaller hotels and boarding-houses opened
their doors for the stranger and health seeker.

The San Gabriel \'aliey Railroad was opened
for travel September 16, 1S85, between Los An-
geles and Pasadena.

Early in 1S86 the first reverberations of the
boom began to be heard. The great Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad system was seeking
an outlet to the Pacific. Pasadena was destined
to be on the main trunk line of this transconti-
nental road. The city was designed for something

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

[S9

greater than a business center of thevalleJ^ The
echoes of the boom grew louder. The five- acre
school lot that B D. Wilson had donated the San
Pasqual district ten years before was cut up into
town lots, and on March 12, 1S86, offered at auc-
tion. When the sale was over it was found that
the thirty-five lots carved out of the school site
had brought an aggregate of $44,772. Ten years
before, when Wilson donated it, $400 would have
been considered a big price for it. Such a per-
centage of gain staggered the most enthusiastic
Pasadenian; and the boom grew louder. It paid
better to cultivate town lots than citrus fruits. So
orange orchards were planted with white stakes,
and the ax cut swaths through the groves for
prospective streets.

Subdivisions and additions were thick as leaves
in Valambrosia. The outlying districts — South
Pasadena, Altadeua, Lamanda Park, Olivewood,
were doing their best to outrival the metropolis
of the valley. The whole valley and the foot-
hills of the mountains seemed destined to become
a city of vast proportions and magnificent dis-
tances. At the acme of the boom, in August,
1887, ^ single acre in the business center of the
city was valued at more than the entire rancho of
13,000 acres was worthi5 years before. Inflation
of values had reached the bursting point, and the
bubble burst. Then financial "disasters followed
fast and followed faster. " The "millionaires of
a day," the boomers, saw their wealth shrivel
and values shrink, until there was nothing left —
nothing left on which they could realize.

When the boom was over — when the blare of
brass bands and the voice of the auctioneer were
no longer heard in the land, then the old-timers
and the new-comers, or such of them as had not
departed with the boom, proceeded to take an ac-
count of stock. The exhibit was not encouraging.
The real estate boomer and the cottony scale had
devastated the orange groves, once the pride and
boast of Pasadena. But avenging fates, in the
shape of unfortunate creditors and victimized
purchasers, drove away the boomers, and the cot-
tony scale found its Nemesfs in the Australian
lady-bug. The indomitable courage and industry
that created the groves rehabilitated them. Per-
severance, coupled with intelligence, won. The
outlying groves that were not wholly ruined were
redeemed. Corner stakes were plowed under and
streets planted with trees. After a two-years'
struggle with debts and discouragements, the
city, too, freed itself from itsincubus. Since 1S91
its course has been upward and onward.

After all, the boom was not an evil unmixed
with good. Indeed, it is a question whether the
good in it did not preponderate. The rapidity
with which Pasadena was built in 1886 and 1887

has seldom been paralleled in the history of town
building. In 1887 nearly $2,000,000 were in-
vested in buildings, and these were mostly sub-
stantial and costly structures. After the depres-
sion was over these found tenants again, and
building has gone steadily onward until to-day
no other city of its size can show more palatial
private residences or finer business blocks than
Pasadena — the Crown of the Vallev.

It is impossible to give an extended account of
many prominent events in the history of Pasa-
dena. The following annals of events will be
found useful for reference. (Most of the data
given is compiled from Dr. Reid's History of
Pasadena. )

ANNALS OF PASADENA.
1873.

December 13 — San Gabriel Orange Grove As-
sociation incorporated.

1S74.

January 27 — Distribution of lots in the asso-
ciation to stockholders.

September 10 — First school opened. Miss
Jennie Clapp, teacher. (Now Mrs. F.J. Culver.)

September 12 — First election in Pasadena.
(School.)

1875-

February 7 — First sermon preached in Pasa-
dena. Rev. W. C. Mosher, Presbyterian min-
ister, delivered it.

March 12 — First wedding. Miss Millie Locke
to Charles H. Watts.

March 15 — Postoffice established. Josiah Locke,
postmaster.

March 27 — First church organized (Presby-
terian).

April 22 — The name Pasadena officially
adopted.

December 30 — Postoffice discontinued.

1876.

First church building erected ( Presbyterian).

September 21 — Postoffice re-established. H.
T. Hollingsworth, postmaster.

June 13 — First death in the colony, William
Green Porter, aged 8, son of A. O. Porter.

1879.

First hotel, the Lake Vineyard House, built.

February 14 — Pasadena Lodge, No. 173, In-
dependent Order of Good Templars, organized.

December i8 — Pasadena Lodge, Ne. 151, An-
cient Order United Workmen, instituted.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

March 24 — First Citrus Fair held in Pasadena.

Pasadena Packing Companj- started. First
manufacturing industrj^ in the town.

August 3 — First newspaper, the Pasadena
Oironidc, established. C. M. Daley, printer;
Ben E. Ward, editor.

October 22 — Pasadena Lodge, No. 272, F. &
A. M., instituted.

1884.

Februar}- 26 — Pasadena Public Library opened.

November 21 — Pasadena Bank (now First
National) organized.

March 3 to 6— Second great Citrus Fair held.

September 16 — First railroad, the Los Angeles
& San Gabriel Valley, opened for travel.

October 10 — First franchise for a street railroad
in Pasadena granted to Stephen Townsend.

November 28— John F. Godfrey Post, No.
93, Grand Army of the Republic, organized.

December 30 — Pasadena Lodge, No. 324, I. O.
O. F , instituted.

March 12 — Great auction sale of school house
tract lots. Beginning of the boom.

May 13 — Pasadena incorporated as a city.
Population, 2,700.

September 27. Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciation organized.

September 30. — First street car line opened for
public travel.

November 13 — The Colorado Street Railroad
line opened for travel. »

November 17 — Raymond Hotel opened.

1S87.
February 9 — First daily newspaper, Pasadena
Star, issued.

October 8 — City fire department established.

March — Pasadena Electric Light and Power
Company organized.

April 12 — First Board of Trade organized.

February 13— Grand Opera House ojjened.
(Cost of building, $100,000.)

July I— Free mail delivery commenced.

July 12- The Pasadena and Mount Wilson
Toll Road Company incorporated.

1890.

March 12 — Los Angeles Terminal Railroad,
then known as the "Cross Road," opened for
travel.

August 7 — Pasadena Chapter, No 108, Order
of Eastern Star, instituted.

Population (United States census) 4,882.

1891.

The Pasadena and Mount Wilson toll road
completed.

April 23-24 — President Benjamin Harrison and
two members of his cabinet visit Pasadena.

November 2 — Throop University opened.

December 10 — Great wind and rain storm.
Churches wrecked, houses unroofed and shade
trees destroyed.

1892.

September 24 — Mount Lowe named for Prof.
Thaddeus Lowe.

Name of Throop University changed to Throop
Polytechnic Institute.

October 21 — Columbus Day celebrated with a
grand parade.

1S93.

July 4 — First car ascends the great incliue on
the Mount Lowe Railroad.

August 23 — Public celebration of the opening
of Mount Lowe Railroad to travel.

December 21 — Father Throop Day.

1894.

Mount Lowe Observatory built.

April— Pasadena and Los Angeles Electric
Railroad incorporated.

November i — Pasadena Daily Nacs estab-
lished.

1895.

February 19 — Pasadena aud Los Angeles Elec-
tric Railroad completed.

April 14 — Raymmid Hotel destroyed by fire.

June 15 — Branch of Southern Pacific Railroad
completed to Pasadena.

August — Trolley road from Echo Mountain
to Alpine Tavern completed.

1896.

Lincoln aveuue school house built.

Mount Lowe Railroad transferred to new man-
agement.

Contest over change of right of way of the
Southern California Railway, straightening curve
in the line north of Colorado street.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1897.

Reorganization of the Pasadena and Los An-
geles Electric Railway management; old organ-
izers go out.

Annex to the Hotel Green completed at a cost
of $225,000,

Hotel Painter changed to La Piutoresca.

Two hundred and sixty-three new houses
built in Pasadena during the year.

1898.

May 7 — Company I, numbering 102 officers
and men, recruited in Pasadena, went to San
Francisco as part of the Seventh California Regi-
ment Infantry to take part in the Spanish war.

Agitation of the municipal ownership of water
begun. Water supply very limited.

Farmers' Club organized.

Lincoln Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church
built.

California c)-cle way begun.
First Poultry Show held.

Southern California convention of Farmers'
Clubs met; 42 clubs represented.

1900.

January i — Great Flower Festival held; fifty
thousand people present.

July 7— Transfer of the Mount Lowe Railroad
to the Southern Pacific Company.

September 21 — Addition to the Public Library
completed at a cost of $35,000. Capacity of the
library building doubled.

West Hall of the Throop Polytechnic In.stitute
completed at a cost of $15,000.

First Methodist Episcopal Church built; cost,
$60,000.

Population (United States census) 9,117.

CHAPTER XXXVIIL

OTHER CITIES AND TOWNS.

p^OMONA, the third city of Los Angeles
\jf County in size, is a child of the colony era
Yt\ of the early '70s, when the Indiana Colony
'^ (now Pasadena) vSanta Monica, San Fer-
nando, the American Colony and Artesia were
ushered into existence; while she bears the name
of the Grecian goddess or nymph who was the
patroness of fruits, it is not probable the founders
of the town delved into Greek mythology to find
a name. The name was no doubt a suggestion
from the Grange — a bucolic secret order very pop-
ular in the county at that time. Pomona, Ceres
and Flora were the three goddesses (personated
at Grange meetings liy three young ladies) who
were supposed to look after the farmers' interests
in fruits, grain and flowers. As the settlement
was designed for a fruit growing colony, it was
appropriately given the name of Pomona (the
Goddess of Fruits).

Early in 1875 Louis Pliillips contracted to sell
to P. C. Tonner, Cyrus Burdick and Francisco
Palomaresa tract coutaining about 2,700 acres of

the Vejar portion of the San Jos6 Rancho. This
rancho, containing about 22,000 acres, was origin-
ally granted by Governor Alvarado to Ignacio
Palomares and Ricardo Vejar, April 19, 1837.
It lies in the eastern part of this county, adjoin-
ing San Bernardino County.

Tonner and his associates sold their purchase
shortly after they made it to the Los Angeles
Immigration and Land Co operative Association.
This association was incorporated, December 10,
1S74, with a capital stock of $250,000, divided
into 2,500 shares, at the par value of $100 per
share. Its board of directors consisted of the
following: Thomas A. Garey, president; C. E.
White, vice-president; L. M. Holt, secretary;
Milton Thomas, manager; R. M. Town assistant
manager and H. G. Crow, treasurer. The prin-
cipal object of the association was the subdivision
of large land holdings and the placing of these
on the market in small tracts for settlement. The
company surveyed and subdivided 2,500 acres of
its purchase. The town of Pomona was laid off in

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the center; 640 acres adjoining the town site was
subdivided into five acre lots and the remainder
of the 2,500 into fortj^ acre tracts. In Novem-
ber, 1875, the town had a hotel, a drug and pro-
vision store, a dry goods store, a grocery and
meat market and eight or ten dwelling houses.
On the 22, 23 and 24 of February, 1S76, a great
auction sale of land and town lots was held on
the town site. The first day's sale realized
nineteen thousand dollars, which was a big thing
in those days. The farm land brought an aver-
age of $64 per acre. A number of artesian wells
had been sunk and a reservoir holding two and
a-half million gallons of water constructed. The
Southern Pacific Railroad, which in conformity
with the requirements of the subsidy granted by
the county in 1873 had been built eastward to
Spadra, was extended to Pomona, and the town
and settlement seemed to be on the high road to
prosperity. But disaster struck it; first was the
dry season of 1876-77 and next a fire on the
night of July 30, 1877, that swept away nearl}'
all of the town. These checked the growth of
the town and settlement. In 1880 the popula-
tion was only 130. About 188 1 it began to grow
again. In 1882-83 Mills and Wicks developed a
new artesian belt. From that time the town has
grown steadily. December 31, 1887, it was in-
corporated as a city of the fifth class. It is the
business center of a rich agricultural district, the
leading products of which are oranges, lemons,
limes, olives, peaches, pears, prunes and apricots.
Fruit growing is supplemented by hay, grain,
potatoes, etc. Below the fruit belt are damp
lands which produce large crops of alfalfa. The
estimated output of oranges for Pomona this sea-
son (1899-1900) isone thousand carloads. The
Pomona Cannery has a capacity of 30.000 cans a
day and gives employment during the canning
season to 400 men, women and boys. The first
newspaper in Pomona, the Times, appeared on
the 7th of October, 1882. During the boom the
paper was issued as a daily; but the daily edition
was discontinued in 1891. The town and sur-
rounding country supports three papers— the
Times, Progress and Review. It has three banks.
Nineteen churches supply the spiritual needs of
the town, they are: First Day Advent, Seventh
Day Advent, Baptist, Catholic, Christadelphian,
Christian Science, Church of Christ, Congrega-
tional, Episcopal, German Lutheran, Holiness,
Methodist Episcopal North, Methodist Episcopal
South, African Methodist Episcopal, Pentecostal
Band, Plymouth Brethren, Presbyterian, Vn\-
tarian, Universalist. It has a public library con-
taining 4,000 volumes. The Pomona Library
Association was organized in 1887. The library
as well as the reading room annexed are open

every day and evening. A marble statue of
Pomona graces the library. Pomona has excel-
lent schools with a corps of 40 teachers and an
enrollment of 1,250 pupils (1899). All depart-
ments are complete from the kindergarten to the
high school. Pomona is 33 miles easterly from
Los Angeles by the Southern Pacific Railroad.
The Santa Fe runs on the northern side of the
city. A motor road from the business portion of
the city to North Pomona station of the Santa Fe
gives easy access to that railroad. The popula-
tion of Pomonain 1890 was 3,634, in igoo 5,526.

Spadr.\, on the Southern Pacific Railroad,
thirty miles east of Los Angeles, is one of the
oldest towns in the eastern part of the county.
It was founded in 1866 by W. W. Rubottom.
He built a commodious hotel here, which had a
splendid reputation for excellent meals and en-
joyed a liberal patronage in the old staging days.
Spadra was for some time the terminus of the
Southern Pacific Railroad, when it was pu.shing
its transcontinental road eastward. With the ex-
tension of the railroad to Pomona and the rapid
growth of that enterprising town Spadra fell into
a decline.

ClarEmont, the beautiful, as it was named
by its enthusiastic founder, is a child of the
boom. Its magnificent tourist hotel failed to at-
tract the tourist. For a time it stood idle,
then it was utilized for a college. Claremont is
a thriving college town, the seat of Pomona Col-
lege, a Congregational educational institution.
The Pearson Hall of Science, costing $25,000, a
gift to the college, was erected during the year
1899. The greater part of the population is
made up of college professors, students and the
families of those who have located in the town to
educate their children. The town is 36 miles
east of Los Angeles on the Santa Fe Railroad.

LoRDSBURG was laid out during the boom by
I. W. Lord. An expensive hotel was built,
wdiich, after it had stood idle for some time, was
sold to the Dunkers, or German Baptists, for a
college. A Dunker settlement has grown up
around Lordsburg. The country tributary is
devoted to orange growing. The town is 33
miles east of Los Angeles, on the Santa Fe Rail-
road.

San Dimas is one of the many towns which
owes its exi.stence to the boom. It was laid off
early in 1887 by the San Jo.s(5 Land Company.
It was designed by its founders to be the
metropolis of the acreage possessions in the San
Josi^ ranch. Lots sold readily for a time at fancy
prices. The reaction came and prices fell. The
town, however, recovered from its depression
and has gone steadily forward. It is surrounded
by good fruit lands. It has excellent railroad

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

193

facilities. It is on the main trunk line of the
Santa Fe system and on the Covina branch of
the Southern Pacific Railroad, twenty- nine miles
by the latter and thirty-one miles by the former,
east of Los Angeles.

Glendora, twenty-seven miles east of Los
Angeles on the main transcontinental line of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, was
founded in 1887 by George Whitcomb. The
name Glendora is a combination of glen and the
last syllables of Mrs. Whitc^nib's name, Ledora.
About 300 acres were subdivided into town lots
and put on sale the latter part of March, 1887.
Three hundred were disposed of on the first day
of the sale. The town has made a steady growth.
It has a beautiful location. Located on the upper
mesa, its altitude places it in the frostless belt and
renders it comparatively free from fog. The
country contiguous to it is devoted to orange
growing. The town is a shipping point for a
large amount of citrus fruits.

AzusA City is one of the cities of the boom.
The town plat was surveyed in April, 1887, and
the lots put on sale. So great was the demand
for lots that purchasers stood in line in front of
the office all night, and it is said $500 was paid
for the second place in the line. The town built
up rapidly for a time, then came to a halt. For
the past four or five years its growth has been
steady. It is a shipping point for the orange
crop of a considerable district. It has a bank, a
newspaper — the Porno Tropic — and an ice and
cold storage company. It is located on the Santa
Fe Railroad, 25 miles east of Los Angeles.

CovixA is a town of recent growth, having
been built within the past four years. It is lo-
cated on the Southern Pacific Railroad, 24 miles
east of Los Angeles. It has a commodious school
building that cost $14,000. Seven teachers are
employed in the grammar and high school. The
leading product of the country tributary to Covina
is the orange. The shipment of oranges for the
season of 1899-1900 is estimated at 925 car loads.

DuARTE is a settlement located on the south-
ern foot hill slope of the Sierra Madre Mountains,
of which West Duarte, twenty-one miles east of
Los Angeles, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe, is the railroad outlet. Duarte is one of the
oldest and best known orange growing districts
in Los Angeles County. Duarte oranges rank
among the best in quality of the citrus fruits of
Southern California. The settlement in early
times was famous for its water wars, contests
over the right to the waters of the San Gabriel
River. The open ditch for conveying water for
irrigation has given place to miles of iron and
cement pipes. The old-time water wars are
things of the past. Economic methods in the use

of water have afforded a supply to a large area
formerly outside of the irrigating district. The
town of West Duarte was founded in 1886, when
the San Gabriel Valley Railroad was extended to
that point. For several months it was the
eastern terminus of that road.

IrwindalE, on the Covina branch of the
Southern Pacific Railroad, twenty-one miles east
of Los Angeles, is one of the towns of the San
Gabriel Valley that was not born during the
boom. It is a new town, founded in 1895. It is
in the citrus belt and is a fruit shipping point of
considerable importance.

Monrovia. The first town lots in Monrovia
were sold in May, 1886. So rapid was the in-
crease in values that in less than one year lots on
the business street of the city were selling at $100
a front foot. The town built up rapidly for a
time, then it came to a stand-still, as it had been
overbuilt. Of late years it has been growing
steadily. It has a fine location, and is regarded
as a healthy place. It lies close to the base of
the Sierra Madre Mountains and has an elevation
of 1200 feet. It has a bank, a fine school house
and a good hotel. It was named after its foun-
der, Wm. N. Monroe. It is located on the Santa
Fe Railroad, 19 miles east of Los Angeles. The
Southern Pacific has also built a branch through
it, thus affording it excellent shipping facilities.
Monrovia owns its own water system. In 1895
some $30,000 were expended in developing the
supply from Sawpit Canon. It recently voted to
issue bonds to enlarge and perfect its water sup-
ply. Oranges and lemons are the prime sources
of wealth here as they are in the other towns of
the San Gabriel Valley.

El Monte, twelve miles east of Los Angeles
on the San Gabriel River, is the oldest American
settlement in the county. The first immigrants
from the States located there in 1851. Among
these were Ira W. Thompson, Samuel M. Heath
and Dr. Obed Macy, with their families. In 1852
and 1853 over fifty families came, most of whom
were from the southern and southwestern states.
El Monte is in the midst of a rich agricultural
district.

San Gabriel is the oldest settlement in Los
Angeles County. One of its principal attractions
to the tourist is the old mission church, built a
century ago and still in a good state of preserva-
tion. The Mexican population of the town clus-
ters around the old mission, while the American
residences are located a mile and a half to the
south .

Alhambra, a suburban city, seven miles east
of Los Angeles on the Southern Pacific Railway,
has in its vicinity some of the finest orange
groves.in the state. The town itself is a delight-

[94

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

fill residence suburb of L,os Angeles. It has a
good hotel, a bank, several churches and a high
school.

South Pasadkna. The territory included in
the limits of the citj' of South Pasadena is a part
of the San Pasqual Rancho. The first house
built on that rancho was erected within what is
now South Pasadena; and most of the historic
events of the Spanish and Mexican eras of which
that rancho was the scene occurred within the
district included in the city's area.

South Pasadena began with the boom and its
first business house was a real estate ofiice. The
first subdivision into town lots was made by
O. R. Dougherty in 1S85. The city of South
Pasadena was incorporated in February, 1888.
Its limits "extended from Columbia street south
to the north line of Los Angeles City, and from
the Arroyo Seco east to the west line of the
Stoneman Ranch*." In 1889 the city limits were
reduced by a vote of the people — the object being
to get rid of a number of saloons that had started
up on the outskirts of the city's territory. Sev-
eral fine business blocks were erected during the
boom. The city has four churches, Methodist,
Presbyterian, Baptist and Episcopal. It has a
good school, employing four teachers; also a news-
paper— the South Pasadenan — a public library and
reading room.

Tropico is located six miles north from the
center of the city of Los Angeles, on the Southern
Pacific Railroad. The town was laid out in 1887.
The adjoining lands are divided into small tracts
and devoted to fruit raising. The Los Angeles
Terminal road passes along the borders of the
town, affording easy access to the city. Tropico
has a postoffice and a store. It has a school of
three departments, with an attendance of about
one hundred and fifty pupils. An extensive tile
factory is now in course of construction.

GlExdale is a suburban village about four
miles from the northern limits of Los Angeles, a
branch of the Terminal Railroad connecting it
with the city. It is in the midst of a fruit district
and is surrounded by deciduous and orange
orchards. A large hotel costing about $70,000
was built here during the boom. It has been
utilized since as a young ladies' college. The
Methodists, Presbyterians and Dunkers have
church buildings in the town.

BuRBANK, on the Southern Pacific Railroad, 9
miles north of Los Angeles, is one of the many
towns of Southern California that was started in
1887. It was a town of magnificent promi.se in
its earl}' days. A large furniture factory was
built in 1888, a street car line was projected
through the town and a dummy line connected

Dr. H. A. Rcitl.

Burbank with Los Angeles. None of these en-
terprises are in operation now. The town has a
good agricultural territor}- tributary to it and is
prospering. It has two stores, four churches, a
school with four teachers and an attendance of
about two hundred children.

San Fernando is located on the Southern Pa-
cific Railroad twenty-two miles north of Los An-
geles. Hon. Charles Maclay laid out the town
in 1874. It was the terminus of the railroad go-
ing north, from 1874^0 1877, when the long tun-
nel was completed. The Maclay College of The-
ology was founded here by Hon. Charles Maclay
in 1885, who gave it an endowment of lands and
erected a building for its occupancy. The school
was removed to the University at West Los An-
geles in 1894. The Methodists, Presbyterians
and Catholics have churches in the town. The
old buildings of the San Fernando Mission, two
miles distant from the town, are an attraction to
visitors.

Newhall, thirty miles from Los Angeles, is
the most northerly town in the county. Near it
the first oil strikes in Southern California were
made in 1862, by a Pennsylvania company head-
ed by Tom Scott. Illuminating oil then was
worth from $2.50 to $3.00 a gallon in Los An-
geles. At 800 feet they secured a well of black
oil which they could not refine and the business
was abandoned. In 1876 operations were begun
again and since then the business of oil produc-
ing and refining has been carried on to a limited
extent in the vicinity of Newhall.

HoLLVWOon, near the entrance to the Ca-
huenga Pass, was laid out in 1887, but made slow
growth. A dummy railroad from the end of the
Temple street cable line connected it with the
cit}-. The road failed for want of patronage.
When the Los Angeles and Pacific electric line
was built to Santa Monica, the road being acces-
sible to the town, Hollywood took on new life.
It has grown rapidly in the past four years. It
has three stores, two churches, a newspaper and
a school with an attendance of 125 children. It
is in the great lemon producing district and in
what is called the frostless belt.

Sherman is a railroad town eight miles from
Los Angeles. It is the headquarters of the Los
Angeles and Pacific Railroad Company, which
owns the electric line between the city and Santa
Monica. The power house and the shops of the
electric road are located here. The town has a
population of about two hundred. It has one
store, a postoffice and a Congregational Church.
There are some handsome residences in its imme-
diate neighborhood.

The Soldier-s' Home cannot be ranked among
the towns of Los Angeles County, though its

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

195

population makes it a very imporUuit commercial
factor by supplying a market for a large amount
of agricultural products. In 1887 the board of
managers of the National Soldiers Homes of the
United States visited California to locate a Sol-
diers' Home for the Pacific Coa.st. They were
met at Los Angeles by a committee of the Board
of Trade and one from the G. A. R. (the author
representing Stanton Post). Several sites were
offered. A tract of 600 acres, four miles easterly
from Santa Monica, was finally selected. Bar-
racks have been built capable of accommodating
2,000 men, a chapel, hospital and other buildings
necessary have been erected, water works and
reservoirs constructed, and about fifty acres
planted to orange, lemon, walnut, fig, peach,
pear and apple trees. These are coming into
bearing. A large part of the 738 acres that now
belong to the home is devoted to pasturage and
raising hay for the dairy cows. The population
of the home varies from 1,500 to 2,000.

SAN PEDRO AXD WILMINGTON.

SjVn Pedro is one of the oldest shipping points
in California. Cabrillo's ships entered its bay
two hundred and twenty-seven years before the
Bay of San Francisco was discovered. During
the early mission days it was known as the em-
barcadero of San Gabriel. About 1810 the mis-
sion fathers of San Gabriel built a small ware-
house on the bluff for the storage of hides for
shipping and for the protection of goods received
by the mission supply ships until these supplies
could be hauled to the mission.

This was probably the building described by
Dana in his "Two Years Before the Mast," when
he was at San Pedro in 1S35, as "a small, low
building with one room, containing a fireplace,
cooking apparatus, etc., and the rest of it unfin-
ished and used as a place to store hides and
goods. This they told us was built by some
traders in the pueblo and used by them as a store
house and also as a lodging place when they
came down to trade with the vessels."

After the secularization of the mission, Don
Abel Stearns bought the warehouse and pro-
ceeded to make some improvements. He en-
countered opposition from the captain of the port
and some of the rancheros, who feared the build-
ings at the port would encourage smuggling and
the buying of stolen hides.

Even with but one house in it San Pedro was
an important shipping point. Dana, writing in
1835, says: "I learned to my surprise that the
desolate-looking place we were in furnished more
hides than any other port on the coast. It was
the only port for a distance of eighty miles, and
about thirty miles in the interior was a fine coun-

try, filled with herds of cattle, in the center of
which was the Pueblo de Los Angeles—the larg-
est town in California— and several of the wealth-
iest missions, to all of which San Pedro was the
seaport." All traflSc was conducted on ship-
board. At the time of the American conquest
there was but one house at San Pedro. Freight
passed from ship to shore and vice versa by
means of the ship's boats. As the hide droghers
kept their department stores on board .ship,
and lay at anchor until all their customers were
supplied, or until they had spent all their money,
there was ample time to bring from the ranches
the hides and tallow which were the medium of
exchange in those days, consequently there was
but little need of warehouses at the embarcadero
in those days.

After the conquest a few small buildings were
erected on the bluff and at Timms' Point, but
San Pedro had not yet attained the dignity of a
town or village.

In 1858, partly in consequence of a severe
storm that damaged the wharf and partly through
the desire of Banning to gain an advantage over
his rival, Tomlinson, old San Pedro was aban-
doned and a wharf and warehouses built at the
head of the slough, six miles north of the old
shipping point and that much nearer Los An-
geles. The new town was named New-San Pedro,
but later on the name was changed to Wilming-
ton. The first cargo of goods was landed at this
place October ist, 1858. During the Civil war
quite an extensive business was done at Wil-
mington. All the government supplies for the
troops in Southern California, Arizona and New
Mexico were received here. A number of troops
were stationed at Drum Barracks, on the govern-
ment reserve in the town. Wilmington was then
the second town in Los Angeles County. Before
the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad
to San Francisco nearly all the commerce of the
county passed through the port of Wilmington.
In October, 1S69, the Los Angeles and San Pedro
Railroad was completed to Wilmington. In
1 87 1 the government began improving the inner
harbor, and the work was continued for a num-
ber of years. A breakwater was built between
Rattlesnake Island and Deadman's Island. By
closing the gap between the two islands the full
current was forced through the narrow chaimel
between Deadman's Island and the main land.
When the work was begun the depth of water in
the channel was but two feet, while now it has
been increased to eighteen. In 18S0 the railroad
was extended down to the old shipping point
known at Timms' Landing. The new town of
San Pedro was located partly on the bluff and
partly on the low laud liordering the bay.

HISTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Wharves wcrt built, where all but the largest
vessels unload their cargoes. During the boom
the cit}- of San Pedro spread over a large area.
The securing of the appropriation of $3,900,000
for the free harbor gave the town a fresh stayt on
the road to prosperit}-.

The larger portion of the lumber trade from the
northwest passing through Los Angeles and into
Southern California and Arizona goes bv waj- of
vSan Pedro. The lumber vessels discharge their
cargoes at the wharves of the inner harbor.
About one hundred million feet are landed at the
port during the year. The fishing industrj- is
quite important. About 1,500,000 pounds of
fresh fish are shipped from the port. Fifty car
loads of sardines were canned at the East San
Pedro cannery last year. The Free Harbor
Jubilee, celebrated at San Pedro on the 27th of
April, 1899, was one of the memorable events in
the history of the town. Work on the harbor
was inaugurated on that day by the dumping of
a load of rock from the Catalina quarries on the
site of the breakwater. President McKinley, in
his library at Washington, touched the electric
button connected with the wires that were to start
the machinery for tilting the barge load of rock
into the bay. The tilt was not a complete suc-
cess, and part of the barge load of rock had to be
unloaded by hand, but this did not at all dampen
the enthusiasm of the thirty thousand spectators
nor spoil their appetites for the viands of the
barbecue. The celebration was completed at
Los Angeles next day with procession, speeches
and fireworks.

Misfortune overtook the contractors, Heldmaier
& Neu, who undertook the building of the break-
waters that were to form the harbor. Neu was
killed in a runaway at Los Angeles before the
work was begun. Heldmaier failing to push the
work, his contract was cancelled by the govern-
ment. His bid was $1,303,198.54. Bids were
advertised for and the contract awarded. May 14,
1900, to the California Con.struction Company
of San Francisco for $2,375,546.05, over a million
above the bid of the former contractors.

On the 27th of April, 1863, a terrible catastrophe
occurred in the Wilmington slough. The tug
and pa.ssenger boat, Ada Hancock, used for con-
veying passengers between Wilmington and the
ocean steamers, blew up. The explosion was
one of the most fatal on record. Of the forty-two
persons on board only seven escaped unhurt.
Twenty-seven men were killed outright and eight
wounded. As the vessel was rounding a sharp
point in the channel, a sudden gust of wind
careened her so far that the water rushed over
her port guards onto her boilers and the explos-
ion followed. Among the killed was the captain

of the Senator, the vessel to which the passengers
were bound, W. T. B. Sanford, Thomas H. Work-
man, Dr. Myles, Captain W. F. Nye and Albert
Sidney Johnston, .son of the famous Confederate
general.

vSanta Mo.vic.v. Early in 1875, Senator J.
P. Jones and Col. R. S. Baker subdivided a por-
tion of the rancho vSan Vicente lying on the
mesa, adjoining the bay of Santa Monica. The
town was named after the bay and was of mag-
nificent proportions on paper. On the i6th of
July, 1875, a great .sale of lots was held. An
excursion steamer came down from San Francisco
loaded with lot buyers and the people of Los
Angeles and neighboring towns rallied in great
numbers to the site of the prospective maritime
metropolis of the south. Tom Fitch, the silver
tongued orator of the Pacific Slope, inaugurated
the sale by one of his most brilliant orations.
He drew a fascinating picture of the "Zenith
City by the Sunset Sea," as he named it, when
at a day not far distant, the white sails of com-
merce should fill its harbor, the products of the
Occident and the Orient load its wharves and the
smoke from its factory chimneys darken the
heavens. Lots on the barren mesa sold at prices
ranging from $125 to $500. The sale was a
grand success.

The town's growth was rapid. In less than
nine months after its founding it had one hundred
and si.Kty houses and a thousand inhabitants. A
wharf was built by Senator Jones; and the Los
Angeles and Independence Railroad, which he
was pushing eastward, was supposed to be the
western terminus of a great transcontinental
railway system. The railroad reached Los
Angeles and there it stopped. A financial
blight had fallen on Senator Jones' projects,
and the town shared in the misfortunes of its
progenitor. After a time the railroad fell into
the hands of the Southern Pacific Company.
That company condemned the wharf, took down
the warehouse and transferred the shipping and
trade that had grown up at Santa Monica back to
Wilmington.

In 1880 the town and its suburb. South Santa
Monica, had only 350 inhabitants. Its attractions
as a seaside resort began to be recognized and it
took on new life. The boom sent property values
away up. The magnificent Arcadia Hotel was
built in 18S7 and the location of the Soldiers'
Home, three miles eastward, stimulated the town's
growth. The Los Angeles & Pacific Railroad
was built from Los Angeles in 1888 along the
foothills to Santa Monica. It was not a success
and eventually went into the hands of a receiver
and was numbered wnth the enterprises that have
been and are not. The Los Angeles & Pacific

HISTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD.

197

Railroad, an electric road, secured its right of
way and has become a valuable line of travel.
The road was opened in 1896. In 1891-92 the
long wharf at Port Los Angeles was built and
shipping again returned to the bay of Santa
Monica. The Santa Fe Railroad System built a
branch line into Santa Monica in 1892. The
Santa Monica Outlook, founded in 1876, is one of
the oldest newspapers in the county. The popu-
lation of Santa Monica in 1890 was 1,580, and in
1900, 3,057.

Ocean P.^vrk, adjoining Santa Monica on the
south, can hardly be classed as a suburb of that
city. Five years ago the site was a sandy waste.
Now there are about 200 cottages at this seaside
resort. It has a postoffice, to which a money
order department has recently been added.
South of the town a race track has been laid out
at a cost of about $4,000. The experiment of
cultivating carnations here has been quite success-
ful. A single acre at the floral garden produced
35,000 of these flowers.

Redondo is comparatively a new seaport.
The site was surveyed and plotted in 1887. An
immense tourist hotel was built and the town
was advertised as a seaside resort. One of the
most attractive features of the place is its carna-
tion garden, containing twelve acres. Redondo
carnations have a reputation all over the west.
They are shipped to different points in Southern
California and as far away as Denver, Dallas,
Omaha and Chicago. The floral business is
growing. During the past year about 5,000
carnations per day and large quantities of violets,
smilax, sweet peas, chrysanthemums and ferns
were shipped from the floral gardens.

Redondo is an important shipping point for
lumber and fish. Over fifteen million feet of
lumber were landed on its wharves last year and
more than half a million pounds of fish were
shipped away. It has a fine system of electric
lights and good sewers. Two railroads connect
it with Los Angeles - a branch of the Santa Fe
System and the Redondo Railway, a narrow
gauge road. Redondo is seventeen miles from
Los Angeles.

Long Beach bore a different name in its early
childhood. Its primitive cognomen was Will-
more City. It is a part of one of those coloniza-
tion schemes so numerous in this county twenty
to twenty-five years ago. It was begun as a
business center of the American Colony. The
intention was to found a colony of teachers, but
the teachers did not flock to the colony in large
numbers. The town was founded in 1882, and
was named after the projector of the colony
scheme, W. E. Willmore. In the spring of 1884,
the Long Beach Land and Water Company be-

came owners of Willmore' s interests and the name
of the town was changed to Long Beach City.
Its limits were extended. A commodious hotel
was built on the bluff between Pacific Park and
the beach. The old horse car that connected the
town with the Southern Pacific Line to San Pe-
dro, three miles away, was replaced b}- a spur or
Y of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Termi-
nal Railroad was built through the town and its
increased railroad facilities gave it a boom as a
summer seaside resort. It was incorporated as a
city of the sixth class in 1888; a few years later
disincorporated and recently reincorporated. It
is a temperance town. The first Chautauqua As-
sembl}' was held in Long Beach in 1884 and As-
semblies have been held there annually ever since.
These Assemblies attract a number of intellectual
people to the city. The city maintains a public
library and free reading room. It has excellent
educational facilities. Its tasty and commodious
high school building was erected in 1898. Seven
religious denominations, viz.; Methodist, Bap-
tist, Friends, Christian, Presbyterian, Congrega
tional and Episcopal have each church buildings
in the city, and good congregations. The fra-
ternal societies are well represented. The Ma-
sons, Knights of Pythias, Fraternal Aid, United
Moderns, Independent Order of Foresters,
Knights of the Maccabees, Ladies of the Macca-
bees, the Grand Army of the Republic, Women's
Relief Corps and Sons of Veterans each have or-
ganizations in the cit}'. It the past year the city
has built a new city hall at a cost of $9,000 and a
public pavilion adjoining the pleasure pier at a
cost of $3,400. The population of Long Beach
in 1890 was 564, and in 1900, 2,262.

CoMPTON is the third oldest town in the coun-
ty of Los Angeles. It was laid out in 1869 by
the Rev. G. D. Compton, after whom it was
named. The tract on which it is located is
known as the Temple and Gibson tract. Temple
and Gibson bought four thousand acres of the
San Pedro Rancho from Dominguez in 1865 for
thirty-six cents per acre. In 1867 Mr. Compton
bought a portion of this tract, for which he paid
five dollars per acre.

The town was organized especially under the
auspices of the Methodist Episcopal denomina-
tion and a frame church was erected by the so-
ciety in 187 1 at a cost of three thousand dollars.
It was also designed for a temperance colony,
but has had to fight the saloon element a number
of times. The country around is devoted to dairy
farms. It is well supplied with artesian water.
One of the first artesian wells bored in the county
is near Compton.

Whittiicr is known as a Quaker town. It was
settled by a colony of Quakers from Indiana, Illi-

1 98

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

iiois and Iowa in 1S87. The population is not all
of the Quaker persuasion. The state reform
scliool is located here. A branch of the .Southern
Pacific Railroad runs into the town. The Quaker
Colony Canning Company of Whittier is one of
the largest fruit canneries in the state. It is
capitalized for half a million dollars. There are
a number of productive oil wells in its immediate
neighborhood.

NoRWALK, seventeen miles from Los Angeles,
on the San Diego branch of the Southern Pacific
Railroad, is a flourishing village. It is the center
of an extensive dairy country. There are numer-
ous artesian wells in the district which afford
abundant water for irrigation. Alfalfa, corn and
barley are the principal agricultural products.

DowxEV, the business center of the Los Nietos
Valley, was founded in 1S74, when the Anaheim
branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad was
built. It has had a steady growth. The terri-
tory tributary to it lies mostly between the old
and the new San Gabriel Rivers, which gives it
splendid irrigating facilities. Downey has a
school of five departments and has recently estab-
lished a high school. The Downey Champion is
one of the oldest newspapers in the county and is
ably conducted. The town is the center of
walnut production. The shipment of these nuts
to the amount of $150,000 was made last year.

RiVER.v, ten miles southeast of Los Angeles,
on the surf line of the Santa Fe Railroad, was
founded in 1887. Its location, in the heart of
the Upper Los Nietos Valley, about midway be-

tween the new and the old San Gabriel Rivers,
gives it the command, as a shipping point, of
a large amount of the products of that fertile
district. The country around it islargely devoted
to the production of the English walnut.

ARTE.SIA is in the dairy district. The lands in
its neighborhood are adapted to alfalfa. A con-
siderable quantity of grapes are grown here.

Saxta Fe Springs, originally Fulton Wells,
was started as a health resort. It has a large
hotel. The iron sulphur wells here are reported
to contain water rich in medicinal virtues. The
town is twelve miles from Los Angeles, on the
San Diego branch of the Santa F'e Railroad.

Av.'VLON, the metropolis of Santa Catalina Is-
land, bore the name of Shatto City at its founding.
It was one of the boom towns of 1887. F~or .sev-
eral years after the bursting of the boom the town
made little or no progress. When the Banning
Brothers purchased Santa Catalina Island they
set to work to develop Avalon as a summer re-
sort. A number of improvements were made
and during the summer season a daily steamer —
the Hermosa — conveys passengers acro.ss the
channel. The location of Avalon makes it an
ideal summer resort. The absence of breakers in
its bay makes boating and fishing safe and pleas-
ant pastimes. Its resident population is about
two hundred, but during July and August the
transient population often reaches four to five
thousand. Avalon bids fair to become one of the
most popular seaside resorts on the coast.

HON. HENRY T. GAGE.
Govenior of California.

BIOGRAPHICAL

PREFACE.

The high standing of Los Angeles county among the counties of California is due not alone to
its ideal climate and the rare beauty of its scenery. Other regions, boasting a climate and
environment as exceptional, have nevertheless remained unknown to the great world of commerce
and of thought. When we study the progress made by the city and county of Los Angeles,
especially during the last decade of the nineteenth century, we find that the present gratifying
condition is due to the enterprise of public-spirited citizens. They have not only developed the
commercial possibilities of the city and the horticultural resources of the adjacent districts, but
they have also maintained a commendable interest in public aifairs, and have given to their
commonwealth some of its ablest statesmen. In the lives of the citizens, indeed, is the history
of the localitj' best narrated; and those who read the following pages will become acquainted
with men and movements inseparably associated with the city and county of Los Angeles.

In the compilation of this work, and in the securing of necessary data, a number of writers
have been engaged for many months. They have visited leading citizens and used every endeavor
to produce a work accurate and trustworthy in even the smallest detail. Owing to the great
care exercised, and to the fact that every opportunity was given to those represented to secure
accuracy in their biographies, the publishers believe that they are giving to their readers a
volume containing few errors of consequence. The biographiies of some representative citizens
will be missed from this work; this in some instances was caused bj- their absence from home
when our writers called, and in other instances was caused by a failure on the part of the men
themselves to understand the scope of the work. The publishers, however, have done everything
within their power to make the volume a representative work.

The value of the data herein presented will grow with the passing years. Posterity will
preserve the work with care, from the fact that it perpetuates biographical history which otherwise
would be wholly lost. In those now far-distant days will be realized, to a greater degree than
at the present time, the truth of Macauley's statement that "The history of a country is best
told in a record of the lives of its people."

CHAPMAN PUBLISHING CO.

January i, 1901. Chicago.

Eng by H^nry Tru/nr Jr C^-^

CVv>b?z^<5^<x:^2<i*^^^^

BIOGPAPHICAL

HOMER IvAUGHUN. There is no region
of the United States whose natural attrac-
tions surpass those of Southern California —
rugged mountains, smiling valle3's, prosperous
towns and the vast ocean whose waves beat cease-
lessly upon the picturesque coast, all these added
to a climate recognized as ideal form influences
which no visitor can resist. It is due to these
attractions that manj' men of wealth and high
standing in other parts of the country have, after
years of successful business or professional activ-
ity, established their homes here and identified
themselves with the social and commercial envi-
ronments. Among this class of men none de-
serves more conspicuous mention than Mr. Laugh-
lin, of I,os Angeles.

The paternal ancestors of Mr. Laughlin settled
in America in an early day. His grandfather,
James Laughlin, a native of Maryland, died in
Pennsylvania when past middle life. He had
married Nancy Johnson, who was born in Penn-
sylvania and died in Ohio. Their son, Matthew,
was born in Beaver county, Pa., March 31, 1799,
and in early life settled in Ohio, where he was
long interested in milling and merchandising.
While he had few opportunities or advantages in
youth, yet he acquired a broad fund of informa-
tion, which made him an influential citizen and a
highly respected man. For forty-five years he was
postmaster, miller and merchant at Little Beaver
Bridge, in Columbiana county. He died in East
Liverpool, Ohio, in 1876. His wife, who bore the
maiden name of Maria Moore, was born in Colum-
biana county, Ohio, in 18 14, and died in Pittsburg,
Pa., June 19, 1888. Of her children three are
still living. She was a daughter of Thomas
Moore, who was born near Belfast, Ireland, and
received an excellent education in Dublin. When

a young man he sought a home in the United
States. In the employ of the government as an
engineer he was sent to Ohio during the period
when it was known only as the Northwestern
Territory. Afterward he made his home there,
dying in Columbiana county when sixty-six
years of age. His wife, Nancy Lyon, was a na-
tive of Beaver county, Pa., and died in Colum-
biana county, Ohio, when advanced in years.

In Columbiana county, Ohio, Homer Laughlin
was born March 23, 1843. His primary educa-
tion was obtained in common schools. Later he
studied in the Neville Institute. At the break-
ing out of the Civil war he determined to offer
his services in behalf of the Union. He enlisted
July 12, 1862, as a member of Company A, One
Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio Infantry, under
Capt. H. R. Hill, and accompanied his regiment
to the front, where he remained until the close of
the war, being in active service during the entire
time. He was mustered out at Murfreesboro,
Tenn. , and received his final discharge in Cleve-
land, Ohio, July 7, 1865, returning home with a
record as a soldier of which he and his might
well be proud.

For a year or more after the war Mr. Laugh-
lin was interested in boring oil wells in the oil
regions of Pennsylvania, and during that time
had charge of the boring of twelve wells. His
next business enterprise was along an entirely
different line. He went to New York City, and,
with his brother Shakespeare as partner, began
to import chinaware from England and sell the
same in this country. During the three years in
which he was thus engaged he gained a fund of
business experience that proved of inestimable
value to him in later years. From New York
he returned to Ohio, and, with his brother still as

204

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a partner, built the first whiteware potterj- started
in East Liverpool, Ohio. In 1877 he bought his
brother's interest and afterward conducted the
business alone. The plant was brought to such
a state of efficiency that its products came into
demand throughout the entire countr\-, and sales
of the Laughlin ware were made from Portland,
Me., to Portland, Ore. In equipment it is mod-
ern and complete. Every facility for improv-
ing the grade of products or the output is in-
troduced. In 1876, at the Centennial Interna-
tional Exhibition at Philadelphia, a diploma and
medal were given Mr. Laughlin as first prize, in
recognition of the superiority of his products; in
1S79 his work was recognized at the Cincinnati
exposition by a gold medal, and in 1893 he was
awarded three diplomas and a medal at the
World's Fair for both plain and decorated ware.

It was during a pleasure trip in the west that
Mr. Laughlin first saw Los Angeles. He was so
pleased with the city that in 1894 he purchased
some property here. Afterward he bought other
property. In 1897 he established his home in
this city. However, he has not severed his con-
nection with his eastern factory; but, in order
that it might be satisfactorily conducted during
his absence, in 1897 he organized a stock com-
pany, of which he is the head, and the business
has since been conducted in this manner. Mean-
time he has identified himself with the interests
of Los Angeles, and by the erection of the well-
known Laughlin fire-proof building, as well as
by the improvement of other property, he has
contributed materially to the city's advancement.
Business interests, as well as a love of travel and
a desire for recreation, take him frequently to the
east, and on the occasion of these trips he inva-
riably visits his friend of twenty-five years'
standing. President McKinley. This friendship,
which in the language of the poet proves "as
strong for him as his for me," is one of the many
pleasant life experiences of Mr. Laughlin.

In politics Mr. Laughlin is and always has
been a firm Republican, upholding the principles
which form that party's platform. He has taken
an active interest in Masonic work, and as a
member of the Allegheny Commandery of Knights
Templar visited Europe in 1871, accompanying a
party of forty representative Americans, who
made the first trip of the kind to Europe. This

being shortly after the treaty of Geneva, they
were royally entertained in Great Britain, and
had a succession of forty banquets.

Mr. Laughlin's family consists of his wife, for-
merly Miss Cornelia B. Battenberg, and two
children: Homer Laughlin, Jr., and Guendolen
Virginia Laughlin. The former is a chemical
engineer and a graduate of the Stanford Univer-
sity.

HON. C. M.SIMPSON. Among the citizens
of Pasadena who have been prominent in
the public life of the state, conspicuous
mention belongs to the subject of this narrative.
He has been a leader of the Republican party in
this portion of the state, and has been elected to
various positions of honor and responsibility.
Believing a public office to be a public trust, as
an officer he devoted his attention to the faithful
discharge of his duties, and endeavored to keep
in touch with every principle or plan brought
forward for the benefit of the people. He rose to
a position of influence solely through the exercise
of his native powers of mind, and his life affords
a striking illustration of the results of intel-
ligence and wise judgment rightly applied in
the affairs of life. His record as a state senator
is well known to all and was so satisfactory that
he has since been urged by friends to stand for
congress, but this he has refused.

A native of Rockville, Ind., born in 1844, Mr.
Simpson settled in Kansas before attaining his
majority. On the outbreak of the Civil war,
with the eagerness of youth and fired by patriotic
zeal, he determined to serve his country. He
entered the service as a scout and later became a
member of the Ninth Kansas Cavalry, in which
he remained until the close of the war. On re-
turning home he learned the elements of agri-
culture, and later the mercantile business. From
1870 to 1878 he served his constituents in Allen
county, Kans., as a district clerk. He also served
as .school director, mayor of lola one term, four
terms as councilman, two years as city attorney
and for ten years as postmaster. He chose the
law for his profession and in 1877 was admitted
to the bar, but before he had gained the place at
the Kansas bar to which he a.spired, his health
failed and he sought the genial climate of the
Pacific coast, settling in Pasadena in 1886.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

205

His abilities were soon recognized by his as-
sociates in the Republican part)-. In 1888 he
was elected president of the Republican club of
Pasadena and the following 5'ear was made a
member of the Pasadena city council. Here he
took advanced ground in the interests of the peo-
ple, and, with a keen appreciation of the needs
of a live and progressive city, performed well his
part in its advancement. In 1892 he became a
member of the assembly from the seventieth dis-
trict. As a member of the legislature he took a
strong stand against the resolution in the inter-
ests of the free and unlimited coinage of silver,
and for this action was censured by the San
Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee, two of
the leading Republican journals of the state.
However, in 1889, his party went overwhelm-
ingly in his direction, crowding down silver as a
dead issue, and thus placing Mr. Simpson in a
handsome light before his party. In 1894 he was
elected to the state senate from his district, and
four years later was returned, his present term
expiring in January, 1903. He was appointed
in 1895 chairman of municipal incorporations
committee; in 1897 chairman of the judiciary
committee, and in 1899 of the committee on cor-
porations. Of his work in the senate, the Na-
tional Advocate says: "No senator rendered more
efficient service or took a more leading part in
the deliberations of that body."

Senator Simpson was married May 13, 1868,
at lola, Kans., and has two sons, Theodore A.
and Harold G., both married and living at Los
Angeles.

HON. RUSSELL JUDSON WATERS, mem-
ber of congress from the sixth district of
California, was born in Halifax, Vt., June 6,
1843, a son of Luther and Mary (Knowlton)
Waters. He was one of thirteen children and the
youngest of those (eight daughters and two sons)
who attained mature years. When he was four
years of age the family, upon his father's death,
removed to Colerain, Franklin county, Mass.
After his father's estate was settled it was found
that there was only enough money remaining to
purchase a small cottage and lot, leaving the sup-
port of the family to the exertions of the widow
and children. He attended the village school
until his eighth year, when the necessities of the

family were so pressing that he obtained work as
bobbin boy in the cotton factory of Joseph Gris-
wold at Griswoldville, Mass., his wages being
$1.25 a week. For two years he worked in the
factory, and then, his health being delicate, he
was placed upon a farm at Deerfield, Mass.
There he remained for two seasons, and in the
winter attended a district school taughf by his
sister. His next position was as an operator of
machines in the manufacture of knives, in the
cutlery factory of Lamson, Goodnow & Co., at
Shelburne Falls, Mass. Later he went to Keene,
N. H., where his mother then lived, and for one
season he worked on a neighboring farm at Beech
Hill. Returning to Shelburne Falls, he resumed
work in the cutlery factory. Meantime the fam-
ily moved to Richville, N.Y., and he joined them
there, working on a farm near by for fifty cents a
day, and chopping wood at fifty cents per cord.
After a time he returned to Shelburne Falls, where
he learned the machinist's trade. Being very fond
of music, he learned to play the violin and piano,
and played the solo baritone in Foster's cornet
band at the Falls. His musical talent on the
violin, in the band and in concert singing, as well
as in the church choir greatly assisted him in ob-
taining an education. He taught one term of
school at Charlemont Centre, Mass., and later
graduated from the Franklin Institute, where he
remained as professor of Latin and mathematics.

Believing the opportunities to be greater fur-
ther west, Mr. Waters left New England and set-
tled in Chicago, where he studied law with Rich
& Waterman. After two years in their office, he
was examined by C. W. Reed, district attorney,
and Judges Bradwell and Gary, for the supreme
court of Illinois, and passed a most creditable ex-
amination, which caused him to be granted ad-
mission to the bar May 12, 1868, with permission
to practice before the state and United States
courts. During the following years he met with
a constantly growing success. However, over-
work and excessive application to his profession
impaired his health to such an extent that a
change of climate was rendered necessarj'; and
he therefore left Chicago for California in 1886.

As chairman and commissioner of the Chicago-
California Colonization Association, Mr. Waters
purchased a tract of land, with water, and estab-
lished that colony on a sound basis in what is

2o6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

now known as East Redlands, San Bernardino
county. He promoted the building of Redlands
and was one of the foremost public-spirited citi-
zens of that cit}'. In fact, his prominence in local
affairs caused him to become known as ' 'the father
of Redlands." He was chiefly instrumental in
the incorporation of Redlands as a city of the sixth
class, and he was chosen the first city attorney,
but resigned at the end of a year. With the as-
sistance of E. G. Judson he raised the necessary
funds ($42,800) to pay for the right of way for
the Southern California Railway Company to
build the line from San Bernardino through Red-
lands to Mentone, now known as the kite-shaped
track. At different times he was a director in the
Union Bank, the First National Bank, the Craf-
ton Water Company and East Redlands Water
Company. He was secretary of the Redlands
Hotel Company and built the Windsor Hotel.
As president of the Redlands Street Railway
Company, he was the chief factor in the laying of
the tracks and securing of the franchise for the
building of the street railroad. During the year
in which he served as general manager of the
Bear Valley Irrigation Company, he brought its
financial affairs up from a very low ebb to a
prosperous condition, pushing its development
forward steadily. Besides reducing its indebted-
ness nearly $500,000, he left the company with
over$i 10,000 in its treasury and with practically
unlimited credit, its stock selling at $160 per
share, par value being $100. In the early years
of the growth of Redlands he was instrumental
in the building of all the business blocks in the
town. In fact, it is impossible to mention any
public enterprise of note that was projected dur-
ing the period of his residence in the beautiful
little city in which his name did not stand fore-
most as a supporter. The reputation for beauty
which has caused the town to be known through-
out the entire country is due not a little to his
far-seeing judgment.

In 1894 Mr. Waters removed to Los Angeles
and built a residence on Adams street, where he
has since made his home. He has done his full
share in the building up of this city and is con-
nected with many of its most substantial business
institutions: He is vice-president of the Citizens
Bank and a director of the Columbia Savings
Bank, and has been trea.surer of the Los Angeles

Chamber of Commerce and president of the Los
Angeles Directory Company. Besides his city
interests he is connected with outside enterprises,
notably the Pasadena Consolidated Gas Company,
of which he is president. In 1897 the council
chose him to serve on the board of park commis-
sioners and he filled the position to the entire
satisfaction of the public, but after a year re-
signed, owing to business demands that required
all of his time.

At the earnest solicitation of his friends in Los
Angeles, in 189S Mr. Waters reluctantly con-
sented to the use of his name as a candidate for
congress from the sixth district of California. At
the congressional convention in Sacramento he
was nominated by acclamation, without one dis-
senting vote. The nominating speech was made
by his old friend, ex-Governor John L. Beveridge,
of Illinois. After a vigorous campaign he was
elected by a plurality of three thousand five hun-
dred and forty-two, this being the first time fusion
was defeated in the district.

When Mr. Waters arrived in Washington he
was a stranger to the ways of the capitol. Polit-
ical diplomacy of the brand that is required to ac-
complish things in Washington was quite un-
known to him. He was familiar with large af-
fairs, but familiar with them from a business
rather than from a political standpoint, and he
brought into his congressional work more of the
business than of the political plan of procedure.
Other men in this and other congresses have tried
this very thing and have not succeeded very well.
Mr. Waters has succeeded splendidly, and to-day
he stands in the house of representatives regarded
by all as a safe man to follow, sought by the
leaders for his counsel, and gradually preparing
himself to assume the proportions of a national
character.

The reciprocity treaty with Jamaica, which was
sent to the senate for ratification, was considered
to be a very serious blow at the citrus fruit indus-
try of California. Whether it would have so
proved is quite another matter, but Southern
California got up in arms against the treaty and
Mr. Waters set out to .see what could be done to
defeat it. Had the treaty been before the house
it would have been easier, but it was before the
senate, where work for a new man is hard. How-
ever, Mr. Waters u-sed business arguments with

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,

207

a uicetj' of diplomacj' mixed with them that
caught those senators with whom he talked.
Fortunately he was backed by the whole Califor-
nia delegation, and this assisted him greatly, but
the brunt of the work fell upon Mr. Waters. As
a result the treaty was conceded, after a while, to
be dead for this session of congress, at least, and
it now sleeps peacefully in the archives of the
senate committee on foreign relations.

The Southern California Forestry Association
had long wanted congress to pass a bill to punish
persons who start fires on the public domain.
Mr. Waters, early in the session, introduced an
amendment to the existing law for the "Preven-
tion of Fires Upon the Public Domain," making
it possible for the Forestry Association to prose-
cute persons who carelessly or maliciously start
forest fires. This amendment was put through
the house by Mr. Waters without a ripple of ex-
citement. It was afterwards passed by the sen-
ate, being called up by Senator Bard, and it is
now the law of the land.

Mr. Waters has introduced some important ap-
propriation bills. Among these is the bill appro-
priating $550,000 for the improvement of the in-
ner harbor at San Pedro. This bill was not in-
troduced with any idea of having it taken up at
this session; it was simply put in so as to allow
Mr. Waters to start work upon it gently, picking
up a supporter here and there, advancing this
argument and that in its favor, and getting mat-
ters generally in such shape that at the opening
of the next session he will be in a position to be-
gin to push quite hard where he is merely shov-
ing now. It is going to be a difficult task to put
this bill through congress; may be it cannot be
done until the work upon the outer harbor at San
Pedro has been completed. He has also intro-
duced a bill appropriating not more than $50,000
for the establishment of a light and fog signal
station at Point Dume, Los Angeles county; a
bill for the erection of a new public building at
Santa Barbara at a cost not to exceed $85,000; a
bill to increase the compensation of criers and
bailiffs in all of the United States courts; and a
bill to increase the salary of the United States
marshal in the southern district of California from
$3,000 to $4,000 per year.

Probably no project is more important in
the minds of Southern Californians than the

Nicaragua Canal, and it was in connection
with this bill that Mr. Waters did his very
best woirk. It was well known before that
bill came up in the house that there was a bad
hitch somewhere. Mr. Waters was one of the
men who untangled that hitch. Later he made a
speech upon the canal bill when it was before the
house. The Los Angeles Times in an editorial
paragraph characterizes this speech as the ablest
delivered on this subject, and he received many
letters and telegrams of congratulation on his
able and eloquent efibrt for the canal. The more
important of these two performances, however,
was the work of untangling the hitch so as to
allow the bill to come up in the house. The
work that counts in legislation is not the speech
made upon the floor, but the quiet work that is
done among the members and in committee.

The country at large can only have a faint idea
of the arduous labor performed in the passage of
a bill like the Nicaragua canal bill. This is not
only true of the committee work, but of the work
of the house or senate after the bill has been re-
ported out of committee. The canal bill was not
an exception to this rule, and for some days it
seemed that the friends of the bill would be un-
able to get it before the house. The Pacific
Coast delegation was called upon to actively as-
sist Mr. Hepburn in pulling the bill out of a
"hole," and were credited by him as the saviors
of the bill. Mr. Waters of the sixth and Mr.
Barham of the first districts led in the fight
which made the passage of this bill possible, and
are entitled to the highest credit for its successful
passage. Had it not been for their efiforts in its
behalf, the canal bill might not have passed the
house even at this session.

The oil men of Southern California are under
great obligations to Mr. Waters for obtaining an
order of the commissioner of the general land of-
fice, Hon. Binger Hermann, suspending filing of
lieu scrip until after full investigation is made by
special agents of the department. The Califor-
nia legislature passed a joint resolution asking
for this suspension. A bill is now pending, in-
troduced by Mr. Waters, to authorize the entry
and patenting of lands containing petroleum and
other mineral oils under placer mining laws in
the United States. The sundry civil appropria-
tion and the deficiency appropriation bills have

2o8

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

also been carefully looked after b)- Mr. Water.s.
Through his efforts there were established many
rural free delivery routes in his district, which
have beeu such a benefit to the people; and he also
established eleven new postoffices in the sixth con-
gressional district. He was also unusually suc-
cessful in his efforts before the pension bureau in
the interest of old veterans and their widows.

The personality of Mr. Waters is pleasing.
His rugged, opeu-hearted manner makes him a
welcome visitor in any gathering. Behind his
unassuming, quiet manner hide all the dignity
and courteous grace of a true man.

HON. HENRY HARRISON MARKHAM.
The history of any community is best told
in the lives of its citizens. Especially is
this the case when these citizens are men of great
power and ability, wielding an influence in the
halls of legislature and effecting great reforms or
securing needed legislation in the interests of the
people. To a certain degree, the history of
Governor Markham's life is a history of Pasa-
dena, and indeed of Southern California. Perhaps
no citizen has done more than he to advance the
welfare of this region; and, while his service as
governor of California has brought him into prom-
inence throughout the entire state, yet it is with
the southern section that his name is most insep-
arably associated. The people point with just
pride to the work he has done in their behalf and
the improvements he secured for the Pacific coast
during his term in congress.

The executive ability that forms one of Gover-
nor Markham's most striking attributes is per-
haps his by inheritance, for he is a descendant of
Sir William Markham, who was deputy governor
under William Penn. He was born in Wilming-
ton, Essex County, N. Y., November i6, 1840.
He received his education in public and private
schools in his native town and in Wheeler's
Academy in Vermont. When a boy he per-
formed all the manual labor incident to a farm
hand of the day and became proficient in every
branch of farming as it was then conducted. In
1 86 1 he removed to Wisconsin and entered the
army from that state, as private in the Thirty-
second Wisconsin Infantrv, and served until the

close of the war. He was severely wounded at
the battle of Whippy Swamp, in South Carolina,
Febuary 3, 1865, from which wound he has never
fully recovered.

At the close of the Civil war Governor Mark-
ham returned to Wisconsin and studied law with
the noted firm of Waldo, Ody & Van, of Milwau-
kee. He was admitted to practice before the
circuit and supreme courts and the United States
district courts, and, subsequently, the United
States supreme court. He devoted special atten-
tion to admiralty practice, in which line his firm,
H. H. and G. C. Markham, was said to have the
largest practice in the west. In the fall of 1878
failing health (caused largely by his wound)
compelled him to give up practice in Milwaukee
and seek a more healthful climate. With his
family he removed to Pasadena, where he has
since resided. He engaged in quartz mining of
both gold and silver in California until his public
life began.

During the summer of i S84 Governor Markham
was nominated by the Republican party to repre-
sent the sixth district in the congress of the
United States. The district at that time was
strongly Democratic, but many of the leading
Democrats supported him, on the ground that he
would be able to accomplish more for the benefit
of his district than his opponent. He was elected
by a majority of more than five hundred. He
served in the forty-ninth congress, securing the
passage of many important measures for the ben-
efit of his district. Among these was the estab-
lishment of a United States court known as the
Southern District of California; also the appropri-
ation of $150,000 for the erection of a public
building in Los Angeles; the establishment and
maintenance at Los Angeles of the headquarters
of the army of Arizona, until 1892; and several
much needed appropriations for various har-
bors on the coast of California, as he had,
notwithstanding the fact that he was a new mem-
ber, been appointed on the important river and
harbor committee. He justly earned the reputa-
tion of pushing through congress more work than
any new congressman had ever been known to
accomplish. Through his influence one of the
national soldiers' homes was established at Santa
Monica. Afterwards he was elected by congress
as a director of these homes and devoted much

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

time to their management, taking individual
charge of the one at Santa Monica. Though this
service was whollj' without compensation, he
gave himself to it with enthusiasm and never
lessened his interest in it until his election as
Governor.

The career of Governor Markham in congress
was so creditable to himself and so beneficial to
his district that his constituents desired his renom-
ination and many flattering encomiums were
received from them concerning his success as a
public official. However, his health being poor,
he decided it would be unwise to continue in
public life and he therefore declined. In 1890
he was nominated for governor of California by
the Republicans and was duly elected. This
high office he filled for four years, retiring again
to private life with the consciousness of having
faithfully discharged every duty to his state and
his fellow-citizens. He seems to be especially
fitted for positions of responsibility in public life,
for he is a man of unusual executive ability, keen,
resourceful and logical; and is fitted by wide
experience and native gifts to be a leader of men.

In 1876 Governor Markham married Mary A.,
daughter of Giles C. Dana, of Montpelier, Vt., a
relative of the famous editor of the New York
S//>i. They became the parents of five children,
Marie, Alice, Gertrude, Genevieve (deceased)
and Hildreth. The family occupy a beautiful
residence at No. 703 Pasadena avenue, whose
beauty of surroundings and magnificence of out-
look make it one of the most desirable homes of
Pasadena. Fraternally, Governor Markham is
connected with the Masonic Order and is also a
member of John F. Godfrey Post, G. A. R., at
Pasadena. He is a director in the First National
Bank of this city.

Such a life as Governor Markham's could find
no parallel in any country but the United States,
for no other country presents such opportunities
to ambitious young men as does our own; and
there are few states that have presented such
opportunities as has California during the past
half century. The opportunity was given him
and he proved equal to it. Others with equal
advantages but less determination might have
failed, but he has risen to the highest position
within the gift of his state and has honored every
office he has filled.

^TEPHEN HATHAWAY MOTT. The
?\ Mott family is distinctively English and not
CyJ French, as the name would indicate. The
name comes from an ancient manor in County
Essex, England, "the manor of Mott." Some
authorities give it "Mato," "Motes" and
"Motte." Ancient records show that the name
was derived from the old Norman-French
"motte," an artificial mound, supposed to be the
remains of old Roman encampments. The reason
for assuming descent is this French name and
the syllable "le," as Gilbert le Motte. The
manor alluded to in County Essex has been held
by the Motts since 1408.

The ancestry of our subject can be traced to
Thomas Mott, of Shalford, Essex county, Eng-
land, who was born about 1490; but it is a matter
of record that the family were land owners for
more than a century before. In one of the rec-
ords John Mott is shown to be a land owner in
1375. The first of the name recorded as coming
to America was Capt. James Mott, whose son
and namesake was a captain in the New York
army, as shown by Lord Cornlury's army list of
1701. The elder James seems to have first set-
tled in Connecticut, but migrated to the New
York colony in 1667, settling in Westchester
county near the village of Mamaroneck. There
he married a daughter of John Rich Bell, who
had Indian deeds to large tracts of land on the
shores of Long Island Sound. The first Mott in
this country was a vestryman in one of the first
Episcopal churches in New York. He was the
fourth son of John Mott, from Sherne Hall,
County Essex, England. His grandson, James
Mott, son of the second James Mott herein alluded
to, lived at Mamaroneck, N. Y., in 1726, when
the Quaker doctrine was being promulgated.
He then and there became a member of the
society, and meetings were held in his house.

Stephen H. Mott was born June 21, 1828, near
Saratoga Springs, N. Y. , in the historic village
of Schuylersville, where the British general, Bur-
goyne, surrendered. He is the son of John R.
and Abbie (Hathaway) Mott, who were natives
of Saratoga county, N. Y., and both died in that
same county, the father when seventy-one and
the mother when eighty-four. When he was
nine years of age our subject was taken into the
home of his maternal grandmother, a good old

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Ouaker, which fact is sufficient comment as to his
earl}' training. He was brought up as most of
the farm boys of his da)', attending select school
(for there were no free schools then) during a
short period in the winter, and workingdiligently
on the farm during the remainder of the year.
The first money he earned was at the age of four-
teen, when he hired out by the month. In that
work he laid the granite foundation for his iron
constitution, which has served him so admirably
through life. At the age of seventy-two he is as
vigorous as many men of forty.

When he was sixteen Mr. Mott apprenticed
himself to the tinner's trade, which he followed
for two years. He next became a wage earner
in a warehouse. Later he accepted a position in
a general store, where his growth of knowledge
and efficiency in the business were so rapid that
he became a purchaser of goods in the great com-
mercial mart of New York before he was twenty-
one. Early in life he made it a rule to keep clear
of the whirlpools of speculation, and kept his bark
within calm and safe waters, thus ever after
avoiding the rough edges of misfortune, while his
fine, clear business instinct gave him a knowledge
of men and affairs which have thus far enabled
him to sail in the channels of success and pros-
perity.

Home-leaving is a memorable event in the life
of every carefully reared young man. It certainly
was so with Mr. Mott. In 1854 he turned his
course of destiny westward. He traveled exten-
sively through the southern and western states,
and in 1855 landed in St. Paul, Minn., and ac-
cepted a clerkship in a wholesale and retail dry
goods house. After a short time in that position
he went eighty miles south of St. Paul and opened
a general .store among the Indians at St. Peter,
Minn., but, finding difficulty in getting trans-
portation, he settled in Shakope, then a very
active point on the Minnesota river at the head of
navigation.

There we find him in 1861, at the head of a
very large grain and merchandise business.
While he was thus engaged there occurred the
great Indian outbreak of 1862, the most horri-
ble massacre in the annals of our country. Mr.
Mott continued in business there until the spring
of 1864, when he closed out and started for the
land of the afternoon sun, arriving in Los An-

geles May 3 of that year. Soon after his arrival
he was made deputy county clerk, a position that
he filled for ten years. During this period his
savings were invested in real estate, and so wise
and judicious were those investments that on
leaving his clerkship his time was occupied in
looking after his own intere.sts. By this time it
had been clearly established in the minds of those
who knew him that he was a safe and conserva-
tive business man, hence his counsel was fre-
quently .sought. In 1868 he purchased what is
now known as the Mott tract, from which a snug
sum of money has been realized.

In 1872 Mr. Mott bought a one-third interest
with Perry & Woodruff in the lumber business,
and ever since he has been actively connected
with that enterprise. His name has also been
associated with land, gas and water companies,
banks and business enterprises of various kinds,
including the erection of blocks and buildings
that stand as monuments of a worthy progres-
siveness. The Hesperian Land and Water Com-
pany, which is one of his most important inter-
ests, owns thirty thousand acres of land in San
Bernardino county, through which runs the
Mojave river. He has been a director of the
Los Angeles City Water Company since 1869,
and has served as its efficient secretary for twen-
ty-six years. The books in the office attest his
model penmanship, acquired in leisure hours,
and are instructive evidences of his neat and
methodical business ways. He is truly a gentle-
man of the old school, except in his "go-ahead"
business methods, which are thoroughly modern
and up-to-date. "Self-made" is a title that will
fit this man. From his first training in school
for his battle of life on up to the stern realities
thereof, he has come alone, unaided by friends
or wealth. Of schooling, as now understood, he
virtually had none. Education he has, a wealth
of practical information, which would be more
helpful to a young man thrown upon his own re-
sources than all the training of all the colleges of
theory alone.

In 1861 Mr. Mott joined the Masonic order
and has been elected to all the chairs of office in
the various lodges. He joined the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows in 1853 and has taken all
the degrees in this order, as well as filling all the
offices. Politically he does not give himself un-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

due concern so far as holding office goes, but
from his first ballot cast for President Pierce he
has adhered to principle rather than men. Dur-
ing the Pierce campaign he took an active part,
and his experiences in the early '40s with the
boys on horseback are interesting. His father
was an old-time politician, filling such offices as
justice of the peace, sheriff, etc., and in the early
settlement of the county where he lived he fol-
lowed surveying, though his principal occupa-
tion was farming. He died a poor man, but
through the son's liberality, the old "down east"
home is still in the possession of the family and
is occupied by a sister, to whom he has virtually
given it. He has spent over $65,000 for the care
and maintenance of his younger sister and fam-
ily, as well as the care of the home place, some
of the investments for their interests being in Los
Angeles real estate.

Some of the Motts are very wealthy, and the
principles of accretion have been richly inherited
by our subject. This, with the integrity so neces-
sary, has enabled him to amass a goodly fortune,
which he does not hoard, but uses freely and
generously in making those near and dear to him
comfortable and in bestowing assistance on worthy
charitable objects. The historic pages of good
deeds will ever bear to coming generations these
words, "Emulate the life of Stephen H. Mott."

HON. ALVAN TYLER CURRIER. It may
be doubted if any resident of the Pomona
Valley is more widely known throughout
California than the subject of this article. Cer-
tainly none has wielded a more potent influence
in affairs that make for the upbuilding of a com-
munity and the development of its resources. For
this reason, therefore, especial interest attaches
to the record of his life, which is the story of a
man who came to California poor in purse, but
rich in expectation and in hope; a man of invinci-
ble determination and tireless energy, fitted by
inherited endowments and early training for large
responsibilities in the business world and in pub-
lic affairs.

The management of his varied interests makes
Mr. Currier a very busy man. The most impor-
tant object of his care is his large alfalfa, grain,

stock and fruit ranch, comprising twenty-five
hundred acres, situated three miles west of Po-
mona, just off the Southern Pacific stations of
Spadre and Lemon. Here a considerable portion
of Mr. Currier's time is spent. His energy is
such that he is constantly at work, directing,
superintending and managing every department
of the farm work; this, too, although there is
no longer the necessity of hard work there was
in earlier years. His ranch is watered by arte-
sian wells, thus solving for him the sometimes
vexing water problem. In every respect it
shows the painstaking care of the owner and his
intelligent supervision.

In Franklin county, Me., Mr. Currier was
born, April 30, 1840, a son of Alvan and Nancy
(Clough) Currier, natives of Maine. His pater-
nal ancestors are said to have been French, and
his maternal ancestors were of English and Scotch
extraction. His father, who was a son of Samuel
Currier, of Cobb's Hill, Me., served as a state
senator in Maine and held other official positions.
The subject of this article was reared in Maine
and received his education principally at the Far-
raington Academy. For a short time he taught
school. On reaching his majority he started out
in the world for himself. In the winter of 1861-
62 he saw California for the first time. How-
ever, he did not remain here, but went to Idaho
and mined for gold and silver.

In the fall of 1867 he left Idaho and returned^
to California. Soon, however, he went back to
Maine to visit his relatives and friends, and in the
spring of 1868 he came via the Isthmus of Pan-
ama from New York to San Francisco. He has
crossed the isthmus three times altogether. In
the spring of 1869 he came to Los Angeles
count)' and purchased the ranch where he still
makes his home.

Politicallj' Mr. Currier has been an active
factor in the Republican party, and is counted
one of its local leaders. In 188 1 he was elected
sheriff of Los Angeles county, which office he
filled for two years. In 1898 he was elected to
the state senate from the Thirty-eighth Califor-
nia district. As a senator he has manifested the
deepest interest in the welfare of his constituents.
He has given his influence to measures for the
benefitof the people and the development of the
state's magnificent resources. No one has had a

214

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

greater faith in California than he. His faith in its
future has been unshaken bj' reverses. With the
keen, far-seeing eye of the pioneer, he has dis-
cerned the wonderful opportunities the countrj'
holds, and has never regretted' casting his lot in
with the people of this vallej', for his career here
has been a prosperous one. In addition to his
other interests, he is a director in the First
National Bank of Pomona, a director in the
San Antonio Fruit Exchange, and is now
president of the San Antonio Canon Water
Company, also president of the Odd Fel-
lows' Hall Association of Pomona. March 20,
1 88 1, he married Mrs. Susan Rubottom, n^e
Glenn, of Spadra, who, like himself, is an active
member of the Baptist Church of Pomona and a
generous contributor to worthy religious and
philanthropic enterprises.

In Los Angeles Senator Currier is best known,
perhaps, as the owner of the Currier Block, a
large office building at No. 212 West Third street.
This block was named for him, and is supplied
with all the conveniences of modern public build-
ings. He gives his attention, in addition to his
other duties, to the management of this building
and the care of the property.

HON. WALDO M. YORK. In reviewing the
history of any community there are always
a few names that stand out pre-eminently
among others, because those who bear them pos-
sess .superior business or professional ability.
Such names and such men increase the impor-
tance of a city and add to its prosperity, their
intelligence is a power for good in local affairs,
and their keen intellectual faculties promote not
only their own success, but that of their fellow-
citizens as well. Among the residents of Los
Angeles who have become eminent at the bar and
on the bench, especial mention belongs to Hon.
W. M. York, superior judge of the county of Los
Ar.geles. Identified since 1889 with the legal
life of this part of California, he has in the mean-
time gained a large acquaintance among the
people here and has risen steadily by rea.son of
his profes.sional attainments.

From boyhood Judge York's tastes were in the
direction of the law. Often, when engaging in

the ceaseless toil of planting, plowing, sowing,
harvesting and other work incident to farm life,
his mind built ambitious hopes for the future, not
to be spent in wresting a meagre living from the
barren soil of a Maine farm, but to be devoted to
intellectual pursuits. With this object in view
he devoted every leisure moment to .study, and in
1863, when but seventeen years of age, he began
to teach school. For several years he engaged
in that occupation, and in the meantime gave
considerable attention to the study of law.
In 1868 he was admitted to practice in the su-
preme court of his native commonwealth, Maine.

Believing that the far west afforded opportuni-
ties not possible in the east, in 1871 he crossed
the continent and opened a law office in Seattle,
Wash. The following year he was elected judge
of the probate court of Kings county, of which
Seattle is the county seat. In 1873 he married a
daughter of Rev. George F. Whitworth, D. D., a
Presbyterian clergyman of that city. On the ex-
piration of his term as probate judge he was re-
elected, but two years later, in 1876, he resigned
the office and removed to San Francisco, where
he soon built up an excellent practice. For sev-
eral years he served as town attorney of Berke-
ley, where he had his residence. In 1889 he
came to Los Angeles to engage in practice, at the
same time establishing his home in Pasadena,
where he has since resided. From 1891 to 1893
he held office as chief deputy in the office of the
district attorney of Los Angeles county. He re-
ceived from Governor Markham in January, 1894,
the appointment of judge of the superior court of
Los Angeles county, to which position, in the
fall of the same year, he was elected for a term of
six years. His talents especially qualify him for
judicial labors. He is impartial, dignified, con-
servative and sagacious; thoughtful in decision,
wise in action. While he is a stanch Repub-
lican, on the bench he knows no politics and no
party spirit. The intellect of the man shows
itself in his presence, which inspires confidence
and respect alike among acquaintances and
strangers.

For the office of superior judge he was nomi-
nated September 5, 1894, and the nomination was
seconded by Rev. L. P. Crawford in a speech
from which we quote as follows:

"I rise to second the nomination of Judge

wr^

^^1

i[B

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

217

Waldo M. York of Pasadena. But permit me to
say that, having passed my three score and ten,
never until yesterday was I present in a Repub-
lican county, state or national convention, either
as spectator or delegate. And this, too, while
there is not a drop of blood that circulates in my
veins or throbs in my heart that is not Repub-
lican. This, too, when this right hand has cast
a ballot for every Republican presidential nomi-
nee from John C. Fremont to Benjamin Harri-
son. This, too, when in the dark days of 1862
I left wife and home and all I counted dear to
maintain Republican principles on the field. And,
though living on borrowed time, I hope to ex-
tend that loan until I shall be able to cast another
ballot for either Major McKinley, Tom Reed or
some other good Republican. I want these old
ears to be saluted by another of the old-fash-
ioned Republican shouts of victory extending
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

"And that is why I am here to-day — to ask
you to give us a county ticket made up of honest,
competent men, with which ticket we shall be
able to sweep Los Angeles county like a hurri-
cane. You can give us that ticket, for you have
the men, and if you can't find them in the Re-
publican party I do not know where to tell you
to look for them. With my limited political ac-
quaintance I have found one such man, and that
is Judge Waldo M. York of Pasadena. I say he
is a man, every inch of him is a man, and a man
of many inches at that. No, I do not refer to
his physical proportions. I measure him by a
higher standard, the standard of the poet who
declares:

'Were I so tall to reach the pole and grasp creation

with my span,
'I must be measured by my soul; mind is the standard of

the man.'

"And by this standard I still declare that
Judge York is every inch a man. He is a man
of mind, a man of heart, a man of conscience, a
man of stern integrity. Why, only yesterday
Judge York said to me, 'Mr. Crawford, I want
this nomination; but if I cannot have it honestly,
fairly, without trade or trick, I do not want it.
I prefer to go back to the bar.' And I said,
'God bless you, old fellow. I had rather lose the
race with such a man than to gain it on lower
moral ground.' And I am glad to find that my

opinion of this man is borne out by that of his
associates on the bench and by those who have
practiced at the bar of his court. I do not say
this because Judge York is my neighbor and my
friend; not because he lives in the same ward
with me, which ward gave him more than two-
thirds of its popular vote at the primaries. I
would use the same language hailed he from the
most obscure hamlet of Los Angeles county.
Place Judge York on the bench and the scales of
justice will be held by a firm and impartial hand;
place Judge York on the bench and he will never
soil the judicial ermine with which you shall
invest him."

Not alone through his record as attorne}' and
judge has Judge York become prominent, but
also as a writer and public speaker. Many of
his articles have appeared in newspapers and
magazines, and bearing as they do upon topics of
general importance, they receive wide attention.
As an orator he has been heard in public assem-
blies and private gatherings.

A characteristic of Judge York is his high
ideal of American citizenship. He deprecates
the plan of admitting to the privileges of an
American citizen those foreigners who are wholly
ignorant of our customs and in.stitutions. More
than once he has refused naturalization papers
to people from other countries whose dense ignor-
ance proved them unfitted for the franchise. In
this he has been upheld by the press and the
citizens who, like him, believe that only those
should be eligible to citizenship who possess
some conception, even though imperfect, of the
purpose of our government and the character of
its institutions.

HON. JAMES A. GIBSON, member of the
law firm of Bicknell, Gibson & Trask, of
Los Angeles, is a descendant of Scotch-
Irish ancestors who were identified with the
colonial history of New England. Patriotism
has been a family characteristic. His father,
Thomas Gibson, who had settled in St. John's,
Newfoundland, in early life, but later returned
to Massachusetts, posses.sed this family trait and
offered his services to his country at theoutlircak

2l8

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of the Civil war, enlisting in a Massachusetts
regiment of volunteers, with which he went to
the front and served faithfully until he lost his
life in the service. He had married Marj' Berr}',
who was reared in Marblehead, Mass., and who
died shortl}- before his death. Their son, James
A., who was born in Boston, Mass., was a small
child at the time he was doubly orphaned. He
was taken into the home of an aunt, by whom he
was cared for until able to earn his own liveli-
hood. While still a mere boy he had gratified
his desire for a taste of ocean life and had made
a cruise on the sea. When he was seventeen he
was given employment in a large manufacturing
establishment in Massachusetts, and rose, by
gradual steps, until he was placed in charge of
one of the departments.

Resigning his position in 1874 he came to Cal-
ifornia, settling first in San Francisco, but later
going to San Bernardino. While in the east he
had commenced the study of law, and this he
completed after coming to California. June 13,
1879, he was admitted to the bar in the district
court of San Bernardino county, and later he was
admitted to practice before the supreme court of
the state; afterward to the supreme and federal
courts of the United States. After having car-
ried on a private practice in San Bernardino for a
time he was elected judge of the superior court
of that county, a position w-hich he filled credit-
ably and satisfactorily. His discharge of official
duties was .so thorough and gratifying that he
was recognized as worthy of higher honors. May
3, 1889, he was appointed a member of the su-
preme court of California commission, and this
high position he held until January, 1891, when
he resigned in order to resume private practice.

As a member of the firm of Works, Gib.son &
Titus Judge Gibson soon established a high po-
sition at the San Diego bar. The partnership
continued until Judge Works withdrew from the
firm to form a partnership with his son. The
two remaining members of the firm continued in
practice under the title of Gibson & Titus, the
junior member being H. L. Titus, a lawyer of
recognized ability. June i, 1897, Judge Gibson
withdrew from the firm and removed to Los An-
geles, where was organized the firm of Bicknell,
Gibson & Trask, with ofiices in the Bradbury
block. This is one of the leading law firms in

Los Angeles, and is especially prominent for its
connection with a number of important corpora-
tion and other cases.

While the surroundings in which Judge Gib-
son has found himself placed during much of his
active life have been such as to remove him from
politics and 'render his connection with political
affairs unwise, he has always been a stanch Re-
publican, although in his capacity as a jurist the
element of politics never entered. He proved
himself impartial and non-partisan. For two
terms he was a trustee of the Southern California
Hospital, an institution deserving of encourage-
ment and support. At present he is vice-presi-
dent of the American Bar Association for Cali-
fornia. Fraternally he is a Mason. He has been
connected with military affairs in the state, and
held ofiices in the first brigade with the rank of
major.

In 1882 Judge Gibson married Miss Sarah A.
Waterman, who died some years later, leaving
two children, James A., Jr., and Mary W. He
was afterward again married, choosing as his
wife Miss Gertrude Van Norman, of Ohio, by
whom he has two children, Martha A. and
Horace V.

pQlLLIAM G. NEVIN. More than a quarter
\ A / of a century ago William G. Nevin started
VV upon his successful railroad career, and
to-day he is one of the best known oflficials in
this line in the United States and Mexico. Pos-
sessing just the qualities of nature and education
essential to one having great responsibilities, he
rose step by step, from the lowest ranks in the
calling to which he has devoted his mature years,
to his present position of trust and honor as gen-
eral manager of the Santa Fe Railway Compan}',
at Los Angeles.

William G. Nevin was born forty-four years
ago in York, Pa. , the eldest of the five sons of
John A. and Katherine J. (Brown) Nevin. On
the paternal side our subject is of Scotch extrac-
tion, while his mother's ancestors were English
Quakers. John A. Nevin was successful!}- en-
gaged in merchandising in Philadelphia and in
Boston, and was respected and highly esteemed
by a large circle of friends and acquaintances,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

219

who prized him for his sterling integrity and
worth. When the war which threatened the
stability of the Union came on, he renounced all
of his personal ambitions and enlisted under the
stars and stripes. He was appointed to serve in
th& capacity of quartermaster, and acted as such
to the entire satisfaction of his superior officers
throughout the war. He did not long survive
his trying army service, but died in 1866.

The boyhood of W. G. Nevin passed unevent-
fully, save for the death of his father when he
was but eleven years of age. His education was
acquired in the justly celebrated public schools
of Boston, Mass. When he was about sixteen
years of age he obtained a position as a clerk and
from 1874 until 1S78 he was in the employ of the
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company.
Having thus gained considerable knowledge of
the railroad business, he became associated with
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and
in its service won the respect of all who knew
him. Later he was urged to go to Mexico and
assist in the construction of the Sonora Railroad.
He acceded to this proposition and remained
there from i88i until 1883, having his head-
quarters at Guaymas. His services were so
thoroughly satisfactory to all concerned that he
was next tendered a position with the Mexican
Central Railroad Companj', and, having been
duly installed in the office, had charge of general
supplies for the road. Some time subsequently
he became an employe of the San Antonio &
Arkansas Pass Railroad Company , as general pur-
chasing agent, and at the close of a year was made
assistant to the general manager for the Gulf,
Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad. There he served
for two years, and then went to Chicago, where
he became assistant to D. B. Robinson, vice-
president of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe.
At the expiration of a twelvemonth he was made
general purchasing agent for the same railroad
system, and finally, in March, 1897, ^^ ""'^s pro-
moted to the general managership of the Santa
Fe, with headquarters in Los Angeles, the west-
ern terminus. Needless to say, he is meeting
the grave responsibilities incident to this position
with the same resolution and energy with which
he has conquered all of the difficulties in his past
successful career. He is admired and respected
by his superiors, as well as those under his di-

rection and control, and while he is the personi-
fication of the keen, decisive business man of the
day, he never fails in courtesy and fairness to all
with whom his calling brings him into contact.

The home life of Mr. Nevin is especially happy,
and, surrounded by his loved ones, he throws
off the cares and anxieties which with many
railroad magnates and officials are never absent
from the mind. In 1880 he married a Phila-
delphia lady, Miss Ella R. Wireman, and unto
them a son and a daughter were born. The
beautiful home of the family is located at the cor-
ner of Garland avenue and Seventh street, and
all about them are the furnishings and marks of
cultured tastes.

Politically Mr. Nevin is identified with the
Republican party, and socially he is a member
of the Masonic Order. His time has been so
full}^ occupied in the past that he has had little
leisure to devote to public and social matters,
yet he never fails to perform his duties as a citi-
zen and patriot.

HON. STEPHEN MALLORY WHITE. It
would be impossible to write an accurate
history of Southern California without fre-
quent reference to Senator White, for his name
is inseparably associated with a host of public
measures of undoubted value. He is probably
one of the most widely known citizens of the
Union. While he is still in the prime of life, he
has for years wielded a powerful influence
in the councils of his state and the nation. Yet
his rise was not meteoric, — the sudden flashing
of a brilliant light across the political heavens to
vanish soon into obscurity ; but it was a steady
development of intellectual powers, a steady
ripening of influence and a sure advancement in
the shaping of the policy of the Democratic party.
In the various high offices to which he has received
the compliment of election he has proved himself
able, by wise statesmanship, to preserve the honor
of our state and country and to conserve the
highest welfare. Strong in attachment to prin-
ciple and living in times of partisan strife, his
career nevertheless exemplifies the maxim that
"He serves his party best who serves his country
best." One of the guiding principles of his life

220

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

has been independence of action, his determina-
tion to do his duty regardless of consequences,
and a steadfast adherence to the dictates of his
conscience, regardless of the shifting sentiment
of to-daj' or to-morrow. In the course of his long
public career he has, of course, not been without
enemies. Every man who enters the service of
the country is the subject of more or less severe
criticism from his political opponents; his motives
are impugned, his actions misjudged, his integrity
questioned. He who fears such a fate must avoid
the world of politics, must refuse official respon-
sibilities and honors. But it may be said that
the bitterest political opponents of Senator White
have always conceded him to be a man of remark-
able ability, a genius for public affairs, and an
unlimited fund of determination and will power.

The family to which Senator White belongs
has been prominent in public life, numbering
among its representatives such men as Senator
Mallory of Florida and W. Bourke Cockran of
New York. His father, the late William F.
White, was long active in the councils of Cali-
fornia and was a leader in politics. Stephen
Mallory White was born January 19, 1853, i"
San Francisco, which was then little more than a
village. He was educated in St. Ignatius Col-
lege, San Francisco, and Santa Clara College,
from which latter he was graduated. Entering
upon the study of the law he was admitted to the
bar, and in November, 1874, came to practice in
Los Angeles. During that year he became rec-
ognized as a promising lawyer. In his practice
in the courts of the county he was successful from
the first. As an attorney he grappled as by
intuition the .salient points in a case, and no one
ever identified himself more closely with his
client's interests than did he.

From the beginning of his residence in Los
Angeles he was intimately associated with public
affairs. To every subject presented to him he
brought shrewd and cautious judgment. In
1883-84 he served as district attorney of Los
Angeles county, the duties of which he performed
in a manner so efiicient and satisfactory as to
enlist general attention. Largely as a result of
this satisfactory service he was, in 1886, elected
to the state senate, where he served with conspic-
uous ability. His name is identified with a num-
ber of measures whose value none can question.

Soon after he became state senator the governor,
Washington Bartlett, died, and Lieutenant-
Governor Waterman became chief executive,
which caused Mr. White to be made presiding
officer of the senate in the first session and acting
lieutenant-governor in the second session. His
thorough knowledge of parliamentary law enabled
him to fill these positions with fairness to all and
in a manner that prevented criticism from anj-.
His career as United States senator began in 1893,
when, the opposition to the Republican party
having a majority in the legislature, he was
chosen to represent the state in the councils of
the nation.

Mr. White presided over the St. Louis national
Democratic convention which nominated Mr.
Cleveland and was the president of the Demo-
cratic national convention at Chicago in 1896.

The people of Southern California are one in
the belief that Senator White's most valuable
service to them, during his occupancy of the
ofiice of senator, 1893- 1900, was his work in con-
nection with the San Pedro harbor. The whole
historj'^ of this matter is still too fresh to need
explanation. SufiBce it to say that, in spite of
the powerful influence brought against this
measure, and in spite of the fact that the effort
seemed a hopeless one, he .stood his ground firmly
and without wavering, and finally secured a
victory perhaps unparalleled in the history of
legislation. How much the establishment of this
harbor means in our future history we may all
surmise, but it is perhaps even greater in its
influence than our fondest dreams picture; and
if, in future years. Southern California reaps the
benefit of this legislation to the extent we now
anticipate, due credit should be given to Stephen
Mallory White.

HON. H. C. GOODING, former chief justice
of the supreme court of Arizona, is now one
of the distinguished attorneys of Los An-
geles. The early years of Judge Gooding's
life were passed in Greenfield, Ind., his native
town. At sixteen years of age he entered what
is now DePauw University and there he re-
mained, a diligent student, until his graduation
with the class of 1859. Very shortly afterward

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

223

he went south, accepting a position as principal
of an academj' in Macon, Tenn. From there he
went to Vicksburg. Becoming convinced, how-
ever, that war was inevitable between the states,
and preferring in that event to be in the north
(being an ardent supporter of the Union) , he re-
turned to the north. He took up the study of
law in the office of Gen. John M. Palmer at Car-
linville, Macoupin county. 111., and later became
principal in an academy at Brighton, 111. While
he was in the last-named village he enlisted in
the service of the Union, becoming a lieutenant
in Company D, One Hundred and Twenty-second
Illinois Infantry, with which he was ordered to
the front and served until the close of the con-
flict. During a portion of the war he served as
acting judge- advocate of the district of western
Kentucky.

On being mustered out of the army and honor-
ably discharged he entered upon the profession
of law. Opening an office in Washington, D. C,
he practiced before the supreme court of the Dis-
trict of Columbia. In 1868 he left that city and
settled in Evansville, Ind., where he passed
twenty-two busy and profitable years. During
that long time he established and maintained a
reputation for wide professional knowledge and
keen mental faculties. He represented his dis-
trict in the state senate and there served ably
during four sessions, during which time he was
always to be found on the side of movements of
undoubted value to the people. Endowed by
nature with a sound practical mind and aided by
later educational advantages, he was admirably
qualified to represent his constituents in one of
the most important positions in his state, that of
state senator. As a senator he found many move-
ments that needed the fostering guidance of an
intelligent mind, and was always to be found
working for what he believed to be right.

In 1890 he received from President Harrison
the appointment as chief justice of the supreme
court of Arizona, an honor to which his talents
justly entitled him. In that capacity he remained
until a change in the administration caused him
to offer his resignation. His territorial experi-
ence was one of great responsibility, but proved
him to be a man of judicial mind, capable of pen-
etrating the inmost depths of cases presented to
him for adjudication. It is a noteworthy fact that

of the many cases brought before him only two
were reversed and only eleven were appealed.
These facts prove his value as a judge far better
than mere words of encomium could do.

ILO M. POTTER. The people of Los
Angeles appear to have more pride in their
truly beautiful city than do the citizens of
many large and flourishing places, and certain it
is that, considering the few years of its real
growth, it has made marvelous strides forward
in every direction of progress. In addition to
the beauties of nature, so lavishly displayed on
every hand, the visitor from the east and north
is surprised and compelled to admire the splendid
schools and churches, fine office blocks, hotels
and lovely residences, which bear the impress of
refined modern taste. Some of the leading archi-
tects and designers of the world have been "at-
tracted to this wonderful city, and the marks of
their genius are to be witnessed everywhere.

While it is a fact, ofttimes deplored by resi-
dents and outsiders, that we have no immense
metropolitan hotel, few cities on the continent
are blessed with a wider range of comfortable,
home-like hotels, and chief among those which
have been placed at the service of the public
within the past few years is the well-known
Hotel Van Nuys. In all its appointments this
hotel is modern, convenient and beautiful, and
under the able management of its proprietor, the
gentleman whose name heads this article, it has
come to the front as one of the finest hotels on
the Pacific coast. It is said by well posted
authorities to be one of the two or three most
elegantly appointed and best conducted hotels
west of New York City. The Van Nuys, cen-
trally located at the corner of Fourth and Main
streets, within a few blocks of the entire business
section of the city, is a building six stories in
height, and, owing to its situation on the corner,
there is not a dark room in the house. It was
completed in 1896, and was furnished throughout
with new, handsome equipments. The proprietor
is very business-like and courteous, is well liked
by the public and all with whom he has dealings
in any capacity.

Mr. Potter was born in Dundee, Monroe
county, Mich., in May, 1854. Orphaned at the

224

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

earl}- age of eight j-ears, he has been forced to relj'
upon himself more than falls to the lot of most
people in j'outh, and, consequentl}', his business
instincts were developed when he was a mere
child. His parents were Alfred and Betsej' Ann
(Hecock) Potter, natives of Vermont. The
mother died when the son was only five years
old and the father passed away about three years
later. He was a prosperous farmer and stock-
raiser in Michigan, and left some property to his
children, of whom Milo M. was the youngest.
The latter lived with a guardian for several years
and received good school advantages in Adrian,
Ann Arbor and Dundee, Mich. Having com-
pleted his elementary course of study, he
matriculated in the literary department of the
University of Michigan, in 1873, and four years
later was graduated.

Going to Florida, Mr. Potter engaged in grow-
ing fruit for a year or more, and then turned his
attention to the cotton industry. In this enter-
prise he met with remarkable success, and was
on the highway to wealth when disaster befell
him. A small worm destroyed the cotton crop
one season and also ravaged the fruit trees so
thoroughly that the people were compelled to
seek entirely different means of obtaining a liveli-
hood. The misfortune that befell Mr. Potter at
this juncture was a blessing in disguise, as it
became the door through which he entered a
vocation for which by natural gifts he was most
suited, namely, the hotel business. Mr. Potter
had erected for himself a beautiful residence and
kept several servants, and, in order to sell the
place, he concluded to try the plan of keeping
a hotel for northern tourists and others iu his
own handsome home, which was located at
Crescent City, Fla. In this enterprise he met
with well deserved success, and it seemed that
he had, indeed, wrested prosperity from defeat.
Later he built the large and far-famed Potter
House, one of the finest in the state. Again
misfortune swept away his hopes and this time
in the guise of fire. His beautiful residence and
hotel property were entirely destroyed, and not a
dollar of the means he had .so long and earnestly
labored for was left to him.

Possessing the pluck and perseverance of the
best type of American business men, Mr. Potter
then went to Atlantic City, N. J., where he

leased the celebrated Congress Hall Hotel, and for
four years carried it on in a creditable and paying
manner. In 1888 he concluded to come to Los
Angeles, of which the east was so deeply en-
gaged in praising, and upon his arrival here he
took charge of the Westminster Hotel. During
the eight years of his connection with that high
class hotel he won the respect and confidence of
the local public, and a reputation for fairness and
business-like methods which has served him in
good stead. Mr. Van Nuys determined to in-
vest some of his capital in another and finer
building. Thus the Van Nuys Hotel came into
existence, and everyone concedes that no better
manager could be found than Mr. Potter, whose
long experience and thorough knowledge of the
wishes of the class of people he entertains render
him a general favorite. His success is in a great
measure due to his generalship, he having that
rare tact and talent to thoroughly organize the
forces at his command, so that complete harmony
prevails in every department. He is also in
charge of Hotel Van Nuys, Broadway, which he
built three years after the completion of the
Hotel Van Nuys, Main street. These two hotels
have a capacity for accommodating about five
hundred guests.

In political matters Mr. Potter is independent,
using his franchise for the man or measure he
deems best, regardless of partj- lines. Fraternally
he is a Mason. He is one of the most popular
members of the California Club, the Jonathan
Club and the University Club, three of the lead-
ing and influential organizations of Los Angeles.

(] ROSS CLARK. One of the flourishing in-
I dustries of Southern California is the Los
(2), Alamitos Sugar Company, of which the
subject of this article is vice-president and the
general manager. Shortly after coming to Los
Angeles he established the business which has
since grown to its present proportions, taking
rank among the successful and growing enter-
prises of this section. The company takes its
name from the location of the plant, which is at
Los Alamitos, thirty miles from Los Angeles,
while the offices of the company are in the Doug-
las block in Los Angeles.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

225

The genealogy of the Clark family is as follows:
Great-grandfather Clark was of Scotch extraction
and a native of County Antrim, Ireland, to which
place his Scotch Presbyterian ancestors had emi-
grated during the religious persecutions in Scot-
land. The ancestors for many generations were
chiefly farmers by occupation. Great-grand-
father Clark moved to the United States when a
young man and resided in Pennsylvania, where
he reared a family. He died when comparatively
a young man; his wife also died while young.
His son, John Clark, was reared by an aunt, Mrs.
Ross, in Chester countj'. Pa., where he married
Miss Elizabeth Reed, who was also reared by an
aunt. John and Elizabeth Clark settled in Fay-
ette county, Pa. , where they became prosperous
farmers and all members of the Presbyterian
Church, and both were over seventy years of age
when they died on the old Clark homestead.
They were the parents of ten children, viz.:
James, Margaret, William (who died young),
John, Mary (called Polly), Elizabeth, Nancy,
Joseph, Nancy and Sarah. Of these children,
John was a farmer near Connellsville, Pa. , but
in 1856 moved to Van Buren county, near Ben-
tonsport, Iowa, where he resided many years and
died in Keosauqua, Iowa, July 7, 1873, aged
seventy-six years. He was a farmer by occupa-
tion and possessed a progressive, enterprising
mind. His family was well known and highly
esteemed in Iowa. The mother, whose maiden
name was Mary Andrews, resides in Los Ange-
les, to which place she came in 1882. She is the
mother of eight children who reached maturity,
and seven are now living, viz.: William A.,
Joseph K. and J. Ross Clark; Mrs. Sarah Boner,
deceased; Mrs. Elizabeth Abascal, widow of Joa-
quin Abascal; Mrs. T. F. Miller; Miss Anna B.
Clark and Miss Ella E. Clark. The mother of
this interesting family is now aged eighty-six
years, and is a well-preserved woman, who is
honored and respected for her many good quali-
ties of head and heart. The best-known member
of this family is undoubtedly the eldest son,
Hon. William A. Clark, junior member of the
United States Senate from Montana, who was
well known throughout the west for years before
his famous contest for the United States senate.
He is undoubtedly the largest individual mine
owner in the United States, and as owner of the

United Verde copper mine at Jerome, Ariz., has
made the mine and his own name as owner fam-
ous all over the United States. He also holds
large mining interests in Butte, Utah and Idaho.
He came to Montana in 1863, and has been close-
ly identified with the growth and prosperity of
that state ever since. He was married to Catha-
rine Stouffer, a native of Pennsylvania, who was
his school and playmate in the Keystone state.
She was a beautiful woman and the mother of
five children. She died in New York City in
1893.

J. Ross Clark was born April 10, 1850, near
Connellsville, Pa. At six years of age he re-
moved with the family to Van Buren county,
Iowa. There he acquired a public school educa-
tion; his academic studies were pursued at Ben-
tonsport Academy. However, he is principally a
self-educated, as well as a self-made man; his cul-
ture and refinement were not acquired in the nar-
row confines of a college room, but in the broad-
er and more practical school of the business world .
On attaining his majority he was attracted to
the far west, where in company with his brother,
Joseph K., he engaged in the United States mail
contract business, making his headquarters at
Hor.se Plains, Mont., the route being from Mis-
soula, Mont., to Pend d' Oreille Lake in Idaho,
a distairce of two hundred miles. In 1876 he re-
moved to Butte, Mont., and engaged as book-
keeper for the Dexter Milling Company, owners
of one of the first quartz mills built in Butte. Af-
ter one 3-ear, in 1877, he took a position as cashier
in the bank of Donnell, Clark & Larabie, a well-
known banking institution in the west, where he
continued in the same position until 1886. In
1884 he acquired Mr. Donnell's interest in the in-
stitution and shortly afterwards Mr. Larabie re-
tired, when the firm name was changed to W. A.
Clark & Bro. , and as such continues to the pres-
ent day, the partners being William A. Clark
and J. Ross Clark, our subject still giving atten-
tion to the bank and its management. During
his residence in Montana, April 16, 1878, he mar-
ried Miss Miriam A. Evans, who was born in
Ohio, but at the time was a resident of Montana.
They have two children, Ella H. and Walter M.
The family are connected with the First Congre-
gational Church of Los Angeles.

In 1892 Mr. Clark established his home in Los

226

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Angeles, and he has since become well known
as one of the most reliable business men of the
city.

To an unusual degree Mr. Clark possesses
those qualities which are so essential to success
in an5' department of business life, namely: in-
dustry, common sense, perseverance and deter-
mination. In the possession of these sterling
qualities the problem of success is usually solved,
for they are indissolubly linked with prosperity,
the one following the other as cause and effect.
He has shown no desire to participate in public
affairs, nor has he sought ofiBcial honors, prefer-
ring to devote himself exclusively to private busi-
ness affairs. However, in politics he has keen
and decided opinions, and has been a lifelong
Democrat. In fraternal relations he is a Mason.
Besides the company with which his name is most
closely associated, he is connected with other en-
terprises of Southern California, notably the Citi-
zens' Bank, of which he is a director; and the
Columbia Savings Bank of Los Angeles, of which
he is director. He has served as a director in the
Chamber of Commerce, and is president of the
Y. M. C. A. Personally he is a courteous and
affable gentleman, with a geniality of manner
that wins and retains friends, while at the same
time he possesses a depth of character that gives
him a high place in the regard and respect of even
the most casual acquaintance.

pCjlLLIAM POLLARD, of the law firm of
\ A / Mulford & Pollard, Los Angeles, is of
VV Canadian birth and English parentage.
His father. Rev. William Pollard, was born and
reared in England, and in early manhood entered
the ministry of the Methodist Church, which de-
nomination was enriched numerically by the
fruits of his lifetime of self-sacrificing labor. In
1842 he came to America and settled in Canada,
where the remaining years of his busy life were
passed. He and his wife, who bore the maiden
name of Maria Heathfield, were the parents of
one son and four daughters.

The birth of William Pollard occurred near
Toronto, Canada, in 1851. His childhood years
were uneventfully passed in the ordinary routine

of study. He was an ambitious lad, not content
to gain a merely surface knowledge, but desirous
of acquiring a broad and thorough education. In
his school work he was diligent and faithful.
After completing a common school education he
entered the Victorian College in Toronto, where
he took the regular course of study, graduating
in 1873. His literary course completed, he en-
tered upon a law course, for he had determined
to become an attorney. In 1878 he was ad-
mitted to the bar of Canada, where he subse-
quently engaged in practice for nine years.

It was during the year 1887 that Mr. Pollard
left the cold Canadian country for the sunny
shores of California. Settling in Los Angeles in
1S89 he identified himself with the law firm of
Wells, Guthrie & Lee, with whom he continued
for the succeeding four years. Afterward he
practiced alone for two }-ears. In 1895 the firm
of Mulford & Pollard was formed and an office
established in the Bullard block, where they have
since remained. The firm is recognized as one
of the strongest in the city, both members being
men of superior education and ability. They
have a commodious and well-appointed suite,
with all the appurtenances of a modern law office,
including a fine library.

As a delegate to county and state conventions,
and in other capacities, Mr. Pollard has been
identified with the work of the Republican party.
He and his partner are both as undeviating in
their devotion to this party as the needle to the
pole. However, while they keep themselves
well informed on the issues of the day they have
never sought the honors of office, preferring to
devote their time to their profession, in which
they have met with such signal success. They
manifest a constant interest in the public welfare
and bear their part in every worth}- enterprise.
In religion Mr. Pollard is a Methodist, and now
assists in the work of the Westlake Methodist
Episcopal Church. Fraternally he is identified
with the Masons and the Maccabees.

The first marriage of Mr. Pollard took place in
1878 in Canada, and united him with Miss Jennie
L. Morrow, who lived near Toronto. She died
in Los Angeles in 1892, leaving six children.
His second marriage united him with Miss Addie
L. Seely, of New York. The family home is at
No. 130 North Griffith avenue.

^^z*^^*^ ;r?^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

;29

(TOTHAM BIXBY, who bears the distinctiou
I of being, perhaps, the largest landholder in
G) Southern California, is a citizen honored for
his sterling worth and integrity. Possessing far
more than ordinary ability, it is said that when
he was a mere boy those who knew him predicted
that his future would be marked with decided suc-
cess. Through the substantial qualities of his
character he has been able to gain for himself
financial prosperity, and that which is still more
to be desired, the respect and esteem of his asso-
ciates.

The Bixby family was first represented in this
country in a very early day by an Englishman
who settled in Massachusetts. Later generations
removed to Maine, where thefamily has long been
known and honored. Jotham Bixby was one of
the eight sons and two daughters of Amasa
Bixby, all of whom, except two sons that died
in early life, established homes in California.
They were named as follows : Amos, Marcellus,
Llewellyn, Henry H., George F., Jotham, Fran-
cina A., and Mrs. Nancy D. Lovett. Jotham
Bixby was born in Norridgewock, Me., January
20, 1831. His early life did not diiFer materially
from that of the average New England boy in the
early half of the nineteenth century, for, like
them, he was expected to contribute to his own
support as soon as he became physically able to
perform any kind of manual labor, and the most
important part of his education was his industrial
training. While facilities for obtaintng an edu-
cation were limited, he attended school with
reasonable regularity a short time during each
year, and thus gained a foundation on which was
built, in later years, a broad fund of information
acquired in the great school of experience and
observation.

When the discovery of gold in California fired
the hearts of ambitious young men in the east,
Mr. Bixby was one of those who resolved to seek
a fortune in the far west. In 1852 he sailed via
Cape Horn to San Francisco, and thence pro-
ceeded to mines in the central part of the state,
but did not meet there the success he had hoped
for. In 1857 lie went to Monterey county and
began to raise sheep. Later we find him a resi-
dent of San Luis Obispo county, and from there,
in 1866, he came to Los Angeles, having the pre-

vious year bought the rancho of Los Cerritos, a
tract of twenty-seven thousand acres. This
property, lying east of the San Gabriel river,
and fronting on the ocean, includes the present
sites of Long Beach and Clearwater. On this
place he has since engaged in the stock business,
and under his supervision a company was organ-
ized which purchased seventeen thousand acres
of the Palos Verdes rancho and a one-third inter-
est in Los Alamitos of twenty-six thousand acres,
besides six thousand acres in the rancho of San-
tiago de Santa Ana. This entire acreage was
devoted to stock-raising. At times the company
had on the Cerritos as many as thirty thousand
head of sheep, producing two hundred thousand
pounds of wool annually. More recently, how-
ever, the company has made a specialty of raising
cattle and horses, and has owned as many as
thirty thousand head of cattle.

Nature bestowed upon Mr. Bixby a vigorous
mind. His energy is one of the conspicuous
traits of his character. To this quality, combined
with his business ability, is due his success in the
stock business and in every other enterprise with
which his name has been connected. In business
dealings his code of honor has always been of the
highest, and he has never deviated from the
course his conscience and sense of justice have
mapped out for him. The success with which
he has met would, perhaps, be impossible to gain
in the same way in this generation, for land can
no longer be purchased "for a song," as in for-
mer days. He had the foresight to discern a
future advance in property as well as a steady de-
mand for stock; hence he turned his attention in
the lines his judgment indicated would bring
prosperity.

In 1863 Mr. Bixby married Miss Margaret
Winslow Hathaway, daughter of Rev. George W.
Hathaway, of this county. They are the parents
of three sons and two daughters. The oldest son,
George H., graduated from Yale College in 1886,
and has since assisted his father in the manage-
ment of their extensive interests. The second
son, Harry, is also a graduate of Yale. The
family home is one of the most attractive country
homes in Southern California, and reflects in its
equipments the tastes and refinement of its in-
mates.

230

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

fgRIFFITH J. GRIFFITH. Many of the
|_ self-made men of America, after achieving
\^ distinction in successful business careers,
desire to leave behind them some enduring monu-
ment that will reflect credit upon their memorj'.
It has been the custom of millionaires to make
bequests in their wills setting aside a portion of
their fortunes for some worthy purpose. The
wiser philanthropists of the present day are pur-
suring a better method; they are administering
their own benefactions in their lifetime. They
thus aid in the executions of their own wills, see
that they are administered in accordance with
their own wishes, and enjoy the result of their
own beneficence. A notable example of this
clear-headed philanthropy occupied the columns
of the Los Angeles newspapers in 1897-98.
Among the many wealthy men in this city is one
who has acquired an honorable fame by donating
from his private property adjoining the Angel
City, the largest single tract of land ever ac-
quired for park purposes by any city in the
world, and the only city park in existence pos-
sessing a lofty mountain peak within its borders.

The donor of this park is Col. Griffith Jenkins
Griffith, whose genial presence is manifest in a
well-knit frame, cordial manner, pleasant coun-
tenance and hearty salutation. He was born Jan-
uary 4, 1852, on a farm near Bridge-End, in
Glamorganshire, Wales, about thirty miles from
the seaport of CardifiF. Upon that farm the Grif-
fith ancestry had resided for several generations.
The Griffith name was borne by several of the
valiant kings of ancient Wales and those who
now bear it have reason to be proud of their
lineage. His father, Griffith Morgan Griffith,
who was born in 1830, and his mother, whose
maiden name was Mary Jenkins Griffith and who
was born in 1831, are now enjoying a vigorous
old age in a comfortable home in Los Angeles.

Though born in Great Britain, at an early age
our subject came to America with an uncle. He
spent his boyhood in the state of Pennsylvania,
where, in the towns of Ashland and Danville,
he received the elements of an education which he
promptly put to good use. Striking out for an
independent career, he first went to Pittsburg
and entered the employ of the Columbus West
Carriage Company. From there he went to Phila-
delphia and formed a connection as press repre-

sentative with Mr. Bergner, of Bergner &. Engel,
president of the Pennsylvania Brewers' Associa-
tion. A year later, in 1873, with characteristic
enterprise, he came to the Pacific coast and en-
tered upon his true career in San Francisco.
There he joined the editorial staff of the then
leading daily commercial newspaper of the coast
region, the A//a California, and became the re-
porter of its mining department, at that time a
very important feature of San Francisco journal-
ism.

With indefatigable energy and native shrewd-
ness he gained an extensive knowledge of mines
and the special features of each mining region,
and presently became a recognized authority on
all matters pertaining to mining properties and
development. He made frequent expeditions into
the interior of California and adjoining states and
territories, in the double capacity of represent-
ative for his newspaper and professional expert
for mining sjmdicates. In the latter capacity
many large transactions have depended on his re-
ports of the character and value of mines in
various sections of California, Nevada, Arizona,
New Mexico and the republic of Mexico. In
1880 he became superintendent of a group of
fifteen mines in Prospect Mountain, Nevada. He
was also largely interested in mining properties
in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Having acquired a competency through a
judicious use of his opportunities in Mexico and
elsewhere, and having, in one of his southern
trips, become enamored of the delightful climate
and prospective development of Southern Cali-
fornia, Colonel Griffith in 1882 transferred some
of his interests to the then modest city of Los
Angeles, and made considerable investments in
landed property. That he was not mistaken in
his judgment of its future possibilities may be in-
ferred from the fact that he has seen the half-
Spanish town of twelve thousand inhabitants
grow with unexampled vigor to its present popu-
lation of one hundred and ten thousand within
the brief period of sixteen years. Among his ac-
quisitions was the purchase of the princely domain
known as the Rancho de los Feliz, embracing
rich alluvial bottoms bordering on the Los An-
geles river for a distance of five miles, and also
a valuable belt of the frostless Cahuenga foot-
hills. Those culminate in a bold peak eighteen

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

231

hundred feet in altitude, which command a mag-
nificent view of the surrounding country from
the Sierra Madre mountains to the Pacific coast.

Another valuable piece of propertj' controlled
by Colonel Griffith was the fine Briswalter tract,
which, at the time it was acquired, included an
orange grove, a walnut orchard, and a two hun-
dred-acre vineyard. It was located in the south-
ern section and adjacent to the growing portion
of the city, but is now traversed by well-paved
streets lined with rows of handsome houses and
beautiful homes. One of these streets, a broad,
well-built thoroughfare extending from Four-
teenth to Jefferson streets, a distance of one and
one-quarter miles, was named Griffith avenue,
in honor of Colonel Griffith, by the city authori-
ties.

January 27, 1887, Colonel Griffith married
Mary Agnes, the accomplished daughter of Louis
Mesmer, owner of the United States hotel. She
is a native of Los Angeles, to which city her par-
ents came from Alsace-Lorraine, then in France,
but now a part of the German empire. Colonel
and Mrs. Griffith have one son, Vandell Mowry
Griffith, who was born August 29, 1888.

Since coming to Los Angeles, Colonel Griffith
has allied himself with the best business and re-
form movements in the city. He was an officer in
the Citizens' League, which was organized to
secure honest administrations of the city and
county government. He has also been a director
in the Merchants' & Manufacturers' Association.
In 1897 he made a special trip to Washington,
D. C. , to urge upon congress a modification of
the tariff in the interests of the fruit-growers of
Southern California, and was instrumental in se-
curing the desired legislation. He had previously
been active in the formation of the Pioneer Fruit
Growers' Association, and in promoting the im-
portant citrus interests of the state.

He has taken a keen, intelligent and practical
interest in the construction of a railroad to Salt
Lake City, and in 1896, at the request of the
Merchants' & Manufacturers' Association, he
visited an important section of the proposed route
in the iron and coal districts of southern Utah,
and furnished an elaborate report of the rich
resources of the region to be traversed. This re-
port was extensively copied in the daily press.
During the rapid growth of Los Angeles in

recent years and the consequent enlargement of
the city limits, the subject of providing additional
parks to meet the future needs of a modern civil-
ized community has been considered and earnest-
ly discussed by those who have the welfare of
the city at heart. This was Colonel Griffith's
opportunity to serve the public and execute a
purpose, due to no sudden impulse or accidental
combination of circumstances, but which he had
cherished for years. He examined his great hold-
ings and from the extensive Los Feliz Rancho
carved out a tract embracing three thousand and
fifteen acres (nearly five square miles) of moun-
tain and valley, sloping hillside and sheltered
dale, rock and forest and stream, full of pic-
turesque beauty, and susceptible of wonderful
arborial and botanical development, and this
magnificent domain he presented to the city of
Los Angeles, to be forever devoted to the public
use of the people for park purposes. The gift
included a valuable water right, which greatly
enhanced the value of the donation.

The presentation was made in eloquent words
addressed by the donor to the city council in the
presence of many prominent citizens. It closed
with this characteristic statement of the philan-
thropic motive which animated the donor: "I
wish to make this gift while I am still in the full
vigor of life, that I may enjoy with my neighbors
its beauties and pleasures, and that I may bear
with me, when I cross the clouded river, the
pleasing knowledge of the fruition of a wish long
dear to me." In response, the mayor gratefully
accepted the gift in behalf of the city, and other
officials and representative citizens spoke of the
beneficial results that would follow to the present
and succeeding generations, and admonished the
city fathers that they had a grave duty to per-
form in providing for a wise administration of
the trust, and making the park, with its wealth
of natural attractions, easily accessible to the
common people.

The public tender of a park of three thousand
acres, as narrated above, took place in the city
hall December 17, 1896, and an official survey of
the tract was ordered by the council. This was
not completed until February, 1898, and on
March 5, of the same year, a popular assembly
crowded the council chamber to witness the for-
mal transfer of the title and deeds to the park.

!32

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

embracing an area of three thousand and fifteen
acres, from the donor to the cit}- of Los Angeles.
Eloquent speeches of congratulation were made
by Maj'or M. P. Snyder, Senator Stephen M.
White, Judge J. W. McKinley and other dis-
tinguished citizens. In recognition of the great
value of this gift, the Los Angeles Chamber
of Commerce made Colonel Griffith a life hon-
orary member, he being the first person upon
whom such a high honor was conferred by that
body.

The park is carved out of an old Mexican grant
which was prophetically called El Rancho de los
Feliz, "The Land of the Happy," and in gen-
erations to come it may be presumed that myriads
of people will spend happy hours among the
hills and valleys and shady groves of this great
natural park.

^HOMAS M. STEWART. No city in the
[ C west has a larger number of able attorneys
Vy than has Los Angeles, and in the entire list
perhaps none is more highly educated than the
subject of this article. While he had few ad-
vantages in youth save such as he made for him-
self, yet by perseverance and determination he
succeeded in acquiring a broad fund of knowledge
and laid broad and deep the foundation of his
subsequent career in the law. In his profession
he has made a specialty of constitutional and
corporation, in which he is more than ordinarily
successful. His powers of generalization and
analysis are good, his reasoning faculties excel-
lent and his mental processes logical and clear.
He is thus by nature fitted for the successful
prosecution of his chosen profes.sion.

In Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Stewart was born Au-
gust 27, 1847, the eldest of eight children com-
prising the family of Henry B. and Sarah
(Thomas) Stewart, natives of Pennsylvania. His
father was orphaned at seven years of age and
from that time made his own way in the world,
during most of his active years following the oc-
cupation of a contractor, although since 1876,
when he settled in California, he has given his
attention principally to fruit farming. The boy-
hood days of our subject were spent in various
cities, but principally in Dayton, Ohio, Rochester,
N. Y., and Philadelphia, Pa. While .still a lad
he went to Illinois, where he spent some years

on a farm. However, agriculture was not a con-
genial occupation and was used by him only as a
stepping stone to other work. In 1873 he was
graduated from Shurtleff College, an old-estab-
lished institution at Upper Alton, 111. After his
graduation he remained for several years in the
college as professor of mathematics, a chair for
which his fine mathematical ability admirably
qualified him. Meantime he took up the study
of theology and in 1876 completed the regular
course in Newton Theological College.

The first visit of Mr. Stewart to the Pacific
coast was in 1876, the year of his father's re-
moval west. He accepted a position in the Cali-
fornia College, where he held the chair for sev-
eral years. From 1881 to 1S84 he was acting
president of Ottawa (Kans.) University, after
which he was engaged in the practice of law in
Blackfoot, Idaho, until December, 1893. During
the latter part of those years he took a leading
part in prohibition work there. He was a promi-
nent member of the Prohibition partj' in the
state and was honored by his party by nomina-
tion for supreme judge; the party being largely
in the minority, he made the contest without
hope of success, but believing it to be his duty
to do all within his power to advance the cause
to which he was devoted. During the latter part
of 1893 he left Idaho and settled in Los Angeles,
where he has since carried on a general practice,
having his office at present in the Bradbury
block. In this city he stands among the best-
known men of his profession. His course as a
lawyer and as a citizen has been such as to com-
mend him to his associates. He has contributed
to the extension of religious movements, and
especially to the Baptist Church, with which he
is identified. As a Prohibitionist he worked for
the interest of a grand cause, believing that only
by personal sacrifice and party movement can the
growing evil of the liquor traffic be held in check,
and he furthermore thoroughly opposes the pres-
ent system of government revenues to be derived
from the sale of intoxicants.

The marriage of Mr. Stewart, in 1876, united
him with Miss Anna Burchsted, who was born
in St. Louis, the daughter of a seafaring man.
Their family is composed of three sons, Henry B.,
Arthur T. and Paul, the eldest of whom is a law
student in his father's office.

W. A. HARRIS

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

235

pCJlLL A. HARRIS. A fearlcs.s champion

\ A / of the right as he believes it; a man of deep
V V sound common-sense and strong convic-
tions founded upon thorough investigation and
stud}', a patriot worthy of the name, Will A.
Harris, of Los Angeles, is recognized as a power
in the legal profession, which he adorns, in the
field of politics, where he excels, and in all of the
varied relations of life. His career at the bar has
been one of the highest honor, and at no time
has he sacrificed his high standard of professional
ethics for the sake of the temporary advantage
which might be gained thereby.

Mr. Harris comes of stanch old Revolutionary
stock and his nativity occurred upon a fine old
southern plantation in Tennessee in the year
1854. His father, A. G. Harris, a citizen of high
standing in that state, espoused the cause of the
Confederacy, and during the Civil war rose from
the rank of first-lieutenant to the colonelcy of his
regiment, making a fine record for bravery and
gallant service.

As a student. Will A. Harris early manifested
unusual ability a nd by the time that he had reached
the age of nineteen years he not only obtained an
education in the Cumberland University at Leb-
anon, but also had been admitted to the bar.
He continued to engage in practice at Memphis
for about a year, laying the foundations of his
future success by earnest, indefatigable work in
the preparation of his cases and in pleading be-
fore the local courts. His health at that time
not being of the best, and, as he had a desire to
see something of the great and growing west, he
went to Texas and the Indian territory, where he
spent several months in the active, out-door life
of the frontier. He not only became robust in
body, but also more strong and fearless in deeds
of enterprise and daring, and this fine courage
has never left him. Indeed, only a few years
subsequently he imperiled his life in rescuing a
drowning youth of fifteen, who, in battling with
the surf on the seashore in San Diego county,
was being carried out by the strong under-tow.
For his gallantry on this occasion Mr. Harris was
awarded a firstcla.ss life-saving gold medal by
the United States government, the same being
accompanied by a glowing tribute from the pen
of the secretary of the treasury, Mr. Fairchild.

For eighteen years after his arrival in Califor-

nia Mr. Harris was busily engaged in the prac-
tice of law in San Bernardino, and in 1877 was
elected to the position of district attorney of his
county, in which office he served to the entire
satisfaction of all concerned. For the past seven
years he has been a resident of Los Angeles and
has built up a large and remunerative practice
among our representative citizens. His field of
endeavor has been larger than that of most law-
yers of the day, as he has not confined his talents
to any particular branch of professional work.
While for the most part he has devoted his time
to civil law, there have been a few notable excep-
tions, and he has proved his superior ability in
the criminal courts no less than in others. While
in San Bernardino, as previously mentioned, he
was the public prosecutor, and later he defended
those charged with crime, in a few notable in-
stances, winning fresh laurels for himself in
every case. He has given special attention to
the law as applied to mining property, and among
others conducted the famous Silver King case.
He was connected with the litigation growing out
of the first locations in Randsburg and is counsel
in the very important litigation growing out of
the recent discoveries of oil in California. In a
number of very important cases where the inter-
state commerce act was involved he displayed
remarkable knowledge of constitutional law, go-
ing to the very root of the subject.

Coming from one of the representative families
of the south, it is not strange that Mr. Harris
early imbibed the principles of Jefferson or that
he firmly adhered to the Democratic party so long
as he believed that it was sensible and consistent.
When, however, in convention assembled, in
1896, the majority declared themselves in favor
of "free silver" and Bryan, his independence of
thought asserted itself and he championed
"sound" money, as he always had done, believ-
ing that the financial policy which this nation
has thus far maintained is founded upon the basic
rock of well-tested, wise and beneficial principles.
Then (for the time demanded men of conviction
and powers of expressing the same) he went up-
on the rostrum and during the ensuing campaign
made no less than twenty-six forcible, eloquent
speeches. He was the first to deliver an address
upon the subject of sound money in Los Angeles,
and that he carried conviction to the minds of his

236

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

hearers cannot be doubted by any one who had
the pleasure of listening to his impressive argu-
ments. Many who had hesitated between the
allegiance which they desired to give to their
party, and the duty which they felt was due their
country, no longer wavered, but followed his ex-
ample and placed the welfare of their fair land
foremost.

After his settlement in San Bernardino Mr.
Harris made the acquaintance of Miss Nettie
Allen, a native of Ohio, and in the centennial
year they united their destinies. Their marriage
was blessed by the birth of two sons, now nearly
arrived at maturitj'.

QAMES miller GUINN, of Los Angeles
I City, was born near Houston, Shelby county,
Q) Ohio, November 27, 1834. His paternal
and maternal ancestors removed from Scotland
and settled in the north of Ireland in the latter
part of the seventeenth century. His father was
born near Enniskillen, in County Fermanagh,
and his mother, Eliza Miller, was born near Lon-
donderry. His father came to America in 1819,
and after ten years spent in the lumber business
in the province of New Brunswick he migrated to
Ohio, in 1830, and located on a tract of land
covered with a dense forest.

James M. Guinn spent his boyhood years in
assisting his father to clear a farm. The facili-
ties for obtaining an education in the backwoods
of Ohio fifty years ago were very meager. Three
months of each winter he attended school in a
little log schoolhouse. By studying in the even-
ings, after a hard day's work, he prepared him-
self for teaching; and at the age of eighteen be-
gan the career of a country pedagogue. For
two years he alternated teaching with farming.
Ambitious to obtain a better education, he en-
tered the preparatory department of Antioch Col-
lege, of which institution Horace Mann, the emi-
nent educator, was then president. In 1857 he
entered Oberlin College. He was entirely de-
pendent on his own resources for his college ex-
penses. By teaching during vacations, by man-
ual labor and the closest economy, he worked his
way through college and graduated with honors.
On the breaking out of the Civil war, in 1861,

he was among the very first to respond to Presi-
dent Lincoln's call for volunteers, enlisting April
19, 1861, four days after the fall of Fort Sumter.
He was a member of Company C, Seventh Regi-
ment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Later he enlisted
in the same regiment for three years. This
regiment was one of the first sent into West Vir-
ginia. He served through the West Virginia
campaign under McClellan and afterwards under
Rosecrans. The Seventh Regiment joined the
army of the Potomac in the fall of 1861, and took
part in all the great battles in which that army
was engaged up to and including the battle of
Gettysburg. In September, 1863, the regiment,
as part of the Twelfth Army Corps, was sent to
the west, and was engaged in the battles of
Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Ring-
gold. Its three years being ended, it was mus-
tered out the ist of June, 1864, in front of At-
lanta.

In August, 1861, while the Seventh Regiment
was guarding Carnifax Ferry, on the Gauley
river, it was attacked by three thousand Con-
federates under Floyd and Wise. After a des-
perate resistance it was forced to retreat, leaving
its dead and wounded on the field. On the
retreat the company of which Mr. Guinn was a
member fell into an ambush and nearly one-half
of those who escaped from the battlefield were
captured. Mr. Guinn, after a narrow escape
from capture, traveled for five days in the moun-
tains, subsisting on a few berries and leaves of
wintergreen. He finally reached the Union
forces at Gauley Bridge, almost starved. At the
battle of Cedar Mountain his regiment lost sixty-
six per cent, of those engaged — a percentage of
loss nearly twice as great as that of the Light
Brigade in its famous charge at Balaklava. Of
the twenty-three of Mr. Guinn's company who
went into the battle only six came out unhurt, he
being one of the fortunate six.

Of his military service, a history of the com-
pany written by one of his comrades after the
war, says: "Promoted to corporal November i,
1862; took part in the battles of Cross Lanes,
Winchester, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain,
second Bull Run, Antietam, Dumfries. * * *
On every march of the company till his dis-
charge."

After his discharge he was commissioned by

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

237

Governor Tod, of Ohio, captain in a new regi-
ment that was forming, but, his health having
been broken b}^ hard service and exposure, he
was compelled to decline the position.

In 1864 he came to California (by way of
Panama) for the benefit of his health. After
teaching school three months in Alameda county
he joined the gold rush to Idaho, packing his
blankets on his back and footing it from Umatilla,
Ore., to Boise Basin, a distance of three hundred
miles. For three years he followed gold mining
with varying success, sometimes striking it rich
and again dead broke. His health failing him
again, from the effects of his army service, he
returned to California in 1867; and in 1868
went east and took treatment for a number of
months in Dr. Jackson's famous water cure, at
Danville, N. Y. He returned to California in
1869, and in October of that year came to Los
Angeles. He found employment as principal of
the schools of Anaheim — a position he filled for
twelve consecutive years. He reached the town
with f 10; by investing his savings from his
salary in land, at the end of twelve years he sold
his landed possessions for $15,000. During
the greater portion of the time he was employed
in the Anaheim schools he was a member of the
county board of education. He helped to or-
ganize the first teachers' institute (October 31,
1870) ever organized in the county. In 1874 he
married MissD. C. Marquis, an assistant teacher.
To them three children have been born: Mabel
Elisabeth, Edna Marquis and Howard James.

In 1 88 1 Mr. Guinn was appointed superin-
tendent of the city schools of Los Angeles. He
filled the position of school superintendent for
two years. He then engaged in merchandising,
which he followed for three years. Selling out,
he engaged in the real estate and loan business,
safely passing through the boom. He filled the
position of a deputy county assessor for several
years.

Politically he has always been a stanch Re-
publican. He was secretary of a Republican
club before he was old enough to vote, and, ar-
riving at the voting age, he cast his first vote for
John C. Fremont, in 1856, and has had the

privilege of voting for every Republican nominee
for president. In 1873, when the county was
overwhelmingly Democratic, he was the Repub-
lican nominee for the assembly and came within
fifty-two votes of being elected. In 1875 he was
the nominee of the anti-monopoly wing of the
Republican party for state superintendent of
public instruction. For the sake of party har-
mony he withdrew just before the election in
favor of the late Prof. Ezra Carr, who was
triumphantly elected. He served a number of
years on the Republican county central com-
mittee, filling the position of secretary from 1884
to 1886.

Mr. Guinn took an active part in the organiza-
tion of the Historical Society of Southern Cali-
fornia, in 1883, and has filled every ofiice in the
gift of the society. He has contributed a num-
ber of valuable historical papers to magazines
and newspapers and has edited the Historical
Society's Annual for the past ten years. He is a
member of the American Historical Association
of Washington, D. C. , having the honor of being
the only representative of that association in
Southern California. While engaged in the pro-
fession of teaching he was a frequent contributor
to educational periodicals and ranked high as a
lecturer on educational subjects before teachers'
institutes and associations. He is a charter
member of Stanton Post No. 55, G. A. R.; also
a past post commander, and has discharged the
duties of post adjutant continuously for eight
years. In Southern California Lodge No. 191,
A. O. U. W., he has held the office of recorder
for fourteen years. When the Society of the
Pioneers of Los Angeles County was organized
he was one of the committee of three selected to
draft a form of organization and a constitution
and by-laws, and has filled the position of secre-
tary and that of a member of the board of
directors continuously since the society's organi-
zation.

Besides the historical portion of this volume,
he has written a brief history of California, and
is now engaged in collecting material for a more
extended work on California history.

'3»

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

NON. JOHN D. WORKS. With justice the
subject of this article is conceded to fill a
most important position among the prominent
professional men of Southern California. Al-
though he had but limited means when a young
man, and had no influence to aid him except his
own good name and his upright conduct, with
these, and bj^ indomitable perseverance and the
exercise of wise judgment he has steadilj- risen
until he now occupies a place of marked consid-
eration both on the bench and at the bar. Since
he came to the Pacific coast he has enjoj-ed unin-
terrupted success, and these years of his life have
been a fitting climax to his career as statesman
and attorney in Indiana. Until he came to Cali-
fornia in 1883 he made his home in Switzerland
county, Ind., where his father, James A. Works,
a Kentuckian by birth, was long a leading lawyer.
His mother, Phoebe (Dowue}-) Works, was a na-
tive of Indiana. He was born in Indiana in 1847.
When sixteen and one-half years old he enlisted
in the Tenth Indiana Cavalry, which he accom-
panied to the front, serving for more than two
years with the army of the Cumberland.

At the close of the war, receiving an honorable
discharge from the army, he returned home and
began to read law in the office of Hon. A. C.
Downey, a relative. The latter was for years
one of Indiana's most distinguished jurists. For
six years he served as a judge of the supreme
court of the state, and for sixteen years was a
judge of the circuit court, his last election as cir-
cuit judge being when seventy-four years of age.
It was under such a distinguished and able pre-
ceptor as Judge Downey that John D. Works
acquired his rudimentary knowledge of the law.
He enjoyed exceptional advantages, therefore,
for the acquiring of important professional knowl-
edge. He was admitted to the bar and engaged
in practice in Indiana, where he soon gained a
high reputation for his knowledge of the law.
His ability led to his selection as a member of the
state legislature, in which he served during the
.session of 1879.

During his residence in Indiana Judge Works
wrote two law works. One of these, treating of
the practice in that state, was issued in three
volumes.

On changing his residence from Indiana to
California Judge Works opened a law office in

San Diego. He soon became prominent in that
city. In 1886 the governor of the state, on the
petition of the bar, appointed him superior judge
of San Diego county, and at the next election
he was chosen for the same office without opposi-
tion. His appointment was a tribute, to his
ability, for he possessed stanch Republican prin-
ciples, yet the appointment came from a Demo-
cratic governor. After one year of ser^'ice as
superior judge he resigned and entered into law
practice in San Diego with Hon. Olin Wellborn,
now judge of the United States district court at
Los Angeles. A year later he was appointed a
justice of the supreme court of California, to
serve until the ensuing election. At the election
following he was chosen to serve as a supreme
court justice to fill the unexpired term of Judge
McKinstry, which ofiice he filled with the same
dignity and impartiality noticeable in his every
act, public or private. When the term expired
he declined to be a candidate for re-election, and
returned to San Diego, taking up the practice of
law with Hon. James A. Gibson and Harry L.
Titus, under the firm name of Works, Gibson &
Titus. He made a specialty of the law relative
to water rights and water companies; few attor-
neys in the state are more familiar than he with
this most important branch of the profession. He
is now and has been for years attorney for the
San Diego Water Company, and acts in the same
capacity for the San Diego Flume Company and
the San Diego Land and Town Company. In
1896 he removed from San Diego to Los Angeles,
his present home, but he still retains his office in
San Diego, where his son represents the firm of
Works & Works. In Los Angeles he is at the
head of the firm of Works & Lee, which has in
the Henne block one of the finest office suites in
the city and also owns a very exhaustive and val-
uable law library . Besides his connection with
other matters of law he acts as attorney for the
Consolidated Water Company, which was organ-
ized under the laws of West A'irginia and carries
on business in San Diego. Socially he is a mem-
ber of the California Club.

In 1868 Judge Works married Miss Alice Banta,
of Indiana. They have two sons and four daugh-
ters, namely: Lewis R. , member of the law firm
of Works & Works, of San Diego; Thomas L.,
who gives his attention to ranching; Ida E., wife

Photo by Marceau

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

241

of Herman S. Darling, of Los Angeles; Laura,
Ethel and Isabel.

Summing up the life of Judge Works, it may
be said that he is one of the best known attorneys
of Southern California. The people have more
than once signified their appreciation of his abil-
ity by electing him to one of the most important
offices in the state. Though he is a Republican,
his supporters as an official were almost as nu-
merous among Democrats as among his own
party; all united in giving him the respect that
was his due. The wisdom of his selection to
serve on the bench was vindicated by his honor-
able service in that capacity. He was known
not only for his legal erudition, but also for his
impartial spirit and his ability to penetrate the
inmost recesses of subjects submitted for his de-
cision.

pQlLLIAM HAYES PERRY was born
\ A/ October 17, 1832, near Newark, Ohio,
YV where he spent his boyhood. In 1853,
partly on account of his health, he started for
California overland with Colonel Hollister, of
Santa Barbara, who crossed the plains that year
with stock, sheep, cattle and horses. The party,
which comprised about fifty men and five ladies,
crossed the Missouri river at Bennett's ferry,
south of Council Bluffs. Much annoyed by In-
dians on the way the party at length reached
California, having made the journey via Salt
Lake City, thence south via San Bernardino to
Los Angeles, arriving in Los Angeles in Feb-
ruary, 1854.

Mr. Perry tells an amusing story of his first
arrival in Los Angeles. Like so many others,
before and since, at the end of his long overland
journey he arrived here worn out, dead broke,
and very nearly naked. The first thing he did
was to try and get a suit of clothes on credit,
which required considerable cheek. He made
his way into a store and told his story to the
proprietor, who was an entire stranger, and
asked to be trusted until he could earn enough
money to pay for the cheapest suit of clothes he
had in the store. Notwithstanding his ragged
appearance, the proprietor of the store seemed to
be favorably impressed, and not only offered to
trust him for a plain working suit, but also in-

sisted that he take a second and better suit to
wear to church and other places requiring him to
dress well, allowing him his own time to pay for
them both. Mr. Perry says he felt so grateful
for his kindness to him that he could never fully
repay the kindly act of one who befriended him
when destitute, and "when naked, clothed him."
Having finished his apprenticeship in cabinet-
making and turning before leaving the east, Mr.
Perry engaged in this business on his arrival in
Los Angeles. Although a mere boy, he took
hold with an ambition and will ts accomplish all
that industry, economy and perseverance could
bring him in that business, and in less than one
year from the time of his arrival opened the first
furniture store in Los Angeles. With the articles
of his own manufacture, and with shipments he
made from San Francisco, he kept a full and
complete assortment, and held the trade solidly,
having no competitor for four years. In 1846 he
took in, as a partner, Mr. Brady, whom Wallace
Woodworth bought out in 1858. With the latter
he continued in business for twenty-five years, or
until Mr. Woodworth's death in 1883, the name
of the firm being Perry & Woodworth. In 1873
they changed from the furniture and cabinet
business to dealing in lumber, mouldings, doors,
sash, blinds, builders' hardware and finishing
supplies of all kinds. They bought and built on
the property now occupied by the business, ex-
tending through from Commercial street to Re-
quena street, and on the south side of Requena
street, building a branch of the Southern Pacific
Railroad through the property, so as to avail
themselves of railroad facilities in handling lum-
ber, etc. After Mr. Woodworth's death Mr.
Perry incorporated his business, and it is now
known as the W. H. Perry Lumber and Mill
Company. It does an immense business; has
been selling from 30,000,000 to 80,000,000 feet
of lumber per annum. It has been the ambition
of Mr. Perry to take the lumber from the tree in
northern forests, manufacture it in his own mills
in the forest where it grew, ship it on his own
vessels over his own wharves, and deliver it to
the consumer here in Southern California, thus
enabling his company to defy all competitors.
This ambition has been realized, his company
owning their own timber lands, their own saw-
mills, their own vessels, their own wharves and

242

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

their own yards throughout the countrj- for dis-
tribution and sale. And, as a result, their profits
have been verj- large.

Mr. Perrj' and associates organized the Los
Angeles and Humbolt Lumber Company at San
Pedro, carrying there a stock to supply the
Arizona and foreign trade. He organized the
Pioneer Lumber and Mill Company at Colton, to
supply the territory east of Los Angeles county,
and also organized the Los Angeles Storage, Com-
mission and Lumber Company. This company,
in addition to lumber, carried lime, plaster,
cement, fire-brick, etc., to supply the market.

In 1865 Mr. Perry obtained a franchise from
Los Angeles City to.light the city with gas. He
organized the Los Angeles Gas Company, hold-
ing the position of president and manager for five
years, and sold the works, at a handsome ad-
vance above cost, to its present owners.

Mr. Perry bought, set up and ran the first
steam engine brought to Los Angeles. In 1879
he was elected director, president and manager of
the Los Angeles City Water Company, which
was heavilj' involved, and b}- introducing system,
economy and efficiency, he put it on a dividend-
paying basis, and it has ever since been retained
in that position by its stockholders.

Mr. Perry owns much of the most valuable
real estate in this city, and is interested in steam-
ers and sail vessels plying on this coast. He
is a stockholder in the Nevada Bank and Union
Trust Company of San Francisco, and stock-
holder and director in the Farmers and Mer-
chants' Bank of Los Angeles; president of the
W. H. Perry Lumber and Mill Company, presi-
dent of the Pioneer Lumber and Mill Company,
president of the Los Angeles City Water Com-
pany, president of the Crystal Springs Water
Company, president of the Southern California
Pipe and Clay Company, president of the Bard
Oil and Asphalt Company, director in the Olinda
Crude Oil Company, director in the Reed Oil
Company, stockholder in the Slocan Oil Com-
pany, stockholder in the Union Oil Company,
stockholder in the Keru Oil Company and many
other corporations. As will be seen by the fore-
going, Mr. Perry is a very busy man; in fact, is
one of the most enterprising, far-.seeing and suc-
cessful busine.ss men on the Pacific coast. His
keen insight enables him to forecast with sur-

prising accuracy what enterprises will be profit-
able and what will not, and it is a remarkable
fact that he seldom associated himself with any
business that has not been a great financial suc-
cess.

In 1858 Mr. Perry married Miss Elizabeth M.
Dalton, of this city. They have three children
living, viz.: Mrs. C. M. Wood, Charles Fred-
erick, and Mrs. E. P. Johnson, Jr. The two
daughters are fine musicians. Mrs. Wood, the
elder, received her musical education and gradu-
ated from the Conservatory of Milan, where she
was a special pupil of the celebrated master, san
Giovanni, and where she made a most successful
debut as prima donna in an engagement of seven-
teen successive nights. Mr. Perry has sur-
rounded his family with all the comforts of life.
His house is ever open to visiting friends, who
are received with great warmth and welcome by
himself and family.

HON. WILLIAxM A. CHENEY. Through-
out a career that has been conspicuous and
honorable Judge Cheney has merited and
received the respect of associates and acquaint-
ances. His position at the bar of Los Angeles is
deservedly high. He is the senior member of the
law firm of Cheney & Taylor, with ofiBces in the
Stimson block, where he has a complete and val-
uable law library. Since he came to California
he has won (without an}- of those factitious cir-
cumstances that sometimes usher a man into
public notice) a high reputation as lawyer, jurist
and statesman; he has assisted in the making of
the laws of our state; has pronounced sentence
upon the violators of the law; has urged before
jury and judge the vindication of the majesty of
the law; and has zealously advocated the prin-
ciples of his chosen party from the stump during
important campaigns. As a corporation lawyer
his ability is widely recognized , and he has been
retained as legal adviser by numerous large cor-
porations, notably the Los Angeles Electric Com-
pany and the Los Angeles Lighting Company.

Both the paternal and the maternal ancestors
of Judge Cheney settled in Massachusetts with
the Puritans. Subsequent generations lived and
died in the old Bay state. His parents, B. F.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

243

and Martha (Whitney) Cheney, were natives of
that state, and the former engaged in the mer-
cantile business in Boston for years. There were
six children in the family, but only three are now
living. William A. was born in Boston in 1848
and received his education in public schools and
the Massachusetts Academy. He had fitted for
the sophomore class in college, when ill health
obliged him to leave, but he subsequently com-
pleted his course by personal study. His first
visit to California was in 1867. Six years later
he returned to this state, where he has since
made his home. In 1877 he was elected county
judge of Plumas county. Three years later,
upon the adoption of the new constitution, he
was elected to the state senate by the counties of
Butte, Plumas and Lassen. He entered upon his
duties as state senator with vigor and earnestness,
and was recognized as one of the leading Republi-
cans of the region. Frequently he spoke in the
party's interests at times of elections and during
important campaigns. While practicing in Sac-
ramento, he was for a time a partner of Creed
Haymond, who later became general solicitor for
the Southern Pacific Railroad . Thereupon Judge
Cheney came to Los Angeles and formed a part-
nership with Gen. J. H. Mansfield. Shortly
afterward he was made a member of the school
board of this city, an office that he filled with
credit, materially promoting the welfare of the
schools and taking a warm and constant interest
in their progress. In 1884 he was elected to the
superior bench of Los Angeles county. The
same methods of thoroughness and sagacity that
had brought him success as a lawyer contributed
to his success as a jurist. He remained on the
bench until 1891, when he resumed a general law
practice. The same diligence in study that
characterized him when a youth is very notice-
able in his discharge of professional duties. A
student in boyhood, he has remained a student
through his active career. Every development
in his profession, every change in the law, muni-
cipal or general, is carefully studied by him, and
its merits or demerits thoroughly grasped. Hence
he has been a "growing" lawyer, one who keeps
pace with the advance of his profession and who
is thoroughly versed in every department of juris-
prudence. His attention has been so closelj-
given to professional and official duties that he

has had little leisure for the social amenities of
life or for active participation in the work of the
fraternities, although he holds membership in the
Masonic Order and the Ancient Order of United
Workmen.

The home of Judge Cheney is at No. 1046
South Hill street. His wife, a daughter of
Franklin Skinner, of New Haven, Conn., is a
lady of superior literary attainments and the
author of a number of books. They have one
son, Harvey D. Cheney, now an attorney in Los
Angeles.

EAPT. GILBERT EDMOND OVERTON.
Both in civic and in military life Captain
Overton has wielded a potent and lasting
influence. He was born in New York City,
March 18, 1845, a son of Gilbert Davis and
Julia Frances (Westcott) Overton, and a descend-
ant of a long line of sturdy and resolute Britons.
On his father's side he traces his ancestry back
eight generations, to 1695, when his family
settled in Southold, N. Y.; while his first known
maternal ancestor was Stukeley Westcote, of the
county of Devon, England, born in 1582. Both
the Westcotts and the Overtons served the coun-
try during the Revolutionary war. Maltiah
Overton, the captain's grandfather, was born in
New London, Conn., July 31, 1776, and for
years was captain of a ship sailing from Southold,
Long Island. December 30, 1799, he married
Lucretia Davis, who was born March 30, 1780,
and died August 26, 1836. He survived hex
only a few years, dying November i, 1839.

The entire life of Gilbert Davis Overton was
passed in Southold and New York City. He
was born in the former town July 12, 1812, and
died in the latter city July 30, 1849. He had
married Miss Westcott, who was born at Provi-
dence, R. I., October 5, 1816, and died at sea
near St. lago de Cuba June 19, 1866. She was
a daughter of Esbon Westcott, a ship builder,
who was born June 22, 1783, and died in New
York City July 15, 1849. He was twice married :
first at Providence, R. I., October 2, 1808, to
Amy Babbitt, who died in the same city August
18, 1812; and second, at Providence, R. I., July
4, 1813, to Pha,be Folger, who died at Yonkers,
N. Y., November 24, 1869.

244

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

Educated in the schools of New York City and
the North Salem Academy, the subject of this
article was a youth of sixteen when the Civil war
broke out, and, fired with the enthusiasm of
youth, he determined to offer his services to his
country. September 26, 1861, he was commis-
sioned a second lieutenant of the Fourth New
York Cavalry. After faithful service he was
honorably discharged from the volunteer service
as adjutant of the Twelfth New York Cavalry, in
the field, July 19, 1865, at the close of the Civil
war. On the 2nd of October, 1867, he was ap-
pointed a second lieutenant of the Sixth United
States (Regular) Cavalry. He was retired from
active service as captain in the regular army
February 24, 1891, his retirement being on ac-
count of physical disability contracted in the line
of duty. In 1865 he was breveted major, New
York state troops, for distinguished service in the
Civil war. February 27, 1890, he was breveted
captain in the regular army for gallant services in
leading a cavalry charge in the action against
the Indians on McLellan's creek in Texas, No-
vember 8, 1874. In every position during his
long military career he bore himself with becom-
ing dignity, and was faithful to the best govern-
ment on earth. By nature, as well as by his long
years of experience, he was well fitted to dis-
charge with ability the responsible duties of an
officer in the regular army, being resolute, brave
and determined, and at the same time having a
large fund of sound judgment and common
sense.

The marriage of Captain Overton took place at
Detroit, Mich., February 20, 1873, and united
him with Jane Dyson Watkins, of Detroit, Mich.
They are the parents of the following-named
children: Gwendolen, who was born at the
United States military post at Fort Hays, Kans.,
February 19, 1874; Carleton, who was born at
Detroit, Mich., September 14, 1876, and who
died in that city November 18, 1876; and
Eugene, who was born at the United States mili-
tary post of Fort Grant, Ariz., May 11, 1880.

Mrs. Overton was born in Detroit, Mich., Au-
gust ID, 1S49, a daughter of Leonard Bissell and
Anna (Jackson) Watkins. Her father was born
in Torringford, Conn., June 21, 1823, and died
at Detroit, Mich., December 7, 1855. Her

mother was born in Detroit, April 20, 1827, and
died at Fort Adams, R. I., August 8, 1892; she
was a daughter of Charles and Ann (Dodomead)
Jackson, the former born in Roxburj-, Mass.,
January 8, 1793, and the latter a native of De-
troit, Mich. Ann Dodomead was a daughter of
John Dodomead, an ensign in the British army
prior to 1780, and after that an American citizen.
He married Jane Murray, of Philadelphia, whose
mother bore the name of Catherine Stout, and
descended from Richard Stout and Penelope Von
Princes. Richard Stout lived at Middletown,
Conn., after 1648, and was a son of John Stout,
of Nottinghamshire, England. The father of
Leonard Bissell Watkins was John Watkins, who
was born in Hamilton, Conn., November 6, 1800,
and died at Geneva, III., in 1863. He married
Nancy Bissell, who was born at Torringford,
Conn., December 22, 1799, and died at Detroit,
Mich., in 1853.

A great-grandfather of Mrs. Overton, Amasa
Soper, was a captain in the Revolutionary war.
Her great-great-grandfather served in the Revo-
lutionary war as a British officer. Her grand-
mother, as the wife of Captain Dyson of the United
States regular army (her first husband) , refused to
give to General Hull a sheet or tablecloth which he
demanded to run up as a flag of surrender to the
British of Detroit, Mich., whereupon he (General
Hull) threw the dishes from the breakfast table
and carried off the, tablecloth, which he used to
announce to the British the cessation of hostili-
ties. Some of the silverware thrown from that
table by the general in his haste is now in Cap-
tain Overton's possession.

Captain Overton and his family spent the
years of 1889-91 in Europe, and, upon his retire-
ment from active service in the army, resided in
Washington, D. C, for a year, coming from there
to Los Angeles. In July, 1893, he engaged in
the fire insurance business as special agent and
adjuster of losses. He is a man of strong char-
acter, fitted to be a leader of men. In politics he
adheres to the Republican jiarty, and in Septem-
ber, 1896, served as chairman of its county con-
vention at Los Angeles, Cal. He and his family
are members of the Episcopal Church. Captain
Overton is a member of the Military Order of
Loyal Legion, and is a Mason.

'PW^fM"

^^ V

||||H

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

247

HON. FRED EATON. In presenting to the
readers of this volume the biography of Mr.
Eaton, we are perpetuating the life record
of one of the most influential native-born sons of
Los Angeles, and one who has occupied the most
prominent positions in the gift of his fellow-citi-
zens. Nor has his success been merelj' that of
gaining" prominence among others, but he has also
been successful in promoting the welfare of the
city and advancing the progress of her people.
Indeed, few have done more than he to develop
her resources, and the character of his work is
such that succeeding generations will have reason
to revert to his career with gratitude.

The most responsible positions which Mr. Eaton
has held are those of city engineer and mayor. In
both he has accomplished much for the city's ad-
vancement. Believing that a public office is a
public trust, he has devoted his attention to the
faithful discharge of his duties, and his practical
industry, wisely and vigorously applied, has not
failed of official success. Both in official and pri-
vate business transactions he has always been
systematic and methodical, qualities which are
essential factors in the conduct of an important
office The services which he rendered the people
as city engineer, and which he is now rendering
as mayor, entitle him to rank as one of the most
distinguished men of Los Angeles.

In 1850 Benjamin S. and Helen (Hayes) Eaton,
natives respectively of Connecticut and Maryland,
became pioneers of Los Angeles County, which
was then sparsely inhabited, bearing but few indi-
cations of its future greatness. Mr. Eaton was a
lawyer by profession, and served as one of the first
district attorneys here. He assisted in the found-
ing of the Pasadena colony, of which he was
president for several years, and through whose
efforts was established what is now one of the
most beautiful cities in the world. He was fond
of hDrticulture, and experimented considerably
in endeavoring to ascertain the fruits to which
this soil and climate were best adapted. He
planted a vineyard near Pasadena, and was the
first to demonstrate the success of vine culture in
Southern California without artificial irrigation,
his expsriment, therefore, being of great value to
this part of the state.

Five years after the family settled in Los Ange-
les County the subject of this article was born.
15

At an early age he showed a decided talent for
engineering,' and when fifteen began to acquire a
practical knowledge of it, working with the Los
Angeles Water Company . His advancement was
rapid, and at twenty he was superintending engi-
neer for the company, which position he filled for
nine years. The first official position he held was
that of city engineer, to which he was first elected
in 1886 for a term of two years. During this
term he originated the plan of the great sewer
system of Los Angeles, which was adopted, after
the unqualified approval of the most distinguished
sanitary engineers of America, among them being
Rudolph Herring, consulting sanitary engineer
of New York City, and the representative of the
government in the study of the sewage systems of
large European cities. This gentleman came to
Los Angeles, at the invitation of the city council,
and examined Mr. Eaton's plan of sewage, which
he endorsed as one of the most perfect in the coun-
try. In January, 1888, Mr. Eaton was again
elected city engineer by a large majority, which
gave him an opportunity to put into practical
operation his proposed system. The success with
which he met gave him at once a place among the
leading men of the city, while at the same time it
established his reputation as an engineer. In
. 1890 he was appointed chief engineer of the Los
Angeles Consolidated Electric Company, which,
under his direction, built the Los Angeles Rail-
way Company's system. In 1898 he was honored
by election to the mayor's office, after having
been nominated by acclamation. This position
he now fills, showing in it the same intelligence
and public spirit noticeable in his previous official
service.

When nineteen years of age Mr. Eaton married
Miss Helen Burdick, of Los Angeles, member of
one of the leading families of the city. Mrs.
Eaton and her mother are the owners of the Bur-
dick block. No. 129 West Second street, one of
the most substantial office buildings in the citj-.

His energy is one of the most conspicuous traits
in Mr. Eaton's character. He is quick to perceive
an emergency, and equally quick to devise means
of meeting it, and this trait may be seen both in
his conduct of private affairs and municipal mat-
ters. To this quality, combined with his large
executive ability, is due his success in the under-
takings with which his name is associated. Clear-

248

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ness of perception and soundness of judgment
may be noticed in his official acts. He possesses
true public spirit, and uses his influence to en-
hance the best interests of the city, promoting all
worthy movements for its development and prog-
ress. It is the united testimony of the people
that his course has been such as to reflect credit
upon the citizenship of Los Angeles.

HORACE M. DOBBINS, president of the
board of trustees of Pasadena, is one of
those progressive men to whose business
ability and great enterprise Pasadena owes its
high standing among the cities of the Pacific
coast. Though scarcely yet in the prime of life,
he has achieved a success notable in character
and typical, undoubtedly, of what the future
holds for him. His name is connected with many
of the enterprises that have aided in the develop-
ment of his home city and have caused it to be-
come a favorite with tourists from the east.

The enterprise with which his name is most
intimately associated is a novel and original
project, of which he was the instigator and has
since been the principal promoter. As president
of the California Cycleway Company, it is his
aim to build an elevated cycleway extending a
distance of almost nine miles, from Hotel Green
in Pasadena to the Plaza in Los Aftgeles. The
company was organized and incorporated in 1897
with Mr. Dobbins as president; Hon. H. H.
Markham, ex-governor of California, vice-presi-
dent; Walter R. Stephenson, secretary; and E. H.
May, treasurer. On the completion of the road
it will be used by bicycles, tricycles and all horse-
less vehicles, which will have for their transit a
cycleway twenty feet wide, without grade cross-
ings, and with an average grade of one-half per
cent. One and one-half miles of the road have
been constructed at the Pasadena terminus, the
grading on the entire line' is completed, and the
lumber is now on the ground for the next three
miles of construction.

While necessarily the management of this im-
mense undertaking requires very close attention
on the part of Mr. Dobbius, it does not repre.sent
the limit of his activities. He is vice-president
of the El Cajon Valley Company in San Diego
county, Cal. For two years he was president of

the Pasadena board of health and is now president
of the Pasadena Hospital Association. He is a
member both of the Pasadena board of trade and
the Los Angeles chamber of commerce, and is
actively connected with the Pasadena Tourna-
ment of Roses Association. Shortly after he
came to Pasadena he was elected a member of
the city board of trustees, of which he was chosen
president, April 16, 1900, having, as the in-
cumbent of this position, all the responsibilities
and duties connected with the office of mayor.
Strong in his sympathies with the Republican
party, he has been an active factor in the local
work of the party and for three terms has held
oflSce as president of the Americus Club of
Pasadena, which is one of the largest Repub-
lican clubs in Southern California. He is a mem-
ber of the Pasadena Country Club and also the
Cumberland Club of Portland, Me.

Mr. Dobbins was born in Philadelphia, Pa.,
August 29, 1868, a son of Richard J. and Caro-
Ifne W. Dobbins, natives respectively of Mount
Holly, N. J., and Washington, D. C. His fa-
ther, who was a successful builder, was given the
contracts for the erection of the larger number of
the official buildings at the Centennial of 1876.
He invested in property in Philadelphia and
also in New Jersey. In 1892 he came to
Pasadena, where he died in January of the fol-
lowing year. He is survived by his widow and
the following children: William E- and Richard
P., of Philadelphia; Lillian H., of Pasadena;
Horace M.; and Florence D., wife of Thaddeus
Lowe, of Pasadena. The Dobbins family is of
English extraction.

The education of Mr. Dobbins was acquired
principally in Cheltenham Military Academy.
In 1886 he left school to travel with his father,
who had a short time before suffered from a stroke
of paralysis. It was for this reason that father and
son spent the winters from 1S86 to 1890 at the
Raymond Hotel, in Pasadena. In July, 1890,
our subject went to Portland, Me., and embarked
in the packing of canned goods with Horace F.
Webb as a partner, the firm name being H. F.
Webb & Co. In 1893 the H. F. Webb Company
was incorporated. In the fall of 1894 Mr. Dob-
bins established his home permanently in Cali-
fornia, going first to San Diego, but after a year
removing to Pasadena, where he now resides at

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

249

No. 1204 Orange Grove avenue. His marriage,
March 23, 1892, united him with Miss Frances
Gove, daughter of Charles G. Gove, of Cincin-
nati, Ohio. They are the parents of two daugh-
ters, Dorothy and Marjorie.

(lOHN W. WOOD. To many residents of
I California Mr. Wood is best known as the
(2) writer of short stories, sketches and poetry
that appear from time to time in well-known pa-
pers and magazines. To others he is known
chiefly through his service as a member of the Cal-
ifornia State Board of Pharmacy, with which he
was connected for six years. However, to the peo-
ple of Pasadena he is best known as their efficient
and popular postmaster. He was appointed to
this ofiSce January 17, 1900, and took charge of
the same on the ist of March following, since
which time his attention has been closely given
to an intelligent and able supervision of every
department of the work. The appointment came
to him from President McKinley, of whose policy
as executive he has been a stalwart champion.

Mr. Wood was born in Wilmington, Del.,
March i, 1S51. Both of his parents were of
Scottish birth and ancestry. His father. Dr.
John Wood, was a pharmacist, and also served
as postmaster of a suburb of Wilmington. When
he was a boy our subject attended the grammar
schools of Wilmington, and also studied in the
high school for a time. From an early age he
was familiar with the drug business, having
acted as an assistant to his father. He deter-
mined to take a complete course in pharmacy
and turn his attention to the business of a drug-
gist. In 1871 he graduated from the Philadel-
phia College of Pharmacy and afterward went to
New York City, where he was employed as a
pharmacist for four years. From there he came
to California, and for a short time clerked in San
Francisco. Later, for three and one-half years, he
engaged in the drug business at San Jose. In
1883 he came to Pasadena, where he has since
made his home, engaging in the drug business,
and taking part in many of the city's activities.
For two years he served as a school trustee of
Pasadena, and at this writing he is a trustee of
the public library. Resides his other interests.

he was for three years editor and proprietor of the
Pasadena Valley Union. Fraternally he is con-
nected with Corona Lodge, F. & A. M.

In 1877 M^- Wood married Georgeanna,
daughter of James Newlin, of Chester county,
Pa. They have a son, Clifford H.., now a stu-
dent in the state university of California at
Berkeley.

ITLLIOTT HINMAN. As president of the
Ke) board of trustees of Pomona, Mr. Hinman
L occupies a position affording especial oppor-
tunities for a man of broad views and progressive
spirit. That he has availed himself of these op-
portunities is known to every citizen of his town.
In April, 1896, he was elected a member of the
board for four years, and in January, 1899, be-
came president, which position he has since filled
with characteristic ability. Though he has for
some years been active and potent in political
affairs, he has never sought office for himself, and
his election to his present position was a tribute
to his recognized ability.

It is thought that the Hinman family originated
in England. Mr. Hinman was born in Henry
county, 111., August 31, 1853, a son of R. N. and
Elizabeth (Miller) Hinman, natives of Connec-
ticut. His father settled in Illinois in early man-
hood and engaged in farming in Henry county,
where for a number of years he served as super-
visor of Osco township and secretary of the
Henry County Agricultural Society. He is now
living retired in Cambridge, that state. The
schools of Cambridge afforded our subject fair
advantages, and the information there acquired
was supplemented by practical experience in after
years. On reaching his majority he became in-
terested in a retail lumber business at Cambridge.
Beginning on a small scale, he gradually' in-
creased the business and enlarged his trade until
he was one of the most substantial business men
of the town. F-or twenty years he carried on a
lumber business, and during the last four years
of the time he also engaged in buying and ship-
ping grain. While in Cambridge he was a mem-
ber of the board of village trustees for some years,
and a stockholder and director in the First Na-
tional and the Farmers' National Bank, in both
of which he is still a stockholder.

In 1S7S Mr. Hinman married Miss Nora A.

250

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Noliud, of Muscatine, Iowa. Their family con-
sists of three children: Fannie E., Susie S. and
Harry H.

The responsibilities connected with the man-
agement of a large business and the injurious ef-
fects of a changeable climate finally began to tell
on Mr. Hinman's health. Feeling the imperative
necessity of a radical change, he decided to dis-
pose of his business interests in Illinois and settle
in California. It was in this way that he became
a resident of Pomona in 1893. His decision in
making the change of location he has never had
cause to regret. Subsequent events have proved
the wisdom of his course. In March, 1899, he
embarked in the feed and fuel business, which he
has since conducted. He is connected with the
Masonic Order in Pomona, the Odd Fellows'
lodge in Cambridge, 111., and the Eastern Star
and Rebekahs of Pomona. Mrs. Hinman has
taken an active interest in the Eastern Star and
Rebekah lodges in Pomona, and has served as
worthy matron of the former and noble grand in
the latter organization.

pCJ ALTER F. HAAS. Occupying a uote-
\ A / worthy position among the many able
Y V attorneys now resident in Los Angeles is
the gentleman whose name introduces this arti-
cle, and who is the incumbent of the city attor-
ney's office. During the years of his active pro-
fessional career he has made a reputation for
himself as a man thoroughly familiar with the
intricacies of the law, and able, by his keen, in-
tellectual faculties, to trace legal processes in
logical sequence from cause to effect. In the
position he now holds he has had considerable
professional work of a most important character,
and to his credit it may be stated that every duty
connected with the office has been discharged
promptly, efficiently and intelligently. His con-
nection with the local leaders of the Republican
party has been intimate and his devotion to the
party principles unquestioned. Early trained by
his father, an ardent Republican, to a familiar
knowledge of the party's platform and doctrines,
he has from an early age been well grounded in
his knowledge of politics, and has at the same
time been unwavering in his zealous advocacy of
his chosen organization. As president of the Sixth

District Republican League, and as its vice-
president for Southern California, he has formed
a wide acquaintance among his party co-laborers
in this section of the state. At the time of the
Republican city convention of 1898 it was felt
that his nomination as city attorney was but a de-
served compliment to his labors in the party's
behalf. He accepted the nomination, and threw
all his energies into the campaign. Although
his opponent was one of the strongest Democrats
in the city, Hon. C. C. Wright, he had the satis-
faction, by his personal effi^rts, and the influence
of his known character for honor and ability, to
gain the election by a majority of fourteen hun-
dred and fifty-six votes.

As indicated by the name, the Haas family is of
German origin. The father of our subject, John
B. Haas, came to this country from Germany in
1845 and engaged in mercantile pursuits in St.
Louis for some years. In 1853 ^i^ traveled by
ox-team across the plains, via Salt Lake City, to
Eldorado county, Cal., where he began mining
and merchandising. During the following years
he met with his share of success and adversity, of
luck and disaster. In 1868 he returned to St.
Louis via the Isthmus of Panama. On his return
he married Miss Lena Bruere, of St. Charles,
Mo., and they settled in California, Mo., where
their son, Walter F., was born in 1869. Mr.
Haas carried on a large and prosperous mercan-
tile business in that town for some years. He
also became prominent in public afifairs, and
served efficiently as a member of the Missouri
Legislature during the governorship of Hon.
Gratz Brown. In iSS4he brought his family to
California, the journey this time being made in a
very different style from his trip twenty years be-
fore. Much of the time since his settlement in this
state he has been interested in the evaporating of
fruit. He has also been a regular correspondent
for eastern newspapers. His home is in Los An-
geles, where he takes an active interest in the
city's affairs, and is a member, fraternally, of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen.

At the time of coming to California Walter F".
Haas was fifteen years of age. He attended the
high school in Los Angeles, completing the
course in 1889. He then began the study of law
in the office of Houghton, Silent & Campbell,
and continued his readings until he was admitted

C^^^^^^^^-^-^^^-^'-'^'S^^^^O

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to practice before the supreme court of the state
in 1S91. From that time he has been engaged in
a general practice. He has always been a close
student of his profession, not ceasing to study
when he was admitted to the bar, but striving
continually to inciease his store of professional
knowledge, in order that he may attain the high
place among his fellow-attorneys to which his
talents entitle him.

HERMAN W. HELLMAN. The beautiful
city of Los Angeles is distinguished not
only for her superb climate, picturesque
location, extensive horticultural and agricultural
resources and her mineral wealth, but also for
her resolute and aggressive men of business,
whose broad intelligence and enterprise have
developed these forces. It matters very little to
what extent a city may be so endowed; she must
also be reinforced by a financial system, a
monetary organism, so intelligently and vigor-
ouslj' managed as to withstand the vicissitudes
that are inevitable in the development of new
American cities of such phenomenal growth as
Los Angeles has experienced. In this particular
Los Angeles has been especially favored. Her
pioneers averaged a very large percentage of
wise, frugal, sagacious men. The boom came
and went, but the far-sighted and self- poised
pioneer pursued the even tenor of his way and
was found here, doing business the same as be-
fore, after the boomer had folded his tent and de-
parted. A majority of these pioneers have passed
to the great beyond. Among those still inactive
life, mention belongs to Herman W. Hellman,
the vice-president and manager of the Farmers
& Merchants Bank of Los Angeles.

Mr. Hellman came to Los Angeles May 14,
1859. He was at the time about fifteen years of
age and Los Angeles was a town approaching
three thousand inhabitants. He brought little
with him besides a good public-school education,
backed with good health, temperate habits and a
resolute purpose to do something and do it thor-
oughly and successfully. The following June he
entered the employ of Gen. Phineas Banning, of
Wilmington, as freight clerk in the forwarding
and commission business. In December, 1861,

he resigned the position to join a cousin in the
stationery business in Los Angeles. After sev-
eral years he embarked in the fancy goods and
stationery business on his own account, and con-
tinued therein until March, 1870, when he dis-
posed of his business and spent a year and a-half
in Europe. Upon his return, in November,
1 87 1, he and Jacob Haas (an old schoolmate of
Mr. Hellman) founded the house of Hellman,
Haas & Co., which under Mr. Hellman's general
direction carried on an extensive and successful
wholesale grocery business for nineteen years,
e.Ktending their trade throughout Southern Cali-
fornia, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The life
and energy of this aggressive business house have
become a material feature of the splendid com-
mercial history of Los Angeles.

From time to time Mr. Hellman made large
and judicious investments in Los Angeles realty
and substantial business enterprises, among
which may be mentioned the purchase of stock
in the Farmers & Merchants Bank, of which he
was elected a director. In 1890 he retired from
the firm of Hellman, Haas & Co., and accepted
the position of vice-president and local manager
of the Farmers & Merchants Bank, since which
time he has given to the direction of its extensive
business his best energies and close personal at-
tention. The financial panic of 1893 brought out
strikingly the wisdom of the policy which has
been elemental in the building up of this bank.
Never were the times more stressful for a bank
and never did a bank meet the issue more proudly
or more gloriously than did the Farmers & Mer-
chants Bank. Several financial institutions of
Los Angeles closed their doors, one permanently;
but the bank founded by I. W. Hellman, and
then, as now, under the management of Herman
W. Hellmm, was not of the number. Like the
rock of Gibraltar, it stood majestically serene
while the elements of financial disaster made
wrecks of other institutions. The deposits
mounted higher as fear grew on the populace,
for it became a haven for the doubtful and dis-
trustful. While people stood in long lines await-
ing their chance to draw money from the other
banks, they only stood in line at the Farmers &
Merchants Bank for the opportunity of depositing
it there. No more splendid tribute could be paid

254

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

flawless honesty and financial skill. To other
banks this institution was able to, and did, ex-
tend at this crisis ready and effectual assistance,
thus obviating further suspensions and saving
thousand of people from loss and inconvenience
that otherwise would have been inevitable.

Other financial institutions claim a share of
Mr. Hellman's time and thought. He is vice-
president of the Los Angeles Savings Bank, a
director of the Main Street Savings Bank, a di-
rector of the Security Savings Bank (all of this
city) and a director in several banking institu-
tions in the various towns and cities of Southern
California. He is chairman of the Los Angeles
clearing house committee, and director and treas-
urer of various business corporations of Los An-
geles and its vicinity. Possessing the instincts
of a wise and prudent financier, his council on
the multiplex questions of expediency incident
to heavy financial undertakings is sought and
recognized as authority. From the day of his
arrival in this then little Spanish town, he has
evinced an abiding faith in the future of Southern
California and its metropolis. As the country
has grown the city has expanded and he has
grown in fortune until he is one of the city's
largest individual taxpayers.

Mr. Hellman is a native of Bavaria, Germany,
ard was born in the town of Reckendorf , Septem-
ber 25, 1843. His father, Wolf Hellman, a na-
tive of the same place, was a weaver by trade and
also followed mercantile pursuits. He died there
at the age of about seventy-two years. He had
married Sarah Fleischmann, who spent her entire
life in that town, dying when sixty-seven years
of age. They were the parents of thirteen chil-
dren, five of whom are living. Her father was a
farmer and cattle-trader. Wolf Hellman's father
was a prominent merchant and capitalist. Some
of the ancestors of Mrs. Hellman filled important
positions, such as quartermasters during the
revolution of Napoleon I.

Herman W. Hellman was educated in the
schools of southern Germany. When fifteen
years of age he accompanied his brother, Isaias
W. Hellman, to this country, arriving in Los
Angeles May 14, 1859. He was married in Italy,
July 26, 1874, to Miss Ida Heimann, a lady of
Christian character and social accomplishments.
She was born at Trevi.so, near Venice, a daughter

of Moritz and Fannie Heimann.the former a native
of Germany, and the latter of Triest, Austria.
They became the parents of six children, four of
whom are living, two daughters, Fridaand Amy,
and two sons, Marco and Irving. Mr. and Mrs.
Hellman are prominent members of the Reformed
Jewish Congregation B'nai B'rith, Los Angeles, of
which he has been president since 1S86; under
his administration the elegant temple on the cor-
ner of Hope and Ninth streets was erected. The
family are liberal supporters to the religious and
charitable movements of the city, county and
state.

A Mason of high degree, Mr. Hellman was
initiated and entered apprentice Mason Septem-
ber 20, 1869, passed to the degree of Fellowcraft
March 21, 1870, was raised to the sublime degree
of Master Mason June 14, 1870, in Pentalpha
Lodge No. 202, of which he is still a member.
July 10 he was advanced to the honorary degree
of Mark Master; inducted and presided in the
Oriental chair as past master July 17, received
and acknowledged Most Excellent Master Au-
gust 8, and exalted to the sublime degree of
Royal Arch Mason August 14, 1S83, in Signet
Chapter No. 57, of which he is still a member in
good standing.

As a loyal citizen and a business man of ex-
tensive interests, Mr. Hellman has a personal
concern in all matters pertaining to the public
welfare. However, he has no taste for politics.
He votes not as a partisan, but for capable and
honest men for public positions. Plain and
temperate in his habits of life, ever pleasant and
courteous in manner, his bearing is that of a
cultured gentleman whom to know is to admire.

HON. SAMUEL N. ANDROUS. He who
has contributed to the progress of a com-
munity and promoted its welfare is entitled
to a place in the ranks of its public-spirited citi-
zens. Viewed from this standpoint, Mr. Androus
justly deserves the high regard in which he is
held by the people of Pomona. He has done
much to aid in the development of this city and
the surrounding country. Enterprises of a pro-
gressive character have received his encourage-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

255

ment and active co-operation, both during the
period of his public service and in the capacity of
a private citizen.

A resident of Pomona since 1S87, Mr. Androus
was born in Lyons, N. Y., March 15, 1840, a son
of Samuel and Lois Androus, natives respectively
of Maine and Massachusetts. While he was still
an infant his parents moved to Michigan and
settled in Ann Arbor. A number of years later
they removed to Battle Creek, in the same state.
After a time they returned to Lyons, N. Y., but
the year 1855 found them again in Michigan,
they settling this time in Coldwater. When the
war broke out between the states Mr. Androus
was a young man, strong, hearty, enthusiastic
and patriotic. No sooner had war been declared
than he resolved to enlist in his country's serv-
ice. On the 24th of April, 1861, his name was
enrolled as a member of Company C, First
Michigan Infantry. His regiment was assigned
to the army of the Potomac, with which he
fought in the first battle of Bull Run. His term
of service was for three months, at the expira-
tion of which time he was honorably discharged.
Returning home on the 9th of August, three
days later he again entered the army. On the
13th he was commissioned second lieutenant of
Company B, of the Northwestern Rifle Regi-
ment, afterwards known as the Forty-fourth Illi-
nois InfantrJ^ During the subsequent period of
his service he took part in the battles of Pea
Ridge, Pittsburg Landing, Shiloh and Murfrees-
boro, besides some engagements of minor import.
He was three times wounded, but at no time
seriously. In recognition of his meritorious serv-
ice he was promoted, by successive steps, to the
rank of major, and continued as such until the
war ended.

With a war record which might well be a
source of just pride. Major Androus returned
home to resume the pursuits of civic life. For
these, as for military aff"airs, he soon evinced a
talent. He engaged in business in Flint and
in Detriot, Mich., until 1886, when he came to
California and began the life of a horticulturist
in Pomona. He is the owner of an orange
orchard comprising thirty acres, north of Pomona.
The oranges on this place are of a fine variet}'.
The trees were planted by him and he had per-
sonally superintended their care and develop-

ment. The place attracts the attention ofvisitors,
and its well-kept appearance indicates the thrift
of its owner. The house is of the Spanish type
of architecture that is so admirably adapted to
this section of the country.

Besides the management of his horticultural
interests, Mr. Androus has other important in-
terests. For several years he was vice-president
of the People's Bank of Pomona. Interested in
everything pertaining to education, his service of
four years as a member of the Pomona board of
education has been helpful to the public-school
interests. The Republican party receives his
stanch support and its candidates his vote. He
has been honored by his party in election to po-
sitions of trust and responsibility. In 1892 he
was elected to represent his district in the state
assembly and his service was so satisfactory that
two years later, on the expiration of his term, he .
was chosen to serve in the state senate. Believ-
ing a public ofiiceto be a public trust, during his
incumbency of these positions he devoted his at-
tention to the faithful discharge of his duties.
His keen intuition, sound judgment and broad
knowledge made him a power in the halls of
legislature. His record was that of an able
legislator, and during his term of service he
gained the confidence of the people to an extent
seldom surpassed. After his retirement from the
senate he filled no political ofiice until July,
1899, when he was appointed postmaster of
Pomona for a period of four years. In this posi-
tion, as in all others, he has been distinguished
by his close attention to every duty, his wise
judgment and keen discriminative powers of
mind.

In March, 1897, Mr. Androus was chosen
president of the Pacific Coast Jockey Club of
San Francisco, to fill an unexpired term, at the
expiration of which he was duly elected to the
office and has since served in that capacity. In
1899 he was appointed by the regents of the
State University of California as patron of the
experimental station at Pomona. Fraternally he
is connected with the Knights Templar and other
branches of the Masonic Order. In religion he
is an Episcopalian. Like all old soldiers, he
never forgets the days of the war, and one of his
greatest pleasures is meeting a former comrade
in arms and recounting with him the thrilling

256

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

experiences at the frout. He is a Grand Army
man and holds membership in Vicksburg Post
No. 6i, G. A. R. , and also is connected with the
Loyal Legion of the United States of America.

By his marriage to Miss Alice Brown, of Grand
Rapids, Mich., Mr. Androus has three sons,
Lewis S., Horatio D. and Harold N.

P QlLLIAM S. BARTLETT. There are few

\ A / names more intimately associated with the
V Y banking interests of California than that of
W. S. Bartlett, who is now president of the Union
Bank of Savings in Los Angeles and vice-presi-
dent and general manager of the Security Loan
cSc Trust Company, to which two corporations he
devotes his entire time. Mr. Bartlett was born in
South Bend, Ind., in 1843, and received his edu-
cation in the public schools of his native town.
When a young man he embarked in the mercan-
tile business in that place, but after a few years
decided to come west and cast in his fortunes with
the people of California. In 1869 he temporarily
located at San Leandro, which was at that time
the county seat of Alameda county. The fol-
lowing year, however, he left there and went to
San Francisco, where he engaged in the broker-
age business for a time. Later he was given a
responsible position with the California Trust
Company, and remained with it under its subse-
quent change of title to the National Gold Bank
& Trust Company, one of the largest institutions
of the kind in San Francisco. For years he was
cashier of this bank, with which he remained
until, and after, it went into voluntary liquida-
tion.

The year 1881 found Mr. Bartlett in Southern
California. After less than a year in Los Ange-
les he went to Santa Ana, Orange county, and
there organized the Commercial Bank, of which
he was the cashier and manager for a number of
years, and in which he is still a director. In
1883 he organized the Bank of Orange; and also
the Bank of Tustin, in the latter of which he is
yet a director. Besides assisting in the organi-
zation of these institutions named, he was con-
nected with the founding of the Orange County
Abstract Company, the Santa Ana Improvement
Company, the Santa Ana Gas & Electric Light
Company, the Santa Ana Development Company,

the Santa Ana Street Railway Company, the
Main Street Investment Company of Los Ange-
les, etc. , etc. He also acts as local representa-
tive for the Bank of California (San Francisco),
and for many non-resident capitalists and prop-
erty owners, and as acting executor of the \'an-
derlip estate, in Orange count}-. Under special
appointment, during 1893-94, ^^ acted as agent
for the stockholders in the final liquidation of the
affairs of the Southern California Insurance Com-
pany of Los Angeles. He also liquidated the af-
fairs of the Bank of Anaheim, as the representa-
tive of the state board of bank commissioners.

On his removal to Los Angeles, in 1898, Mr.
Bartlett became identified with the Union Bank
of Savings as its president; and with the Securitj'
Loan & Trust Company as its vice-president and
general manager; while at the same time he con-
tinues to have charge of large landed interests in
Orange and San Diego counties, this state; in
Coconino county, Ariz., and in Nye county,
Nev. He has also long been connected with the
Olive Milling Company, Orange county; and is
local director in Los Angeles of the Fidelity and
Deposit Company of Maryland (Baltimore, Md.).

By nature the excitement and conflict of political
life is distasteful to Mr. Bartlett, while attention
to his private business interests have engrossed
his time and formed a more congenial pursuit.
However, he is well versed in our political his-
tory as a nation, and is an adherent of Republi-
can principles. In religion he is of the Presby-
terian faith. While engaged in business in San
Francisco he served as an elder of the First Pres-
byterian Church in Oakland. Later he became
an organizer and charter member and elder of the
First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana; and on
coming to Los Angeles in 1898 he identified him-
self with the First Presbyterian Church here. In
1878 he married Miss Franklina C. Graj', of Vir-
ginia, by whom he has three children, Lanier,
Mathilde and Gordon.

While accumulating ample means, Mr. Bartlett
has done .so through the steady prosecution of the
banking business, and not by any lucky turn in
Fortune's wheel, nor through speculative schemes.
He has always carefully guarded the interests of
tlie banks, companies and individuals he has rep-
resented, and has been guided in his investments
by wise, con.servative judgment, which has

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD.

caused him to keep aloof from enterpriaes of
doubtful results. His views upon matters per-
taining to finances are often sought as possessing
undoubted value.

HON. MEREDITH P. SNYDER. In pre-
senting to the readers of this volume the
life record of Mr. Snyder, we are perpetuat-
ing the name of one of the most influential men
of Los Angeles and one who has occupied the
highest position within the gift of his fellow-citi-
zens. An account of the life and character of
Mr. Snj-der, rising from an humble position by
his own efforts to a place of honor among men,
presents a lesson worthy of emulation by young
men of the present generation and adds another
striking illustration of the power of determined
purpose and perseverance. In his youth he had
few advantages, for his parents died when he was
small and the estate was rendered worthless by
the devastating effects of the Civil war. Had he
been a member of a wealthy family, with the
privilege of acquiring a thorough education, he
would probably have become a successful attorney
and counselor, as the bent of his mind is in that
direction; but fate and destiny turned his steps
along another path, in which he has wielded an
influence undreamt in youth. He stands as one
of the leading citizens of Los Angeles and his
service as mayor, in iSgj-'gS, has made his name
a household word throughout the city.

The Snyders settled in North Carolina during
the colonial era. Meredith P. was born at old
Lexington Court House, in that state, October
22, 1859, his parents being K. D. and Elizabeth
(Heiher) Snyder. Through his own efforts he
secured the means necessary for a collegiate
course and attended college for a time, but did
not graduate. In 1880 he came to Los Angeles,
where he has since made his home. After clerk-
ing in a furniture store for a time, he accepted a
position with the B. F. Coulter Dry Goods
Company, and for four years was in charge of
the drapery department. He then turned his atten-
tion to the real estate business, in which he en-
gaged for eight years. Afterward, for a similar
period, hewasattheheadoftheM. P. Snj-derShoe
Company, a business that is still successfully
carried on, though under different management.

In i8yo he was elected a member of the police
commission, and, at the expiration of his term,
was reelected. Two years later he was elected
to represent the second ward in the city council,
where he took an active part in movements for
the benefit of the town, favoring all measures
that would be of undoubted benefit. So high did
he stand in the city and such was his prominence
in the Democratic party, that its members nom-
inated him for the office of mayor in the fall of
1896 and he was elected by a large majority, tak-
ing his seatin January, 1897, and serving efficient-
ly for one term, at the close of which he re-entered
the real estate business. His record as mayor
was an excellent one. While exercising a con-
trolling influence in local affairs, this influence
was used only for the best purposes and for the
good of the municipality. He believes in good
government, and in the exercise of his personal
power as mayor he never betrayed the best
interests of the city, but proved himself cool-
headed, courageous, energetic and indefatigable
as an official. Beyond question his administra-
tion contributed to the progress of the town.

In 1888 Mr. Snyder married Miss Mary Ross,
by whom he has a son, Ross Snyder. Mrs.
Snyder is a daughter of William W. Ross, who
served in the body guard of President Lincoln
during the Civil war and later became a promi-
nent citizen of Topeka, Kans., where he sen-ed
as mayor and in other prominent positions. Her
uncle, Hon. Edgar G. Ross, was governor of
New Mexico and also served as United States
senator.

HON. LOUIS GOTTSCHALK. For a
period of almost thirty years Judge Gotts-
chalk was prominently associated with the
bench and bar of St. Louis, and during his resi-
dence in that city he won a constantly increasing
reputation for breadth of knowledge and keen-
ness of intellectual faculties. In the many posi-
tions of honor to which he has been called he has
proved himself a man of superior ability, in
whose hands large responsibilities may be safely
entrusted. During the early part of the period,
notable in California for its great accessions to
the population of Los Angeles and the striking
development of the city's real estate interests, he

26o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

came to the Pacific coast, and lias since engaged
in the practice of law in this city, with the excep-
tion of four j-ears spent in Germany as United
States consul, under appointment from President
Harrison.

As indicated by the name, the Gottschalk fam-
ily is of German origin. Judge Gottschalk was
born in the city of Ems, which lies in terraced
lengths along the Lahn, in Hesse-Nassau. In
the home of his parents, Charles and Margaret
(Luther) Gottschalk, he was born on New Year's
day of 1836. When thirteen years of age he
accompanied the family to the United States. For
a few years he attended school in New York City,
after which he began to read law. In 1S56 he
was admitted to the bar of Iowa at Dubuque,
where he began the practice of his profession and
remained for two years.

The turning point in Judge Gottschalk's career
came in 1858, when he removed to St. Louis.
He met with success from the first, and soon be-
came prominent among the members of the legal
fraternitj'. When the Civil war opened he was
stanch in his adherence to the Union, and enlisted
in the service. For nearly two years he was
captain of Company B, Fifth Missouri Infantry,
during which time he shared in many of the cam-
paigns and conflicts that are memorable in his-
tory. His first official position in St. Louis was
that of city attorney, to which he was elected in
1863. Three years later he was cho.sen to serve
in the city council. As his ability became more
widely recognized he was ofiered positions of
greater honor and trust. In 1869 he was elected
to the state senate of Missouri, and shortly after
he began his term of service he was selected to
act as president of the senate, in which position
his impartiality, tact and quick, cool judgment
won for him the respect of both parties. While
filling this position he was also acting lieutenant-
governor, by reason of the death of the gentle-
man elected to that office. At the same time the
governor, Hon. B. Gratz Brown, was the nomi-
nee for vice-president of the United States on
the Democratic ticket.

While officiating as a member of the constitu-
tional convention in Missouri, in 1875, the sub-
ject of this article was elected a judge of the St.
Louis circuit court, which position he held until
January, 1879. His mental powers, being of an

unusually vigorous order, he was qualified to fill
the position with judgment and dignity. In ad-
dition to being well informed, he possessed the
added qualifications of wise judgment and an
impartial spirit. Comprehensive study of the
law had made him thoroughly familiar with its
every department. When he was upon the bench
he had the respect of all members of the bar, who
deferred to his decisions with the highest regard.
After his retirement from the bench he resumed
his professional practice, establishing a large and
important clientele. In 18S6 he removed to Los
Angeles, where he now has his office in the
Henne building.

During his residence in St. Louis he married
Miss Nancy L. Gottschalk, by whom he has four
children, namely: Louis F.; Fred C; Nanc}',
wife of J. B. Francisco; and Otto, a student of law.

HON. N. P. CONREY. Though only in the
prime of life, N. P. Conrey, prominent in
the ranks of the Los Angeles bar, has won
distinction and honors far bej-ond his years.
Frequently he has given the public evidence of
his ability and earnest desire to promote the in-
terests of the commonwealth and the community
in which he dwells, and this led, in 1898 and
1899, to his being elected to represent this dis-
trict in the state legislature, where he fulfilled
the expectations of his numerous friends and well-
wishers.

The birthplace of Mr. Conre)' is in the vicinitj-
of Shelby ville, Ind., and the date of the initial
event in his history is June 30, i860. His father,
David L. Conrey, also a native of Indiana, has
spent his entire life in the neighborhood of the
town mentioned, and for two-score years he has
been actively engaged in manufacturing enter-
prises in the western part of the place. The
mother, whose maiden name was Hannah Jame-
son, was born in Lancaster county. Pa., where
her ancestors had settled at an early period. A
brother of our subject, J. A., is a resident of Shel-
byville.

After completing his public-school education,
N. P. Conrey entered Indiana Asbury University,
and was graduated with honors in the class of
1 88 1. Subsequently he pursued the study of

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

261

law in the Universit}- of Michigan, where he re-
ceived his degree in 1883, and afterwards he was
admitted to the Indiana bar.

In Februarj-, 1884, he established an office and
commenced the practice of law in Los Angeles,
and during the j-ears of 1S86 and 1S87 he main-
tained a branch office at Pasadena. He took part
in the organization of that city as a corporation,
and was honored by election to the office of city
attorney. In connection with the movement in
the direction of establishing local option in that
city he prepared the prohibition ordinance, which
was successfully established in the courts, and hav-
ing stood the test of trial in the supreme court of
California, set at rest the question then in doubt as
to the legality of a city's rights in the matter of
local option. Mr. Conrey has always taken an
active part in public movements and has been es-
pecially interested in the cause of education.
During his service as a member of the Los An-
geles school board, in 1897 ^nd 1898, he cast his
influence on the side of progress, and contributed
toward some needed reforms. His city office is
located in the California Bank building, and his
clientage includes many of the representative
business men and corporations of Southern Cali-
fornia. Fraternally he is a Knight Templar
Mason.

Ten years ago was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Conrey and Miss Ethelwyn Wells, daughter
of the Rev. A. J. Wells, then pastor of the
Plymouth Congregational Church of this city.
They have a son and a daughter, David Wells
and Ethelwyn.

HON. THOMAS E. GIBBON. Probably
one of the busiest men in Los Angeles is the
gentleman whose name appears at the be-
ginning of this sketch, and whenever a new
enterprise or improvement for the city or vicinity
is attempted, he is certain to be one of the first
consulted, and, whenever he finds that he can
devote any time, attention or means to the further-
ance of the project, he can be safely relied upon
to do all within his power. His prominence in
many of the great undertakings effecting this
region, notably that of the improved harbor
at San Pedro as a seaport for Los Angeles, has
made his name a familiar one to the general

public, and his noble, disinterested services on
behalf of the city and state which he loves so
sincerely renders him highly esteemed and
admired.

Now in the prime of manhood, Thomas E.
Gibbon was born May 28, i860, in Monroe
county. Ark., to which state his father. Dr. W.
R. Gibbon, had recently removed from Virginia.
The latter, a son of Thomas Gibbon, was a native
of the Old Dominion, where, having completed
his literary education, he was sent to the Virginia
Military Institute. During the Civil war, his
sympathies naturally being with his native state,
he fought in the Confederate army, and suffered
throughout the long struggle which followed.
Having obtained a degree as a physician and
surgeon, he then commenced the practice of his
chosen profession in Arkansas, and, some years
subsequently, turned his entire attention to the
management of a plantation which he purchased.

Thomas E. Gibbon did not have as excellent
advantages in his youth, perhaps, as he would
have possessed if a resident of a state nearer the
educational centers of the east, but he was a
student by nature, and when he was twenty-two
years of age he went to Little Rock, where, by
application and hard work, he mastered the
intricacies of the law, at the same time meeting
his own expenses by teaching in the public
schools. In 1883 he was associated with W. L.
Terry, who has been for several years past a
member of congress from Arkansas, and for a
period of four years he worked indefatigably to
build up his practice and serve the interests of
his clients. In the meantime, the young lawyer's
rare ability to handle the affairs of the public
became known, and in 1884 he was elected to
represent Pulaski county in the state legislature
of Arkansas, where he enjoyed the honor of being
the youngest member of that august body. The
double responsibility which rested upon him, of
attending to his professional duties and to the
interests of his constituents, proved too great a
tax upon the young man at that time, for he was
not robust, and long years of persistent study and
application had made gradual and almost imper-
ceptible inroads upon his health. Accordingly^,
he wisely decided to abandon work and for sev-
eral months he traveled, care-free, upon the
continent and through England. Then, returning

262

IIISTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

home, he resumed his interrupted hibors, only
to find that he must seek a permanent change of
climate.

After due thought, Mr. Gibbon determined to
cast in his lot with the inhabitants of Southern
California, and, for more than a year snbsequeut
to his arrival here, July 17, 1888, he spent most
of his time in the open air, drinking in health
and vigor from nature's reservoir. He opened
an office in Los Angeles, and before long had
gained the confidence of the local public, and
from that time onward he has found little leisure
time. He has chiefly been engaged in corpora-
tion law, and is past master in everything pertain-
ing to the law as applied to business enterprises.
That he is looked upon as an authority in this
line may be seen from the fact that he has been
called upon to serve as the attorney for so many
local corporations and organizations. Among
others, it may be mentioned that he is thus
retained by the Los Angeles Lighting Company,
the Los Angeles Electric Company and is not
only counsel but also vice-president of the Los
Angeles Terminal Railway Company, and vice-
president of the Herald Publishing Company.

In his devotion to his professional duties, Mr.
Gibbon never neglects his duty as a citizen, and
strives to advance the welfare of his community
in every manner. He has been a member of the
board of police commissioners of this city, whose
business it is to look after the proper protection
of our citizens and their property, and is one of
the directors of the League for Better City
Government; is also a director of the Fiesta Asso-
ciation.

As a member of the Free Harbor League, he
accomplished grand results for the deep-sea har-
bor at San Pedro, so long and earnestly desired
by the majority of Southern Californians, and,
having been honored by being made chairman of
the committee which was to attend to the matter
of settling the subject of the new harbor in the
proper light before congress, he has gone to
Washington seven or eight times, and has nobly
battled for the rights of San Pedro and clearly
demonstrated to the various committees the urgent
need of this great enterpri.se, which is destined to
materially increase the desirability and wealth of
this region. He is a member of one of the com
mittees of the Chamber of Commerce, and in the

summer of 1S97 he was sent as a delegate from
Southern California to the Trans- Mi.ssi.ssippi Com-
mercial Congress at Salt Lake City, where he
urged upon that body, chiefly representing the
western states, the necessity and untold impor-
tance of their using every po.ssible influence
toward the constructing of the San Pedro harbor,
so long delayed. In summing up his career, it
may be said that few men of twoscore years
possess such ripe, keen judgment, such rare
sagacity and clear mental grasp of the leading
issues of the day.

Mr. Gibbon married Mi.ss Ellen Rose, daughter
of Judge U. M. Rose, of Little Rock, Ark., and
they have one son, William Rose Gibbon.

gODFREY HOLTERHOFF, JR. A worthy
representative of one of the wealthy and in-
fluential families of Cincinnati, Godfrey
Holterhoft", Jr., was born thirty-nine years ago in
the city mentioned, and there spent the days of
his boyhood. His father, Godfrey Holterhoff,
Sr., has been almost a life-long resident of that
metropolis, and for a great many j-ears has been
identified with the financial and industrial inter-
ests of that locality. A man of sterling integrity
and honor, he commands the respect and high
regard of all who know him. His wife, the
mother of our subject, bore the maiden name of
Helena Guysi, and three sons blessed their union,
one of whom, Charles R., is an attorney-at-law
in Los Angeles.

In the excellent public schools of his native
city Godfrey Holterhofl", Jr., acquired a liberal
education, completing his studies in the high
school. When he was nineteen years of age, his
health having become somewhat impaired bj'
close application to his books, he concluded to
try the balmy climate of Southern California,
which, it may be said in passing, soon effected
wonders for him, and to-day he is rugged and
equal to great physical exertion. He became
deeply attached to this section of the Union, and
now considers Los Angeles, which has grown
amazingly even during his residence here, as his
permanent home. For eight years he dwelt in
San Diego, where he is well known.

Twenty years ago, when the Santa Fe Railroad
commenced the construction of its western

LOUIS ROEDER.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

265

branch , Mr. Holterlioff took a position as a
clerk in the San Diego office of the company and
there gained the practical experience which has
since served him so well. Gradually he was pro-
moted from one position to another and finally
was made cashier and paymaster, in which capa-
city he acted until 1893. His ability being thor-
oughly recognized by this time by the various
business men and railroad corporations with
which his duties brought him into relation, he
had numerous flattering opportunities to transfer
his allegiance to some other organization, and at
length accepted the responsible position of secre-
tary and treasurer of the Santa Fe Route lines
west of Albuquerque, with headquarters in Los
Angeles. This was in 1893, and since that time
he has been established in this city. His offices
are in the Bradbury building, one of the finest
in this section of the state. The Santa Fe has no
more faithful or efficient official, and, as his con-
nection with it dates back twenty years, he is one
of the oldest employes in years of continuous
service. Every detail of work coming into his
department is under his supervision, and he han-
dles the great volume of business transacted by
his now extremely popular road with despatch
and accuracy. The public finds no reason to
complain of the treatment accorded by the splen-
did Santa Fe system, which is the shortest and
most direct route to the great business cities and
markets of the central and eastern states, and
much credit is certainly due Mr. HolterhofF, who
has displayed remarkable foresight and good
judgment in dealing with all of the innumerable
difficulties which beset a road wheii it is entering
upon the early years of its existence.

In addition to his regular occupation Mr. Hol-
terhoff" devotes some time and means to outside
enterprises, and holds the offices of secretary and
treasurer of the Pacific Land and Improvement
Company, a flourishing local organization, which
has accomplished a great deal for the city and
vicinity. He possesses the confidence of the
general public, and his acknowledged genius as a
financier has led to his being chosen to act as
treasurer of several associations here. Politically
he uses his franchise in favor of the Republican
party.

In 1889 Mr. Holterhoff married Mrs. Louise
Lewis, whose home formerly was in Dayton,

Ohio, and they have one daughter. Their home
is very attractive and hospitable, and is at
No. 1360 West Adams street, one of the pleas-
antest rcvsidence locations of this beautiful city.

I OUIS ROEDER. This California pioneer
C of 1856 is one of the very, few of his early
12 day in Los Angeles who survive to witness
the marvelous growth and development that the
past forty years have wrought in the city of their
adoption. Mr. Roeder was born in Hesse-
Darmstadt, Germany, January 28, 1832. While
yet a mere boy he was apprenticed to learn the
wagonmaker's trade at his home. This he
accomplished in the thorough manner character-
istic of the German people. He possessed a
deep-seated desire to do something for himself in
the world, and, hearing much of the advantages
offisred to young men in America, he decided to
try for his fortune in the new world. Embarking
from Antwerp, he arrived in New York City July
2, 1 85 1. For about five years he remained in
New York, where he found steady employment
at his trade.

The wonderful developments in mining and
other industries in California were constant
themes of conversation in New York in those
days, and a desire to visit the new El Dorado
seized young Roeder, as it did thousands of other
young men of that age. He shipped at New
York for San Francisco via Nicaragua. The
voyage was made without incident until they
reached the port of San Juan del Norte. Govern-
msntal matters in Central America at that time
were unsettled and dominated by William Walker,
the filibuster. The steamship on which the
party were to sail for California, the Brother
Jonathan, was detained in port for tribute,
which had been made on her cargo of coal.
Pending the adjustment of the matter a number
of the passengers went ashore. Mr. Roeder
thus saw San Juan, which he describes as a small,
uninteresting Spanish town, with an aimless and
listless population. The surrounding country
was fertile, produced a natural and heavy growth
of vegetation, and was capable of great horticul-
tural possibilities.

After having been detained for three days, one
night the Brother Jonathan stole out to sea,

266

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

evading the authorities aud payment of dutj-, and
sailing direct for San Francisco. May lo, 1856,
the ship entered the Golden Gate. Mr. Roeder
remained in San Francisco until the 28th of
November, and then came to Los Angeles, where
he commenced work at his trade in the shop of
John Goller, who was the first, and at that time
the only wagon manufacturer in Los Angeles.
He was located on Los Angeles street, between
Commercial and Laguna streets. For seven
years, and until 1863, he remained with this
employer. He then leased a lot on Main street,
adjoining the present German- American Bank on
the north, and, making some improvements there-
on, he conducted a wagon-making business on the
site for five years. From 1865 he had the late
Louis Lichtenberger associated with him as a
partner. In 1866 they purchased a business lot
at No. 128 South Main street and erected thereon
the two-story brick Lichtenberger block, which
still stands. Three years later they built the
two-story brick block now owned by J. Khurtz,
at the northwest corner of Second and Main
streets. The partnership with Mr. Lichtenberger
continued about three years, when Mr. Roeder
retired from the firm, selling his entire inter-
est to his partner. Mr. Roeder' s next step
was the purchase of one hundred feet frontage on
Spring street, adjoining the Nadian hotel, where
he established himself as a wagon manufacturer.
The north fifty feet of the lot he improved, erect-
ing thereon a commodious aud substantial brick
block. Later he built a like structure on the
south half of the property. For four years he
did business in the first building he erected. The
property became valuable for renting purposes
and he finally retired from business, since which
time he has given his attentiou to the oversight
of his extensive real-estate holdings in the city.

Mr. Roeder has ever kept up with the trend of
local affairs. He is a man of quiet and unassum-
ing manner. While he has never sought office,
about thirty years ago he served as a member of
the city council, and during his service the fran-
chise was granted to the Los Angeles City Water
Company. His position on all questions of pub-
lic expediency has ever been found tenable, and
as councilman he was efficient, businesslike and
progressive. Then, as now, the water question
was an issue of great importance. It was by no

means easy in those days to find purchasers of
the stock of the newly formed water company,
when it was looking for investors. He himself
declined to buy, although stock was offered him
at exceedingh- low prices. As a business propo-
sition the enterprise languished for several years,
but when it came under judicious management
the stock increased in value and the service has
since been brought to its present perfect condition.
In an interesting talk before the Los Angeles
County Pioneer Society, in January, 1899, Mr.
Roeder touched upon this question and threw
considerable light upon th^ condition of affairs in
Los Angeles before the water company com-
menced the distribution to citizens. Among
other things, he stated that when he came here
in 1856 aud stopped at the Bella Union hotel,
water was delivered throughout the pueblo in
carts. For this service the citizens concluded
the\- were paying extravagant prices and a num-
ber of them therefore formed a company, put in
wooden pipes to the river at Downey street bridge
and there erected a large wheel with which to
lift the water to the level of the pipe line. Soon
after the completion of this system there came a
heavy flood, which tore out the wheel and ren-
dered the pipe line useless. The city was then
obliged to return to carts and casks for its sup-
ply of the precious fluid The city was so poor
that it could not pay legitimate bills. Dr. John
S. Griffin and Mr. Sansevaiu made a proposition
to bring water into town, which was accepted b}'
the cit}' and a zanja was built, running down
First street and through San Pedro street, sup-
plying water for irrigation purposes to residents
of that portion of the city. Childs & Hoover
then proposed to distribute the water in other
sections of the town for domestic purposes aud
they were given land for so doing. However,
after the ditches were built the water again failed,
although the builders did not fail to secure the
laud. Referring to city land, Mr. Roeder recalled
the fact that the citj' survej-or, not finding his
ofiice profitable, laid out the hill land and sold it
to Stephen Mott in a body. For the land on
which Westlake Park stands the auctioneer
could not get a bid of even twenty- five cents an
acre, as, the land being impregnated with alkali,
was considered worthless. What is now Boyle
Heights was disposed of in a similar manner by

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

267

Andrew Boyle. The site of what is now Ever-
green cemetery was purchased by John Shoe-
maker for fifty cents an acre and afterward sold
by him for $9,000.

In 1864 Mr. Roeder assisted in founding the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Los Angeles,
and later served the lodge as treasurer, warden
and past grand. He was married in this city in
1863, his wife being Miss Wilhelmina Huth.
They have six children: Henry; Louis, Jr.;
Lizzie, wife of Charles Dodge; Carrie, who is the
wife of Frank Johansen; Minnie, wife of John
Joughin; and Annie, who is single. The success
which Mr. Roeder attained in life is due entirely
to his industry, frugality, enterprise and thrift,
which have resulted in the ownership by him of
some of the best business and residence property
in Los Angeles, and he is justly held in esteem
as one of the city's most honored pioneers and
substantial citizens.

HON. FRED L. BAKER. One of the most
important industries of Los Angeles is the
Baker iron works, of which Mr. Baker is
president and general manager. The plant is
situated at Nos. 946-966 Buena Vi.sta street, and
is well equipped with every modern convenience.
At the time of the establishment of the works
only four or five hands were employed, but the
increase of the business has been so rapid and
steady that now two hundred workmen are em-
ployed and the plant is operated both day and
night during much of the year. Its success is
due in a large degree to the intelligence, ability
and wise judgment of the manager. The prod-
ucts of the plant comprise principally heavy
machinery, pumps, boilers, elevators and oil well
machinery.

The subject of this sketch was born in Lansing,
Mich., in February, 1865, a son of Milo S. and
Harriet (Lawrence) Baker. His father brought
the family to Los Angeles in 1872, and two years
later established the Baker iron works, beginning
the business on a very small scale. The original
title of Bower & Baker was later changed to
M. S. Baker & Co., and he remained connected
with the business until his death in 1S94. Dur-
ing his residence in the east he had been con-
nected with a similar business. He had also

represented his district in the legislature while
living in Michigan. His wife was a member of
a New York family and is now living in Los
Angeles. Of his three children, Milo A. is
superintendent of the Baker iron works, and the
only daughter is living with her mother.
. While still a mere lad Fred L. Baker was em-
ployed by the Wells-Fargo Company. As a boj-
he made considerable money out of his chicken
ranch and at the same time he helped his father
in the works. He never attended school a day
in his life, but studied at home and gained a
broad knowledge that has proved most helpful to
him in his business career. By the time he was
eighteen he was thoroughly familiar with every
detail and every department of the iron works.
For years before his father's death he practically
had entire charge of the business, having risen
from a position as apprentice in the shop to fore-
man, superintendent, secretary, vice-president
and president successively, having held the last-
named position since the death of his father.
The foundation of his success is due largely to
his close devotion to business. His assistants in
the works are men of ability in their respective
departments, and he trusts all matters of detail to
them, but his is the master mind, the guiding
hand, behind it all.

Thoroughly devoted to business, Mr. Baker
nevertheless never neglects his duty as a citizen.
He possesses true public spirit, and uses his in-
fluence to enhance the best interests of the city,
supporting all worthy enterprises for its advance-
ment. Reared in the faith of the Republican
party he saw no reason, on arriving at mature
years, for changing his political views, and he
has hence remained true to the tenets of the
party. In 1897 he was chosen to serve in the
city council. The following year he was re-
elected to the office. He is one of the prominent
members of the Chamber of Commerce.

Among the important interests which Mr.
Baker has had may be mentioned that of the
Merchants' and Manufacturers' Association,
which he assisted in organizing and of which he
was the president in 1898. The following year
he was again offered the same position, but
declined, owing to the demands upon his time by
reason of his private business affairs. He is
vice-president of the Southern California Build-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ing and Loan Association, one of the established
organizations of its kind in Los Angeles. He is
also a local director in the American Surety Com-
pany of New York.

In 1897 Mr. Baker erected, at No. 730 North
Hill street, the elegant and commodious residence
that has since been occupied by his family. He
was married in 1887, his wife being Lillian M.,
daughter of Oscar Todd, who came to Los An-
geles from Michigan. They have threechildren,
Earlda, Marjorie and Lawrence.

HON. C. C. WRIGHT. A review of the rep-
resentative citizens of Los Angeles and of
men who have played an important part in
the history of this city and the state would be
sadly deficient without a sketch of the life and
work of C. C. Wright, who is too well known on
the Pacific coast to need special introduction to
the public. At the bar he has been a brilliant
advocate; in the halls of legislation, a wise and
prudent counsellor and able debater; on the ros-
trum, an impressive and convincing speaker; and
in every field, a controller of the minds of men.
Fitted by uative courage and intellectual ability
to direct affairs and to assume responsibility, he
has steadily pursued his way to higher heights of
achievement and has long been recognized as a
leader in thought and action.

He is a worthy representative of a sterling
family of the United States. His father was born
upon a plantation in Keutuckj', and his mother,
whose maiden name was Nancy Paynter, was of
Tennessee origin. In his early life the father
was engaged in agriculture in the old Blue Grass
state, but later he removed to Iowa, and for a
number of years lived near Eairfield, where he
was highly respected. One of his sons. Dr. W. S. ,
is a practicing physician, well known in Iowa
and Colorado, where he has been engaged in his
professional labors; and another son, George W.,
is a successful agriculturist in Iowa.

Born near Fairfield, Iowa, in 1849, C. C.
Wright early developed into a student of un-
usual aptitude and distinction. His common-
school education was supplemented by a course
of two years and five months duration in the
Fairfield Academy. When eighteen years of age

he entered the Iowa Western Universitx', where
he pursued the classical course, and was grad-
uated with the honors of his class in the sum-
mer of 1872. Loug before, he had determined
to enter the legal profession, and from this time
onward he devoted his entire attention to the
masterj' of the law. For two years he studied
in the office of Judge H. H. Trimble, at Bloom -
field, Iowa, after which, with a view to locating
permanently in the west, he came to California,
and for six months taught school in this state, in
the meantime continuing his special studies. In
April, 1875, he established an oflSce in Modesto,
the county seat of Stanislaus county, and the
same year was honored by being nominated for
the position of district attorney. He was elected
and officiated for two years in that responsible
position and was re-elected in 1S77. It was not
until 1895, after just a score of years spent in
Modesto, that he decided to try his fortunes in
the growing city of Los Angeles, where, as he
rightl}' judged, a wider field of achievement
awaited him. His reputation as a lawyer and
statesman had preceded him and he at once
stepped into a fine practice. His offices are in
the Wilcox building, and his law library is ex-
tensive and well chosen.

In political affairs Mr. Wright has been an
advocate of the principles of the Democratic
party since becoming a voter. In 18S7 he was
elected as a representative of the Stanislaus coun-
ty district in the California legislature, and while
a member of that honorable body the famous ir-
rigation bill became a law. He took an active
and interested part in the matter, and having
given years of study to everything relating to
the subject, he has been considered an authority
for years. Nearly a quarter of a century has
elapsed since he became a Californian, and in
thi§ period he has been very influential in its
progress in many ways. About the time that he
attained his majority he joined the Masonic
order, and he also is associated with the Knights
of Pythias and the Fraternal Brotherhood.

In his domestic relations Mr. Wright is espe-
cially happ3', and in the home circle he is seen at
his best. His marriage to Miss Mamie Swain,
of Contra Costa county, Cal., was solemnized Au-
gust 16, 18S3. They have one son, Alfred, now
attending the public schools of Los Angeles.

^^^^^?^:^^^:^^'^$^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

271

gRADNER WELLS LEE. To be a descend-
ant of a long line of honorable ancestry
might well be the cause of just pride in our
country, which, though it boasts no titled
nobilitj^ gives place to no land in the number of
its loyal and patriotic sons. That Mr. Lee has a
notable ancestry the genealogical records amply
prove; and it is by reason of this descent that he
is eligible to membership in a number of organiza-
tions of a most exclusive nature. He is a char-
ter member of the Society of Colonial Wars and
holds office as its historian. He is also treasurer
and a director of the California branch of the
Sons of the Revolution. As vice commander of
the California Commandery, he is officially con-
nected with the Military Order of Foreign Wars,
an organization to which no one is eligible ex-
cept a commissioned officer or a male descendant
in the paternal line of a commissioned officer who
served his country in a foreign war.

Tracing the Lee ancestry, Nathaniel Lee (born
1695) was a commissioned officer in the British
army, and on his retirement, about 1725, settled
at Fishkill, N. Y., on the Hudson, where he
married Margaret De Long. He had three sons
and four daughters. His eldest son, Thomas, at
the very beginning of the Revolutionary war, re-
ceived a commission as second lieutenant in the
Fourth New York Continental Line, one of the
first four regiments organized by the Continental
Congress; he was promoted to captain of a com-
pany in the Fifth New York Regiment of the
Continental Line, serving in that and other
regimental organizations, as a line officer, until
the close of the war. He was a gallant soldier
and fought in battles along the Hudson and el.se-
where. After the war, in 1790, he settled at
Milo, near Penn Yan, N. Y. , and there built a
colonial mansion which was a landmark for
many generations. He died in 1814, at the age
of seventy-five years, and his wife in 1833, aged
ninety. Three of his sons served in the war of
1812. One of these. Dr. Joshua, served as a
surgeon; another, Thomas, Jr., as a colonel, and
the third, Sherman, as a major. Dr. Joshua
Lee, at a later date, was several times elected to
the New York legislature, once (in 1817) having
as his opposing candidate his brother Thomas,
whom he defeated. In 1S33 he was elected to
congress from the old Monroe (now Yates
16

countyj district. Col. Thomas Lee, Jr., was
elected to the New York legislature in 18 16 and
removed in 1822 to Detroit, Mich.; he was a
member of the first constitutional convention in
Michigan.

In the family of Capt. Thomas Lee were four
sons and six daughters. Abigail, one of the
daughters, married Joseph Ross, afterwards re-
moving to Illinois; her grandson, Lewis F.
Ross, of Lewiston, Fulton count}', 111., served
several terms in the Illinois legislature, and was
a member of the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth and
fortieth U. S. congress, a presidential elector in
1848 and a member of the Illinois constitutional
convention in 186 1. One of the sons, James
Lee (born 1780), who was the grandfather of
Bradner Wells Lee, was an officer in the New
York militia. Governor Morgan Lewis issuing
his commission in 1805. He was a large land
and mill owner at Penn Yan; his mills burned
down in 1825, during Lafayette's visit to the
United States, the fire, it is said, being caused by
the firing of the militia in the vicinity the night
before a grand rendezvous in Geneva to pay
honor to the general. He married a daughter of
Richard Smith, a native of Groton, Conn, (born
1746), and the owner of a large and valuable tan-
nery and mill property. Mr. Smith was a mem-
ber of a committee of three appointed and sent
from Connecticut to Yates county, N. Y., in
1787, to purchase a tract of land for the Society
of Friends, of which they were members; thej'
purchased a large tract near Penn Yan, on which
a large number of the society settled. One of
his sons. Col. Avery Smith, of Penn Yan, served
many terms in the New York legislature and was
colonel of the One Hundred and Third New York
Regiment during the war of 1812, taking part in
the battle of Qaeenstown and other engagements.
James Lee died at the old homestead in Penn
Yan in 186S. Of his ten children, David Rich-
ard Lee was the father of Bradner W. Lee. He
was born in 1815 and died in 1886, at East Grove-
land, Livingston county, NY., where for many
years he had been a merchant and farm owner.
In the same place his widow, Elizabeth Northrum
( Wells) Lee, now resides. They were the
parents of three sons, of whom Franklin Scott
Lee and James Avery Lee are engaged in the
manufacturing business in New York state.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

The English branch of the Wells family, from
which Mrs. Elizabeth Lee is a descendant, con-
tains among its progenitors Bishop Hugo de
Welles, of the English nobility, who was one of
the noblemen that procured from the king of
England the famous Magna Charta. The pro-
genitor of her line of the Wells family in
America was Hugh Welles fas the name was
then spelled), born in Essex county, England,
in 1590. In 1635 he settled in Hartford, Conn.,
as one of its founders, afterwards removing to
Wethersfield, where he died in 1645. He was
an ensign in the colonial service and a kinsman of
Thomas Welles, the first governor of Connecticut.
Three descendants of Hugh Welles served in
King Phillip's war. One of these, Capt. Thomas
Welles, was in the Falls fight. The line of
descent is traced from Hugh Welles to Thomas,
Noah, Jonathan, Jonathan (2nd), Col. Daniel, Ira
and Isaac Ticheuor Wells (born in Fairfax, Vt.,
1807), the last being our subject's grandfather.
He married Charity Kenyou, of Washington
count}', N. Y. , in 1830, subsequently removing
to Livingston county, N. Y., where he was a
prominent business man and respected citizen for
years. Jonathan Welles (2nd) was lieutenant-
colonel of the Nineteenth Connecticut Regiment
in the Revolution.

Bradner W. Lee was born in East Groveland,
Livingston county, N. Y., in 1850. He received
his education in public schools and by means of
a course of private study. From New York, in
1871, he went to Mississippi, where he prepared
for the legal profession under the preceptorship
of his uncle. Col. G. Wiley Wells, then United
States district attorney, northern district of
Mississippi, subsequently a member of congress
from that state, and later United States Consul-
General to Shanghai, China. Mr. Lee was ad-
mitted to the bar in that state in 1S72, after which
he held the position of assistant United States
attorney for seven years. On resigning that
position he came to Los Angeles in 1879 and
associated himself with Judge Brun.son and Col.
G. Wiley Wells in the firm of Brunson, Wells &
Lee. On his arrival in this county he was ad-
mitted to practice before the state supreme court,
April 30, 1879, and when the United States cir-
cuit and district courts were organized for
Southern California, he was admitted to practice

in them. At the time of the election of Judge
Brunson to the bench of the superior court, the
firm was reorganized under the name of Wells,
Van Dyke & Lee, Hon. Walter \'an Dyke being
a member thereof, who after a time was elected
to the judicial bench, has since served as judge of
the superior court, and is now associate justice of
the supreme court. Since then Mr. Lee has been
associated with different partners, being for a
time a member of the firm of Wells, Guthrie &
Lee, later the firm of Wells, Monroe & Lee, next
that of Wells & Lee, and upon the admission of
Judge Works, ex-justice of the supreme court,
the name became Wells, Works & Lee. On
account of failing health. Colonel Wells finally
retired from practice, and since then the title has
been Works & Lee, the senior member being
Hon. John D. Works. For eighteen years the
offices of the firm were in the Baker block, but
now are in the Henne building.

During almost the entire period of his resi-
dence in Los Angeles, Mr. Lee has participated
in its prominent legal contests, and he has been
connected with some of the most noted litigations
in the history of the state. He has often been
urged to allow his name to go before the people
for nomination for public office, as a judicial can-
didate, but has steadfastly refused, although
always taking an active interest in politics, and
has served for two terms as chairman of the
Republican county central committee, and was
again chosen for that position for a third term in
1900. At the session of the legislature in 189S
he was elected as a trustee of the state library for
a term of four years. His attention is largely
given to professional work, and he permits no
outside matters to interfere with the concentration
of his mind upon his practice. By other attor-
neys he is said to excel in probate and corpora-
tion law. As a citizen and as a man possessing
brilliant qualities of mind, he stands honored and
respected by his fellow-citizens.

In Philadelphia, Pa., in 1883, Mr. Lee married
Miss Helena Farrar, daughter of Col. William
Humphrey Farrar, who was born in Lancaster,
N. H., in 1828, graduated from Dartmouth Col-
lege, and studied law under Hon. Caleb Cushing,
former attorney-general of the United States.
For many years Colonel Farrar practiced law in
the ea.st. During President Pierce's administra-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

273

tion he was appointed United States attorney for
the territory of Oregon, and at the expiration of
his term of office he returned to Washington,
D. C, where he died in 1873. Mrs. Lee was
educated in that city and at Mount de Sales, near
Baltimore, Md., also at Notre Dame, near Balti-
more. In Los Angeles and vicinity she is well
known socially as a lady of culture and artistic
ability. Mr. and Mrs. Lee have two children,
Bradner Wells Lee, Jr., and Kenyon Farrar Lee,
the former fourteen and the latter twelve years of
age.

RICHARD ROBERT TANNER, city attor-
ney of Santa Monica, and senior member of
the law firm of Tanner & Taft, of Los An-
geles and Santa Monica, is well known through-
out Southern California and ranks high in his
profession. He is one of the native sons of this
wonderful state, his birth having occurred in San
Benito county in 1858, and during his entire life
he has been devoted to the upbuilding of Califor-
nia's prosperity.

For more than half a century the Tanner fam-
ily has been associated with the Pacific coast, as
our subject's father, a native of New York, and
a veteran of the Mexican war, located in Cali-
fornia in 1847. Hs was engaged in stock rais-
ing in San Bernardino county until 1849, when
he went to Sacramento county and engaged in
mining and prospecting for two years. Then,
returning to San Bernardino county, he resumed
his former occupation as a stockman and gave
seven years of his life to the business. In 1858
he settled in San Benito county, where he dwelt
for many years. His wife- was Miss Lavina
Bickmore, of Illinois. The Tanners, on one of
the ancestral lines, were descendants of Miles
Standish.

Richard Robert Tanner was educated in the
schools of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties,
completing his higher studies in the Ventura
county schools. Having decided upon the law
as his future line of endeavor, he entered the
office of Blackstock & Shepherd, of Ventura
count}', and was admitted to the bar in 1884.
Ever since that time he has been a resident of
Santa Monica, where he established an office and
gradually built up an extensive and representa-
tive practice. For the past ejeven years he has

been attorney for the city, and during this period
has been instrumental in promoting the welfare
of this place to a marked degree. He it was who
had in charge the task of drawing up the petition
and documents relating to the incorporation of
Santa Monica, and in countless instances he has
rendered services of incalculable value to the city
of his choice. Step by step he has risen in his
profession and in the estimation of his fellow-
citizens by fidelity to his own high principles of
personal conduct and to the ethics of his calling.
While he never neglects to note and take advan-
tage of any point in the progress of a case which
may prove advantageous to his client, he scorns
the unscrupulous methods of some practitioners
and gives his absolute loyalty to whatever he be-
lieves is the true and the right. One of the many
important cases which he has brought to a suc-
cessful issue was that in which he appeared for the
town in the case of the Town of Santa Monica vs.
John P. Jones, by which the town recovered Ocean
Front Park and Seventh Street Park, the former
now estimated to be worth |20o,ooo. Another
notable case was that of the People of the State
of California vs. H. E. Howland, the defendant
being charged with perjury. Mr. Tanner prac-
tices in the state and United States courts, and
his well-prepared cases, clear and logical plead-
ing, acknowledged earnestness and integrity
possess great weight with judge and jury. Dur-
ing the years of 1889 and 1890 he served as
deputy district attorney for Los Angeles county
under Frank P. Kelley, and gave general satis-
faction to all concerned in the proper adminis-
tration of justice.

Politically Mr. Tanner is an ardent Repub-
lican. Fraternally he belongs to Santa Monica
Lodge No. 307, F. & A. M.; Seaside Lodge
No. 369, I. O. O. F. ; Orange Grove Encamp-
ment No. 31, I. O. O. F.; Silver Wave Rebekah
Lodge No. 199, I. O. O. F.; Court Santa Mon-
ica No. 438, I. O. F. ; and Pacific Lodge No.
201, K, of P. For three years he served as a
member of the Santa Monica board of education,
and in many ways has manifested the deep inter-
est which he has in the provision of good school
advantages to the rising generation. Briefly, he
is an ideal citizen, alert to advance the welfare of
his community and country and true in all of the
varied relations of life,

!74

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

The first marriage of Mr. Tanner took place
in 1883, when Miss Elizabeth J. Robinson be-
came his wife. She departed this life some nine
years later, and left a little daughter, Nora. In
1893 Mr. Tanner married Miss Seboldina M.
Bontty, who was born in Oregon, and who pre-
sides over their pleasant home in an admirable
manner.

I AX LOEWENTHAL, who is attorney for
a number of large corporations in Los
Angeles and who also carries ou a general
practice in the courts of the city, is of German
birth and parentage, but, having spent the greater
part of his life in this country, he is thoroughly
American in his tastes and sentiments and, above
all, is intensely Californian in his aspirations and
ambitions. He was born in Germany in 1858
and was nine years of age at the time the family
came to California, settling in Sacramento, where
he received an excellent English education in the
public schools. He is a son of Rev. H. P.
Loewenthal, who for twelve years was rabbi of
the Hebrew congregation in Sacramento and for
a similar period ministered to the congregation at
San Jose. However, on account of ill health, it
became impossible for him to engage in ministerial
work. He died in March, 1899, at the home of
his son. Rev. H. P. Loewenthal was married in
Inovrozlav, Germany, to Natalie Schoenberg,
daughter of the Jewish rabbi of that city. She
died in 1880 in San Francisco, Cal.

Ou the completion of the studies of the public
schools. Max Loewenthal entered the University
of California, where he took the regular course,
graduating in 188 1, and receiving the degree of
A. B. He then began to fit himself for his chosen
profession of the law, entering the Hastings Col-
lege of Law, and continuing there until his grad-
uation in 1884, at which time he was admitted to
practice in all the courts of California. He
opened an office in San Francisco, where he com-
menced in general practice, but after two years,
in 1886, he came to Los Angeles, establishing the
practice which has since grown to large propor-
tions. He has his office in the Bullard block.

While Mr. Loewenthal is not a politician, yet
he has proved himself to be actively public-
spirited and interested in public affairs, whether
political or otherwise. The Democratic party

has in him a firm friend. In 1890 he was his
party's nominee for judge of the superior court
and made an excellent race, but with the rest of
the ticket was defeated, though by only a small
number of votes. Fraternalh' he is a Mason.

In 1889 Mr. Loewenthal married Miss Laura
Meyer, daughter of Samuel Meyer, one of the
oldest and most respected merchants of Los An-
geles. They have two sons, Godfrey S. and Paul
H. Loewenthal.

HS. ROLLINS. Numbered among the en-
terprising young lawyers of Los Angeles is
, the gentleman of whom the following sketch
is penned. He has forged his waj' to the front
by the exercise of the genuine business talents
with which nature endowed him, and by his
keen intuitive legal sense. It has been often
remarked that this city does not afford as excellent
a field for the members of his profession as for
many others, yet in spite of this he has perse-
vered, and has won an enviable standing among
his legal brethren and the public at large.

The birth of Mr. Rollins occurred not far from
the city of Elkhart, Ind., and there he continued
to dwell until he was eleven years of age, when
he went to Beaver Dam, Wis., where his grand-
parents resided. Having completed his elemen-
tary education, he entered the high school, where
he was graduated in the class of 1878, at the age
of seventeen years. Later he became a student
in Wayland University, and then was successfully
engaged in teaching school for several years.
Having carefully husbanded his resources, he
went to Chicago, where he took up the study of
law, and subsequently was admitted to the bar.

In 1886 Mr. Rollins came to Los Angeles, and
the same year entered the employ of Wells, \'an
Dyke & Lee, for the practice of law. Later he
was connected with the firm of Chapman & Hen-
dricks until 1890, when he went to San Fran-
cisco, with a view to making a permanent loca-
tion in that city. At the end of one year's
experience there, however, he concluded to return
to Los Angeles. Here he accepted a position as
managing clerk in the oflSce of Judge Gardiner,
and later he established an office of his own in the
Bryson block, one of the finest office buildings in
the city. Since that time he has succeeded in
building up a large practice, which is increasing

HON. D. K. TRASK.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

j'ear by year, as his ability becomes known to
the residents and vicinity. During the past five
years he has served in the responsible position of
court commissioner of Los Angeles county. Poli-
tically he is an ardelit Republican.

HON. DUMMER KIAH TRASK. Those
who are familiar with the subject are aware
that the duties of a judge in a comparatively
new country are vastly more exacting and re-
sponsible than in a section which has been longer
settled, and where generations of occupants of
the bench have laid down precedent and precept,
ad infinitum. Absolute genius and superior
judgment are requisites of the members of the
bench in a new country, where thousands of
strange and perplexing questions and difficulties
are constantly presenting themselves, questions
often peculiar to that particular region, and aris-
ing from the claims and practices of the former
possessors of the land, it may be, or from the
unique conditions of place and circumstance.
Thus, when the subject of this sketch was hon-
ored with the office of judge of the superior court
of Los Angeles count}-, a great compliment was
paid to his ability and immense responsibilities
were reposed in him. He has proved himself equal
to the trust and is making a record here which
has seldom, if ever, been eclipsed.

It is no surprise to learn that the ancestors of
Judge Trask were of the sturdy New England
stock which has molded the destinies of the great
American republic. The founder of the family in
this country, Capt. William Trask, an English-
man, was one of the five "Old Planters," of Sa-
lem, Mass., where he settled in the year 1628.
His son, John, was the father of Samuel Trask,
who lived to the extreme age of one hundred and
eighteen years. Then followed Thomas, son of
Samuel; Jonathan, son of Thomas; Dummer, son
of Jonathan; and Kiah Bailey, father of the
judge. The latter's mother, whose maiden name
was Mary J. Dunton, was a native of Maine.
Three of the judge's brothers were heroes of
the Civil war, being soldiers in the Federal army.
The birth of D. K. Trask occurred in Cincin-
nati, Ohio, July 17, i860. Soon after the break-
ing out of the Rebellion his parents removed to
Maine. There he grew to manhood, attending

the common schools of Jefferson, Me., and the
Nichols' Latin school, and later being gradu-
ated from the Waterville Classical Institute, at
the head of which renowned seat of learning Dr.
J. H. Hanson then stood. For several terms
young Trask engaged in teaching in his home
state, but finally yielded to his growing desire to
see something of the far west, where he believed
greater opportunities for success awaited him. In
1882 he arrived in Stockton, and, after spending
the summer in the harvest field, and subsequent
to his successful standing in the teachers' exami-
nation, he was offered the principalship of the
Linden public schools, where he taught for a
period. He served as a member of the San Joa-
quin county board of education. Thus, well
launched in the educational field, he still aspired
to greater achievements, and established the
Stockton Business College and Normal Institute,
where he trained and instructed large classes of
students, and over two hundred teachers, the
majority of whom went forth to different parts of
California, and, with renewed energy and supe-
rior ability continued their work of educating the
young.

In the meantime, Judge Trask not only had
the charge and responsibility of the college just
mentioned, but also was endeavoring to prepare
himself for admission to the bar. He sold his in-
terests in the college, in order to give his undi-
vided attention to the profession of his choice.
He vi'as admitted to practice by the supreme
court of the state, at San Francisco, in Jul}', 1890.
In the following September he came to Los An-
geles, where he opened an office and soon won
the respect of his legal brethren, as well as that
of the general public. Within a remarkably
.short period he built up a good practice, and was
employed in many important matters. In no
measure did his interest in the cause of education
languish, as was shown when he served on the
city school board in 1893 and 1894. In 1898 he
was appointed judge of the superior court of Los
Angeles county, and is acting in that capacity at
the present time.

In his political affiliations the judge is a strong
ally of the Democratic party. Of late he is be-
coming a recognized factor in the deliberations of
that body, and has served as chairman of the
Los Angeles convention, and is a member of the

278

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RF.CORD.

Democratic state committee. Frateinally he is
identified with the Knights of P3-thias, in the
work of which order he takes a deep interest.

In 1887 Judge Trask married Miss Ida C. Fol-
som, a native of Jefferson, Me. In earlj' life they
lived in the same town, and later Miss Folsom
was a successful teacher in California. They are
the parents of three children, namely: Ida Mary,
Walter Folsom and Dorothy Kate.

HA. BARCLAY. For nearly three decades
Mr. Barclay has occupied a distinctive place
at the bar, and since 1875 has been identified
with the legal fraternity of Los Angeles, where
he is highly esteemed. His great ability and zeal
in the management of cases have led to his large
and remunerative practice.

Hon. David Barclay, the father of the above-
named gentleman, was a leader in the legal pro-
fession of western Pennsylvania, and amassed a
substantial fortune during his active career. He
stood high in the estimation of the people, and
was chosen by them to serve as a member of con-
gress in 1856. He was opposed to the extension
of slavery, and upon the expiration of his term
declined a renomination upon the Democratic
ticket, and became prominently connected with the
organization of the Republican party of Pennsyl-
vania, in the counsels of which he continued to
be an important factor for many years. About
this time he became interested with a number of
capitalists who proposed to purchase a large tract
of land in Washington Territory, on PugetSound,
found a city and develop the country. With this
end in view, he disposed of his property and
started down the Allegheny river on his way to
the Pacific coast, and had nearl y reached Pitts-
burg when the news that Sumter had been fired
on changed all his plans. He was a patriot to the
core, and when his country was in danger all
other considerations weighed with him as naught.
He devoted his time and means to raising, arm-
ing, equipping and placing in the field a regi-
ment, accompanying it as lieutenant-colonel, until
failing health and physical incapacity compelled
him to leave the active service. His eldest son,
Charles, then between fourteen and fifteen years
of age, enlisted in the Union army upon the first
call for three months, and upon the expiration of

this time innnediately re-enlisted, and continued
in the .service until the end of the war. The
father died in 1889, having survived his soldier
.son some six years.

The wife and mother, whose maiden name was
Sarah Cooper Gaskill, came of one of the solid
old Quaker families of Pennsylvania, her ances-
tors having been associated with William Penn in
founding Philadelphia. Her father, Charles
Gaskill, was the agent of the Holland Land
Company for western Pennsylvania, and, with
the Cooper branch of the family, owned a large
part of the land upon which Camden, N. J., is
built. Frank H. Barclay, second brother of our
subject, is engaged in the real estate business in
this city, and D. Eric Barclay, a younger brother,
served as chief deputy in the recorder's office un-
der John W. Francis, and as chief deputy under
F. Edward Gray, asses.sor of Los Angeles
count)'.

The birth of H. A. Barclay occurred in the old
Indian town of Punxsutawney, Jefferson county.
Pa., in 1849. In his youth he obtained a liberal
education, and entered Allegheny College, at
Meadville, Pa., taking the classical and scientific
courses, and subsequently entered Cornell Uni-
versity at Ithaca, N. Y., with a special view to
completing his studies in civil engineering, geol-
ogy and modern languages. For some time he was
actively engaged in the oil business in Pennsylva-
nia, with such success that when the great shut-
down occurred he availed himself of the opportu-
nity to complete his law studies, and was admitted
to the bar of Armstrong and Clarion counties, Pa. ,
in 1871. In 1872 he removed to Pittsburg, and
entered into partnership with his father in the
practice of law, remaining there until 1874, when
he came to California, and, after traveling over
the state, selected as his location Los Angeles,
then containing about eight thousand inhabi-
tants. He has witnessed the remarkable growth
andimprovement of Southern California, and has
the satisfaction of knowing that he has been a not
unimportant factor in the wonderful transforma-
tion. Moreover, he has been instrumental in the
upbuilding of Pasadena, Lincoln Park, Rialto,
South Riverside (now Corona), Beaumont, and
other localities in this section of the state, and has
contributed largely to the conservation and de-
velopment of the watersheds of Southern Call-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

279

foriiia, ill securing the San Gabriel and San Ber-
nardino forest reservations, the development of
the Tujunga, Lytle Creek, Cajon Pass and other
streams, and the numerous industries and organ-
izations which have been beneficial to the state.
He was one of the founders of the Southern Cal-
ifornia (now the Merchants' ) National Bank, and
for years served as its attorney and as one of its
board of directors. His practice has extended
throughout the state, and he has tried numerous
cases which have been widely noted, especially
those brought before the United States, circuit
and supreme court, involving title to Mexican
and Spanish grants, and railroad and government
lands, and water rights, mechanics' liens, mining
and corporation law. Socially he is very popu-
lar, and wherever he goes he readily wins friends.
Politically he is a Republican, thoroughly posted
upon all the great questions of the day, and has
always taken an active part in politics. He was
vice and acting chairman of the Republican coun-
ty central committee in the Blaine campaign,
and was elected chairman in the Garfield cam-
paign. In his home life Mr. Barclay finds his
chief pleasure, and there he is seen at his best.
He was married in 1882 to Miss Lily A. Ward,
of New Haven, Conn., and they have two chil-
dren. They have a beautiful home at No. 132 1
South Main street, where many of the old mansions
of the early residents of Los Angeles are to be
found.

(TOHN A. DONNELL. It is said of the lives
I of men who shape the affairs of nations that
Q) nearness of vision often destroys clearness of
vision, hence the difficulty of one's own near
friends and neighbors accurately measuring the
influence of his character and career. However,
this is not always true, for we find many instances
of men who are justly honored and esteemed by
their associates and whose most intimate friends
do the greatest justice to his influence. Such
may be said of Mr. Donnell, whose name and
works will be woven into the history of his
country, and, as time passes, he and others who
shaped the course of progress in days gone by
will be given the positions to which their merits
entitle them.

Mr. Donnell's grandfather, Thomas Donnell,
was born in Virginia in 1766 and accompanied

his parents to Westmoreland county, Pa., in
1775, thence went to Bourbon county, Ky., in
1784, where the family suffered extreme hard-
ships and afflicting bereavements. His mother
died at sunset and his father at sunrise of the
following day and both were buried in the same
grave on the north bank of the Licking river in
Kentucky. In 1 8 1 7 Thomas Donnell removed to
Decatur county, Ind., where he died. His
brother, Samuel, served for thirty years as jus-
tice of the peace and high sheriff of Bourbon
county, Ky.

James, son of Thomas Donnell, was born in
Bourbon county, Ky., April 15, 1790. For years
he lived on a farm in Decatur county, Ind., but
in October, 1854, sold that place and moved to
Keokuk county, Iowa, purchasing a farm nine
miles south of Sigourney, where he died Feb-
ruary 19, 1863. He was a zealous worker in the
Presbyterian Church and in the anti-slavery
cause. For his second wife he married Jane
Huddleson, who was born in Bourbon county,
Ky., April 14, 1799. They became the parents
of Samuel, John, Oliver, Robert and Ann Eliza,
all born in Decatur county, Ind. Mrs. Donnell
was a daughter of a Revolutionary soldier, who
.•lerved during the entire period of the war, even
after he had suffered the loss of an arm in the
battle of Brandywine. Mrs. Donnell died on
the Iowa homestead September 15, i860.

John Alexander Donnell was born April 13,
1838, and received his primary education in com-
mon schools, after which he studied for two
years in a scientific school conducted by Prof.
B. M. Nyce, of Kingston, Ind. During the
summer of 1856 he attended a college in Jasper
county, Iowa, and in the fall of the same year
entered upon the classical course in the Wash-
ington (United Presbyterian) College at Wash-
ington, Iowa, from which he graduated on the
4th of July, 1861. In April of that year, only a
few da5's after President Lincoln called for
seventy-five thousand volunteers, he enlisted, but
the quota was full and the company of which he
became a member was not accepted. He then
returned to college and completed his course.
August 8, 1861, he became a member of Com-
pany I, First Iowa Cavalry, and with three
brothers who belonged to the same regiment
marched to the front. In 1862 he was promoted

28o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to the rank of quarlerinaster-sergeaiil of the
regiment. Februarj- 7, 1863, he was commis-
sioned first lieutenant and adjutant of the regi-
ment of twelve hundred men, each of whom
owned his own horse. He participated in most
of the battles and scouting expeditions of the
Fremont campaign in southwestern Missouri.
From 1861 to the time of his discharge, in 1864,
his service was entirely in the Seventh Arm}^
Corps in Missouri and Arkansas.

While at Little Rock, Ark., in 1864, he was
nominated by the Republican convention of
Keokuk count}', Iowa, as clerk of the district
court, and, being elected, he resigned his position
in the army and January i, 1865, entered upon
his official duties. During his service of two
years in office he studied law. In February,
1867, he was admitted to the bar, and has since
engaged in practice. During the war Keokuk
county was very close, politically. For several
years afterward it was Republican by a verj-
small majority, but it was always difficult to fore-
shadow results. It was often fusion. In 1873
Mr. Donnell was the unanimous choice of the
Republican party for state senator, but was de-
feated. In 1882 he was elected district attorney
for the sixth judicial district of Iowa, comprising
several counties. This office he filled for four
years. In 1886 he was the Republican nominee
for congress from the sixth congressional district
of Iowa, but was defeated by Gen. James B.
Weaver by a small majority, after an exciting
campaign that was watched with interest by
both parties throughout the entire country.

February II, 1868, Mr. Donnell married Sue
C. Hogin, daughter of Hon. John C. Hogin, of
Sigourney, Iowa. In 1887 she came with her
husband to Califoruia, but soon returned to
Iowa, and at her home in Sigourney died Octo-
ber 26, 1887, after a brief illness. Two children
born of their marriage are also deceased, namely:
Wendell and Grace. Eight children are still
living, viz.; Una Z. Partridge, wife of W. E. B.
Partridge; William W., Birney H., Orrilla M.,
Homer, Blanche, John C. and Horace.

Since coming to California, in 1887, Mr. Don-
nell has been prominent in public affairs. In 1889
he was assistant district attorney of Los Angeles
county, and in 1894 was elected to the office of
district attorney, which office he filled for four

years. Fraternally he is a member of Peutalpha
Lodge No. 202, F. & A. M., and Signet Chap-
ter No. 57, R. A. M.; also belongs to Bartlett
Logan Post No. 6, G. A. R., the Loyal Legion
and California Commandery of the same. In
religious belief he is a Presbyterian. He has
been a successful practitioner in his profession,
an earnest Republican, an eloquent and effective
speaker and a meritorious citizen.

gHARLES UDELL, a successful and promi-
nent lawyer of Los Angeles, whose office is
in the Homer Laughlin building, was born
in Waushara county, Wis., March i, 1858, a son
of Jared and Paulina (Stevens) Udell, who died
during his childhood. His father belonged to an
old historic family, which included Nicholas
Udall (as the name was then spelled) , the founder
of the English drama, who was born in 1505, and
died in 1556. Our subject's ancestors were
among those who came to this country in the
Mayflower.

To a limited extent Mr. Udell attended the
public schools during his boyhood, but the
greater part of his education has been acquired
by self-culture. At the age of thirteen years,
after the death of his parents, he started out to
make his own way in the world, working in the
summer at whatever he could find to do and at-
tending school through the winter months as he
found opportunity. Before locating permanently
in California he had traveled all over the United
States and made a trip around the world. In
1877 he assisted in the construction of a railroad
in Mexico; later engaged in mining in the Black
Hills; and in its early days visited Leadville,
Colo., where he also engaged in mining. He
was on the frontier of Texas for a time and sub-
sequently followed the sea for a number of years.

In 1884 Mr. Udell located in San Francisco.
During all his years of travel he had read ex-
tensively and he determined to make the practice
of law his profession. Accordingly, in 1S87 he
came to Los Angeles and entered the law office
of Graves, O'Melveny & Shankland, with whom
he studied for three years, being admitted to the
bar in 1890. Opening an office, he engaged in
practice with marked success.

In 1890 Mr. Udell married Miss Elizabeth C.

,:,^^{^j^^^t.^^^^y~^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

283

Bewley, of California, and to tlieui have been
born three children, namely: Mildred, Kenneth
and Dorothy. Mr. Udell is a member of the
Masonic fraternity and the Ancient Order of
United Workmen, and politically is a stanch sup-
porter of the Republican party. In the fall of
1898 he was elected a member of the board of
education, receiving the largest majority of any
candidate for the board, which fact indicates his
popularity and the confidence and trust reposed
in him by his fellow-citizens.

In April, 1900, Mr. Udell formed a partner-
,ship with L. L. Shelton, under the firm name of
Udell & Shelton. Leaving the Los Angeles
practice in the hands of Mr. Shelton, he went to
Nome, Alaska, on behalf of clients, to remain
there two and one-half years.

HON. SHERMAN OTIS HOUGHTON, who
may justly be considered one of the founders
of the commonwealth of California, was born
in the city of New York, April 10, 1828. The
Houghton family traces its descent from a Nor-
man ancestor who went to England at the time
of the Norman conquest. S. O. Houghton is
descended from John Houghton, who emigrated
from Lancaster, England, and arrived in Charles-
town, Mass., in 1635. John and his cousin,
Ralph Houghton, were among the founders and
first settlers of Lancaster, Mass. Each of them
represented the town in the general court of the
commonwealth for several years, and they and
their descendants were active in colonial and
Indian wars.

Abijah Houghton, his grandfather, was among
the minutemen of Lexington and Concord, and
received a bullet and a bayonet wound at the bat-
tle of Bunker Hill. At the beginning of the War
of 1 8 12 his father entered the military service of
the United States as captain of artillery and at-
tained the rank of colonel. Later he and an elder
brother published the Orange Coimty Gazette at
Goshen, N. Y., and subsequently he was the pro-
prietor of several other newspapers. During his
later years he had a country estate in New Jersey,
became greatly interested in agricultural pursuits,
and was a prominent member of the Farmers'
Club, an adjunct of the American Institute of
New York City.

The maternal ancestors of S. O. Houghton were
French Huguenots, who early settled in East
Jersey. His maternal great-grandfather, Bethuel
Farrand, served as a lieutenant in the New Jersey
troops during the Revolution and was present
when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. His
grandfather, Daniel Farrand, was also with the
patriot army; and Rhoda Farrand, the wife and
mother of the two last-named, was one of the
patriotic women celebrated by Washington Irving
and others, for her work in alleviating the suf-
ferings of the soldiers encamped for the winter at
Morristown, N.J. For her efforts in their behalf
she was given the public personal thanks of
General Washington.

S. O. Houghton was educated at a collegiate
institute in New York City. At the age of eight-
een he enlisted in the First Regiment of New
York Volunteers, commanded by Col. J. D.
Stevenson, which was mustered into the service
of the United States in July, 1846, for the war
with Mexico. He came with his regiment around
Cape Horn, and after a six months' voyage
arrived in San Francisco, March 26, 1847. Soon
afterward he accompanied the detachment of his
regiment, commanded by Lieut. -Col. H.S. Burton,
to Mexico and there participated in numerous
conflicts with Mexican troops. In December,
1S47, when in his twentieth year, he was pro-
moted to a lieutenancy, having gone through all
the intermediate grades, and was made adjutant
of his command. At the close of the Mexican
war he returned to California, arriving here in
October, 1848. Shortly thereafter he went to the
gold mines and remained about one year, min-
ing, trading and transporting provisions and
supplies for the miners. He had received a com-
mercial education and was thorough!}' conversant
with the French and Spanish languages, and this
training proved of great value to him in theearlj^
years of the American occupation of California.
He was one of a party of four who were the first
to dig gold in the famous mining district of
Sonora, in this state. In 1849 he settled at San
Jose, where he remained until 1886, and then
removed to Los Angeles, his present home.

In 1852 Mr. Houghton took the official census
of Santa Clara county, in 1852-53 was deputy
recorder, and in 1853-54 served in the city
council of San Josi?, over which body he presided.

284

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RI'XORD.

He was clerk uf a seiiale coiiiiiiitlce ol the first
legislature of California and in 1854 served as
deputy clerk of the state supreme court. In 1854
he was deputy tax collector, and in 1855-56 held
office as mayor of San Jose. For five years he
served as a volunteer fireman of his city. He
organized the Eagle Guards, one of the first
independent military companies in the state. He
was ordnance officer on the stalTof Major- General
Halleck, and during the period between 1S57 and
1 866 held seven military commissions. During
the war of the Rebellion he drilled a company of
infantry and another of light artillery for active
service in the army.

At the request of the sheriff of Santa Clara
countj', on an occasion when a mob of several
hundred armed men surrounded thejail and were
about to attack it with the object of lynching two
prisoners, he marched twenty men through the
mob, took possession of thejail and finally caused
the mob to disperse.

In 1S57 Mr. Houghton was admitted to the
bar of the district court, three years later was ad-
mitted to practice in the supreme court of the
state and in 187 1 was admitted by the supreme
court of the United States. For a number of
years his specialty was the settling of the titles to
old Spanish land grants before the United States
courts. He is considered one of the fathers of
the law of the state of California, having had an
active part in settling its system, acting in various
capacities from that of judge in a mining camp in
pioneer days to the shaping of statutes for legis-
lative enactment. In 1868 he assisted in founding
and establishing the San Jose woolen mills. He
was vice-president of the Western Pacific Rail-
road Company, owners of a railroad built by
authority of Congress from Sacramento to San
Jose to connect the Central Pacific with San
Francisco.

Recognizing his fitness for public service, the
friends of Colonel Houghton nominated him as
congressman, and he was duly elected. For one
term he represented the first district of California
in the forty-second congress of the United States,
which then compri.sed the present fourth, fifth,
sixth and seventh districts. In the forty-third
congress he represented the fourth district. At
the expiration of his second term he was re-
nominated by acclamation. During the period

of his service in congress the work on the inner
harbor of San Pedro was commenced and con-
tinued without interruption, through the very
liberal appropriation he secured for that purpose.
He was the originator of the project to make a
deep-water harbor at San Pedro. In 1874 he
introduced a bill in congress to appropriate
$5,000 to cover the expenses of an examina-
tion by United States engineers to ascertain and
report upon the feasibility of such a work.

In 1882 Colonel Houghton was one of the five
veterans of the Mexican war selected by that
society to represent it in the re-incorporation of
the Veterans' Home Association. During the
same Near he was elected a director of the home
and served actively until July 31, 1884, when he
resigned. During the administration of President
Arthur he was appointed a member of the com-
mission to investigate and report upon the con-
dition and management of the United States mint
at San Francisco, his associates on the commission
being ex-United States Senator and ex-Secretary
of War Ramsay, of Minnesota, and ex-Governor
Young, of Ohio.

The first wife of Colonel Houghton was Marj-
M., daughter of Jacob and Mary Donner, who,
w-ith her parents, crossed the continent from
Illinois to California in 1846. She died the year
after their marriage, leaving one child, Mary M.

October 10, 1861, Colonel Houghton was
uuited in marriage with Eliza Poor, daughter of
George and Tamsen Donner. The former, a
brother of Jacob Donner, mentioned above, was
a native of North Carolina, his father having
CQme to America and settled in that colonj' about
the time of the war for independence. George
Donner was captain of a company known in
history as the ' 'Donner party, ' ' whose experiences
on the journey to California form one of the most
tragic and pathetic tales of early California days.
Captain Donner perished in the snow-bound
camp in the Sierras, near the lake which bears
his name, and where the party passed that
terrible winter of 1846-47. And there, too,
his heroic wife gave up her life for his sake, re-
fusing to .save her.self when she might have done
so by going with the last relief party which came
to their rescue from the Sacramento valley,
becau.se by going with them she would be com-
pelled to leave her dying husband. She remained

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

285

alone with him to whom death was nigh, in the
desolate mountain fastnesses and thus fulfilled to
the uttermost her wifely vow, "Till death dons
part."

Mrs. Donuer was a daughter of William Eustis,
a soldier of the Revolution, who was taken
captive by the British and detained for four
months a prisoner on board the Count D'Estaing.
The family are also lineal descendants of John
Wheelwright, vicar of Bilsby, England, who,
being ejected by Archbishop Laud, emigrated to
America in 1 636. He and his sister-in-law, Anne
Hutchinson, were leaders in a religious con-
troversy which for a time threatened to disrupt
New England. The two, being opposed by all
of the clergy excepting Cotton Mather, were ex-
pelled from Boston. In 1644 his sentence was
annulled and two years later he went back to
England, where he was favored by Oliver Crom-
well, whom he had known in boyhood. Return-
ing after the restoration of Charles II. he settled
at Salisbury, Mass. His writings were collected
by the Prince Society in 1876. Among his
descendants have been men who were distin-
guished in various walks of life, notably William
Wheelwright, in the fifth generation, who made
an immense fortune in South America, behaving
established the first steamship line plying between
South Pacific ports, and built wagon roads and
railroads in Chili, which republic has erected a
large bronze statue of him in the market place in
Valparaiso, and also placed his portrait in their
municipal building. He devoted large sums to
charities, among other things founding the Old
Ladies' Home in his native town, Newburyport,
Mass.

Mrs. Houghton was educated in the city schools
of Sacramento and the convent in Benecia.
After her marriage she removed to San Jose,
where seven children were born to her: Eliza P.,
Sherman Otis, Clara H., Charles D., Francis I.
and Herbert S. Another son, Stanley W., was
born in Washington, D. C. Herbert S. died in
infancy, and Francis I. at Los Angeles, Cal. ,
October 3, 1894, at the age of twenty-three.

During her residence in San Jose Mrs. Hough-
ton was identified with many charities and move-
ments tending to the advancement of the com-
munity, and at her home in Los Angeles, June 16,
1895, the second chapter in the state of the Soci-

ety of the Daughters of the American Revolution,
Eschscholtzia Chapter, was organized by her
daughters.

J. M^ GARRY. One of the enterprising
md able attorneys-at-law of Los Angeles,
M. J. M*^ Garry has a brilliant future
awaiting him, judging from what he has ac-
complished within a comparatively short period in
the past. He possesses the energy and progres-
sive spirit of the great west, and takes much
pride in the high standing of this city, his chosen
place of residence. Moreover he bids fair to be-
come something of a politician, and on several
occasions has been delegated to represent his
partj- friends in city and county conventions.

It seems specially fitting that this ambitious
j-oung man should have come from that city of
grand and phenomenal achievement — Chicago.
There his birth occurred April 13, 1872, and
there he obtained his elementary education in the
parochial schools. In 1881 he accompanied his
family to Los Angeles, which he has since con-
sidered his home. His father, Hon. Daniel M.
M"^ Garry, formerly a prosperous coal merchant
of Chicago, is at present engaged in the real
estate business, and has served efficiently as a
member of the Los Angeles city council. For
one term he represented the fifth ward, and sub-
sequently he was elected from the seventh ward.
During the many years of his residence in this
city he has sought to promote its interests in
every honorable manner, and for that reason is
now acting as a director of the Chamber of Com-
merce. To himself and wife, whose maiden
name was Marj^ M*^ Caughan, six children were
born, of whom Daniel is engaged in the coal
business in Los Angeles; Dr. John A., who was
graduated with the degree of Master of Arts from
St. Vincent's College, later was graduated from
the Los Angeles Medical College, and is now
assistant surgeon in the National Soldiers' Home,
in Los Angeles county; Patrick J. is a graduate of
the State School of Pharmacy; and Anna and
Mary are at home.

When he had finished his preparatory course
of mental training, M. J. M'^ Garry became a
student in St. Vincent's College, of Los Angeles,
graduating therefrom in 1892. Then, going to
the University of Notre Dame, in South Bend,

286

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Iiul., li(j took up the study of law, and was grad-
uated in that well-known institution in 1894.
He was admitted at once to the bar of the supreme
court of Indiana, and the same year was admitted
to the California state bar. Since that time he
has made steady i^rogress in his favorite field of
effort and conducts a general and quite extensive
practice.

In social, political and fraternal circles Mr.
M*^ Garry is deservedly popular. He is president
of the local branch of the Ancient Order of
Hibernians, and is a member of the Royal Ar-
canum. In his political creed he is a Democrat
of no uncertain stamp, possessing the courage of
his convictions. His marriage with Miss E valine
Quinlau was solemnized in Chicago, May 10,
1898. The young couple have a pleasant home
here and numerous friends wherever they have
resided.

I ESLIE R. HEWITT. Among the able
\r\ 5'°^^"o legal practitioners of Los Angeles
U stands Leslie R. Hewitt, who, it would
seem, was destined for his chosen profession, and
who, by persistent effort and well applied zeal,
has .steadily advanced in the regard of the public
and in the estimation of his brothers at the bar.
He is what may be termed a self-made man, for
he has been dependent upon his own resources
and has been the architect of his own fortunes,
building upon a solid foundation of knowledge
and carefull\- rearing the superstructure of suc-
cess.

When it is explained that the paternal grand-
father of Leslie R. Hewitt was serving in the
position of chief justice of Washington Territory,
under appointment of President Lincoln, at the
time of our subject's birth, in September, 1867,
and that the latter's father was acting in the
capacity of clerk of the court at Olympia that
year, and that in addition to this the young man's
nativity took place in a wing of the courthouse,
where the home of the family was at that time,
it may be seen that there is ample ju.stification
for the statement that he apparently was destined
for the law. From his earliest recollections peo-
ple laughingly made the prediction for him, and
undoubtedly he inherited the keenness of mind

and the love fur debate and argument, as well as
the capacity for study, that are marked traits of
the successful lawyer.

In the spring of 1876 Mr. Hewitt removed to
Los Angeles and commenced attending the pub-
lic schools of this city. He was graduated in the
high .school in 1885, and later entered the Uni-
varsity of California, where he was graduated in
1890. He began the study of law in the office
of Wells, Guthrie & Lee, and afterwards was
connected with the offices of Judge York and
Houghton, Silent & Campbell. In addition to
completing his legal education systematically,
and though largely dependent upon himself, it
should be said that he laid the foundation of a
large and well-selected law library also in this
period. In due course of time he applied for
examination and was admitted to practice at the
bar. In 1893 he was admitted to practice before
the supreme court, and since that time hassurelj-
progressed toward the goal of his ambition. He
has met with gratifying success in the majority
of the cases which he has handled, and, as he
never has ceased to be a student and searcher for
information, he is daily widening his mental
horizon and fitting himself for yet greater tri-
umphs.

In his political faith Mr. Hewitt is a thorough-
going Republican, and when he was chosen by
Walter F. Haas, city attorney, to serve as his assist-
ant in this responsible position, all acquainted
with both gentlemen were highly pleased, as it
was foreseen that the interests of the people
would not be allowed to suffer in their hands.
In this connection it may not be out of place to
quote what the Los Angeles T/'mis of January i,
1899, said of the then newly elected Mr. Haas:
"He leaves a large and rapidly growing practice
to assume the duties of this responsible trust, but
his indomitable energy, his wide and varied
learning in the profession to which he is so ar-
dently devoted, and withal, the wise discrimina-
tion he has shown in the choice of his subordi-
nates, has abundantly justified his choice by the
suffrages of the people. " The Times of the same
issue also paid a fine tribute to Mr. Hewitt per-
sonally, concluding with the remark that "Mr.
Hewitt has been associated with Mr. Haas since
the spring of 1895, and the general public feel
'jrcat confidence that under their administration

/^j^^^^C^A^t^L

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the afifairs of the city attoriiej''s office will be
conducted faithfully and well. ' ' That this hope
has been realized to the fullest extent it is need-
less to state, and that both of these wide-awake,
ambitious young men have a brilliant future
opening before them, it is not hazardous to pre-
dict.

EALEB E. WHITE. Very few of the men now
living in Pomona have been identified with
the history of California for a longer period
than has Mr. White. He was one of the '49erswho
were led to cast in their lot with the then unknown
west at the time of the discovery of gold here.
Since that time he has made his home in this state.
The wonderful improvements that have brought
this state to a foremost position among the great
commonwealths of America he has witnessed and
aided, and he deservedly occupies a position
among the public-spirited pioneers to whose self-
sacrificing eiforts the organization and develop-
ment of the slate may be attributed.

Mr. White was born in Holbrook, Mass., Feb-
ruary 5, 1830, a son of Jonathan and Abigail
(Holbrook) White, natives of the same place as
himself. His father, who was the son of a Revo-
lutionary soldier, was for years engaged in the
manufacture of shoes at Holbrook. During his
boyhood our subject had some experience in the
nursery business at Holbrook, where he attended
the grammar and high school. When nineteen
years of age he started for California, being one
of a party of fifteen who purchased the brig
Arcadia, and sailed from Boston for San Fran-
cisco via the straits of Magellan. After a tedious
voyage of two hundred and sixty-three days they
sailed through the Golden Gate October 29,1849.
In 1850 Mr. White embarked in the general
mercantile business in Sacramento, as a member
of the firm of Haskell, White & Co. However,
this firm was dissolved in a short time. Subse-
quently he engaged in the nursery business on a
ranch on the American river, and also for sev-
enteen years was a member of the firm of White
& Hollister in the nursery business. At a later
date he became interested in sheep-raising, hav-
ing a sheep ranch at Florence, Los Angeles
county.

The year iSSo found Mr. White a pioneer of
what is now the city of Pomona. He was one of

the prime movers in securing the organization of
the city, and served as a member of its first board
of trustees. He has become one of the well-
known horticulturists of the region. His place
consists of seventy acres, of which sixty acres
are in orchard. In addition to the management
of this propert}', he has for ten or more years
served as vice-president of the People's Bank of
Pomona. The Republican party has always re-
ceived his allegiance and its candidates his vote.
He has invariably been found on the side of prog-
ress and development, and his support has been
given to measures for the benefit of the city and
the development of its resources. Fraternally he
is a Mason, and in religion a member of the Pomo-
na Methodist Episcopal Church.

The marriage of Mr. White took place in Cal-
ifornia in 1854, and united him with Miss Re-
becca Holship, of St. Louis, Mo. They became
the parents of three children, namely: Helen M.,
who is the wife of Hon. R. F. Del Valle, of Los
Angeles; Nannie C, wife of Charles L- North-
craft, also of Los Angeles; and Harry R., of
Pomona.

(TJHIRLEY C. WARD has attained distinc-
/Sk tion as one of the able members of the Los
\Z/ Angeles bar. In this profession, probably
more than any other, success depends upon indi-
vidual meiit, upon a thorough understanding of
the principles of jurisprudence, a power of keen
analysis, and the ability to present clearly, con-
cisely and forcibly, the strong points in his case.
Possessing these necessary qualifications, Mr.
Ward is accorded a foremost place in the ranks
of the profession in Los Angeles county.

He was born in Nashville, Tenn., June 30,
1861, a son of John S. and Eunice (Robertson)
Ward, and a representative of one of the promi-
nent pioneer families of Tennessee. His mater-
nal grandfather. Gen. James Robertson, was the
founder of Nashville. The family was repre-
.sented in the Revolutionary w-ar, four of the
grand-uncles of our subject having participated
in the battle of Kings' Mountain. The father of
our subject has devoted the greater part of his
life to literary pursuits. While in the south he
was editor of a literar}' magazine, and since com-
ing to this state he has written many able articles
on Southern California for magazines and other

290

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

periodicals. He is now living, practically re-
tired, in Los Angeles count}'. The mother died
when our subject was but a child, leaving two
children, the other being Annie Eunice, who pos-
sesses considerable ability as a poetess, but her
many poems have never been put in permanent
form.

At the age of twelve years vShirley C. \\'ard
accompanied his parents on their removal to Cal-
ifornia. After spending a short time in Los
Angeles they located on a ranch in San Bernar-
dino county, where he attended the public schools,
and later was a student in the University of Cali-
fornia at Berkeley, graduating from the law de-
partment of that institution in 1886. He took
the examination before the board of the supreme
court, passed very creditably, and was admitted
to the bar. Locating at once in Los Angeles, he
became a member of the firm of Wicks & Ward,
and this partnership continued for four years,
since which time Mr. Ward has been alone. He
has made a special study of irrigation, water
rights and corporation laws, and has had some of
the most intricate and difficult cases along those
lines in Los Angeles county, having brought him
largely before the supreme and federal courts.
The old Mexican laud grants have caused a great
deal of litigation, the idea prevailing that these
grants held priority over the Indian title, and
that the Indians could be driven out at any time.
Mr. Ward has had many such cases, and is to-
day one of the best informed lawyers along that
line in the city. After he had prepared a brief
and conducted one of the most stubbornly fought
cases on record, and won it in the supreme court of
the state, he was appointed by the attorney-gener-
al, at the instance of the secretary of the interior,
L. Q. C. Lamar, attorney for the Indians in South-
ern California, this position being given him
without his .solicitation. Subsequently he was
appointed by Attorney-General Garland to con-
duct the case of the United States vs. John Han-
cock, involving title to the Muscupiabe grant,
but the government lost the case.

In 1883 Mr. Ward was united in marriage with
Miss Blanche Chandler, wlxjse father, Jefferson
Chandler, one of the leading attorneys of Wash-
ington, D. C. , became prominent first in Missouri,
and from there moved to Washington, where he
lias figured in many ini])ortant cases in the I'nited

States. He was the leading counsel in the Star
Route cases, and was connected with the Bell
Telephone cases and many others. Our subject
and his wife have four children, namely: Chand-
ler Paul, John Shirley, Robertson Burnette
and Katherine Corilla. The family have a pleas-
ant home on the Harper tract.

Politically Mr. Ward is a Democrat. Though
he is interested in good government, his profes-
sional duties leave him no time to take part in
political affairs. When a boy he determined to
become a lawyer, and he has that love for his
profession without which there can be no success.
He is thoroughly versed in the law, and never
appears in court unprepared. Prominence at the
bar comes through merit alone, and the high
position which Mr. Ward has attained attests his
superiority.

HON. WILLIAM J. HUNSAKER. Prob-
ably there are few members of the bar who
are more widely known or accounted more
of an authority on legal matters in Southern Cal-
ifornia than Mr. Hunsaker. Endowed with a keen
mentality and broad and liberal views, he readily
masters the intricacies of any situation, however
involved and difficult, and presses his advantage
to a successful issue in the majority of cases. He
maintains a high standard of professional ethics,
and never has been induced to descend to petty
methods.

The paternal grandfather of W. J. Hunsaker,
Daniel Hunsaker by name, was a pioneer of Illi-
nois, where he participated in the Blackhawk
war and suffered the privations of a frontier life.
The father of our subject, Nicholas Hunsaker,
was, in his turn, a pioneer of progress and civil-
ization in the west. As early as 1847 he came
to California, where he engaged in farming and
improving property in Contra Costa county.
There he became recognized as a man of unusual
ability, and was honored twice with the office of
sheriff, being one of the first occupants of that
post in the young county. Later he was elected
sherift'ofSan Diego county and filled the posi-
tion with credit. He was a native of Illinois,
while his wife, whose maiden name was Lois E.
Hastings, was born in Ohio. Two of their four
sons are deceased, and James is a successful cattle
raiser in Arizona,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

291

The subject of this article is California born
and bred, and with all the strength of his nature
he loves his native state, which, even within his
own recollection, has made such wonderful strides
toward wealth and power. His birth took place
in 1855 upon his father's ranch on Walnut creek,
in Contra Costa countj', about fourteen miles
from Oakland, Cal. There he passed fourteen
years of his life, at the end of which period he
accompanied his parents to their new home in
San Diego. In that city he received his higher
education and made preparations for his future
career.

Having determined to enter the legal profes-
sion, young Hunsaker commenced his studies
along that line in the office of Judge Baker, who
subsequently rose to the position of member of
the Supreme Court of Arizona. Major Levi Chase
also aided the young man with such advice and
instruction as he needed, and finally, in 1876, he
was admitted to the San Diego bar. There he
was actively engaged in practice for sixteen
years, in the meantime making an enviable rec-
ord and for one term serving as district attorney
of the county. In 1892 he removed to Los An-
geles, as greater possibilities are constantly open-
ing before this queen of the cities of the great
southwest. With the exception of about one year,
when business affairs necessitated his presence in
Tombstone, Ariz. , he has since looked upon Los
Angeles as his home. Formerly he was retained as
legal adviser and solicitor of the Santa Fe Rail-
road system, but resigned in order to give his
undivided attention to his rapidly growing prac-
tice. He makes a specialty of corporation law,
and the major portion of his business is tran-
sacted in the federal and supreme courts. His
finely furnished and commodious offices are cen-
trally located in the Currier block, his suite
being Nos. 407-410. Hard and earnest work,
fidelity to the interests of his clients and devotion
to principle have wrought out his success. In
manner he is genial and optimistic, and his
friends are innumerable throughout this section
of the state. Politically he is now enrolled under
the banners of the Republican party, though
until the last presidential election he was an ar-
dent Democrat. As might be expected of a man
of his cool, judicious mind, he carefully weighs
all of the evidence submitted to him, and when

he has determined upon which side lies the pre-
ponderance of right and justice lie has the cour-
age to give his verdict accordingh-.

Mr. Hunsaker and Miss Florence Virginia Mc-
Farland were married in San Diego in 1879.
She is a native of Virginia, and possesses the
graces of mind and character for which the women
of the Old Dominion ever have been noted. Four
children bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Hun-
saker, namely: Mary, Florence, Rose and Daniel.

(John W. KEMP. Prominent among the
I numerous enterprising and gifted members
(y of the bar of Los Angeles county is John W.
Kemp, whose office is located in the Byrne
building. Having been almost a life- long resident
of California, he is in thorough sympathy with
the state in all of its ambitious dreams of future
greatness, believing, that as such wonderful
things have been accomplished here within the
past few years, there can be scarcely a limit to
what may be done in the ensuing years.

Mr. Kemp is of English ancestry, and his
paternal grandfather was a native of Canada.
The family removed to the United States and
became stanch patriots of the land of their adop-
tion, four of the brothers of our subject's father
participating in the defense of the Union during
the Civil war. The father, John B. Kemp, was
a farmer and stock-raiser, and was a man who
was greatly respected by all who knew him.
Removing from Wisconsin to Northern California
in 1868, he resided there until his death, Novem-
ber 16, 1879, at forty-eight years of age. His
wife, whose maiden name was Mary McArthur,
and whose birth occurred in the highlands of
Scotland, is still living, making her home in Los
Angeles. Of their six children, four are
daughters, and Robert W. is an attorney of San
Pedro, this county.

The birth of John W. Kemp occurred in Wau-
paca, Wis. , June 2, 1863, and in that locality here-
sided until he was five years old. With his parents
he then moved to Shasta county, Cal., where he
attended the public schools. For about four years
it was his privilege to pursue his studies in the
excellent schools of Stockton, and subsequently
he engaged in teaching for about four years. In
the meantime he spent his leisure hours in legal

292

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

studies, and for a period he was in the law office
of Judge Works. He was admitted to practice
before the bar of the supreme court of California
in 1892, and since that time his progress has been
marked. He came to Los Angeles in 1892 and
has been located here ever since. Genuine abilitj-
and a thorough understanding of the law, added
to the painstaking care which he devotes to every
case intrusted to him, render his success assured,
whenever the nature of the case possibl3' permits
of a favorable ending. He is rapidly forging his
way to the front ranks of his profession and
enjoys an enviable reputation for fairness and
integrity in all his dealings. In his political
faith he is a Republican, active in the support of
the party which has so often steered the ship of
state through stormy seas to a secure haven of
prosperity.

In 1896 Mr. Kemp married Miss Georgia
Thatcher, who was born and reared to womanhood
in California, and who is a daughter of W. W.
and Sarah E. Thatcher. Her father is one of the
oldest settlers in California, and, like many other
pioneers, engaged in mining — his daughter,
Georgia, being born in the Placerville mining
camp. Mrs. Kemp is a lady of culture and educa-
tional attainments, and with grace and dignity
she presides over her home, making the many
friends of herself and husband welcome with a
hearty cordiality in which he joins. One child
has been born of this union, Thatcher John Kemp.

HON. JOHN D. POPE. While the majority
of the citizens of Los Angeles, including
even many of the most influential, are scarce-
ly known beyond the limits of California or the
Pacific coast, Mr. Pope is not only well known
in the trans-Rocky region, but his name and his
fame have extended into other sections of the
countrj', and he has been a prominent participant
in public affairs for a long period of years.
Especially in Georgia and St. Louis is his name
well known. Himself of southern birth and an-
cestry, and for years a distinguished attorney of
Atlanta, he there established the reputation for
ability he has since sustained; and it can with
justice be .said that he is one of the eminent sons
whom Georgia has given to the nation.

On a farm near Atlanta Mr. Pope was born in

1838 and there the uneventful years of boyhood
were happily passed. The family possessing am-
ple means, he was given the best educational
advantages the south afforded, and 'took a com-
plete course in the Univer.sity of Georgia, from
which he graduated with the highest honors of
his class. About the close of the Civil war he
establi-shed himself in law practice in Atlanta,
and for years afterward was a partner of Hon.
Joseph E. Brown, who was four times elected
governor of Georgia and also held the office of
chief justice of the supreme court. Association
with a man so eminent and so able could not but
prove helpful to Mr. Pope, whose own keen men-
tal faculties were developed by intimate compan-
ionship with his gifted partner. His ability was
recognized by his selection as judge of the superior
court of the Atlanta circuit, state of Georgia, in
which responsible position he rendered the high-
est service for three years, resigning to accept the
office of United States attorney, to which he was
appointed by Ulys.ses S. Grant, then president.
In that high position he rendered the same faith-
ful service that had characterized him in positions
of less importance. Accustomed as he was to
matters of vast moment, his quickness of percep-
tion and clearness of reasoniug enabled him to
grasp almost instantly even intricate and weighty
problems, and made him a valuable officer of the
government.

On re.signing as United States attorney, Mr.
Pope resumed the practice of law in his southern
home. In 1873 he removed to St. Louis, where
he practiced law until 1S90. He then removed
to Los Angeles, having become an admirer of
this beautiful and progressive western city. He
now occupies a finely equipped suite of offices in
the Stimson block. In addition to his general
practice he is counselor for a number of large
corporations, including the Santa Monica and
Mount Lowe Railway Companies. He is also
president of the Title Guarantee and Trust Com-
pany-. During the decade he has made his home
in Los Angeles he has proved himself to be a
progressive citizen. Although he is not a poli-
tician (on the contrary, being independent in his
views), \el he is none the less an active citizen
and a iiarticipant in public affairs, favoring all
movements for the benefit of his city.

In early manhood Judge Pope was united in

•^^ J^J^^Jja^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

295

marriage with Miss Grace Sims, daughter of
Prof. Edward D. Sims, of the University of Ala-
bama, and a granddaughter of Professor Andrews,
author of what is now known as ' 'Harper's Latin
Dictionary" and other Latin works. They are
the parents of three children: Edward, who is his
grandfather's namesake; JohnD.,Jr.; andjulia,
wife of Dr. A. J. Chandler.

[""RANK D. BULLARD, A. M., M. D., who
r^ has a wide reputation both as a skillful
I * physician and talented author, was born in
Lincoln, Me., December 27, i860. His educa-
tional advantages were the best the state aiforded.
In 1877 he graduated from the Waterville (now
the Coburn) Classical Institute, after which he
took the regular course of study in Colby Uni-
versity, graduating a Phi Beta Kappa man in
1881. Immediately after graduating he accepted
the chair of languages and mathematics in the
academy at Houlton, Me., and two years later
became principal of the Brownsville high school.
In 1883 he began the study of medicine, with his
father as preceptor, but the following year, owing
to ill health, relinquished his studies and came to
California.

For one term he was employed as an instructor
in the Sierra Madre College, Pasadena, after
which he passed the teacher's examination in
Los Angeles county and in 1885-86 was princi-
pal of the Azusa schools. In the fall of 1886
he entered the medical department of the Uni-
versity of Southern California, where he con-
tinued his study of the science he had commenced
some years before. While carrying on this course
he was for a year resident student in the Los
Angeles County Hospital, and in 1891 he spent a
year in the same institution as assistant county
physician. Shortly after his graduation from the
university and his marriage to Dr. Rose Talbott,
(which occurred May 3, 1888) he and his wife
went to Europe, where they spent some months
in the study of medicine under the best instructors
of Germany, and also had considerable hospital
experience iii Vienna. Returning to Los Angeles,
they opened an office in this city, and since June,
1896, have occupied a suite in the Bradbury
block. They are actively identified with the
State and Southern California Medical Associa-
17

tions, and of the latter society he is now secretary.
They are also connected with the County Medical
Society, of which he was the president in 1899,
and his wife the secretary. They have an only
child, Helen, who was born May 15, 1892.

For five years Dr. F. D. Bullard was editor of
the Southern California Praditioncr, but after-
ward sold his interest to Dr. Walter Lindley,
since which time he and his wife have acted as
associate editors. At this writing he is professor
of chemistry in the medical department of the
Southern California University. All forward
movements, especially those of a professional and
literary nature, receive his warm support and en-
couragement. He is connected with the Uni-
versity Club, of which he is secretary at this
writing. He is also connected with the Y. M.
C. A., and his wife with the Y. W. C. A., of
which she is first vice-president. In those circles
where high intellectual gifts and broad knowledge
are recognized as the sine qua non of culture,
both have an assured standing.

Any reference to the life of Dr. Bullard would
be incomplete without mention of his literary
work. Some years were spent by him in the
writing of a work which was completed in
December, 1899. When issued from the press it
met with the commendation of the best critics.
In metrical form it presented the mysteries of life
from the standpoint of the devotee, the doubter
and the disbeliever. Not only is the execution
of the poem faultless, but a genuine literary
ability is evinced in the felicitous expression and
the strength of the lines. By some it has been
said that "The Apistophilon" resembles the
"Rubaiyat" of Omar Khayyam and "In Me-
moriam." It sounds the highest and the lowest
notes of religious inquiry. Essentially optimistic
in tone, it shows therein a marked contrast to the
Oriental poet, whose writings breathe a spirit of
pessimism. The poem takes the form of a dis-
cussion between three characters, the devotee,
the doubter and the disbeliever. The strongest
reasons for belief, as set forth in theological
writings, are given, as well as the strongest argu-
ments of the agnostic, and these are given so im-
partially that the reader is left in doubt as to the
author's own sentiments. The wherefore of to-day
and the whither of tomorrow are presented to
the reader, with those problems that have ever

296

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

perplexed the human mind and that will not be
entirel)' solved until eternity. The doctor has
also written several excellent short poems and
translations, especially from Horace.

0RVILLE HASKELL CONGER, M. D.
The early history of Pasadena and the name
of Dr. Conger are inseparably linked. He
came to that beautiful spot after more than half
a lifetime of wandering and change, and thence-
forward was a prominent factor in the progress
of the colony. Born in Attica, N. Y. , September
28, 1827, hisparents were Ephraim Conger (born
1 795, died 1847, at Whitewater, Wis.) and Almira
(Austin) Conger (who lived until 1873). The
family, in 1843, went from New York to Wis-
consin, where Orville attended the State Univer-
sity at Madison, making a thorough study of
geology and mineralogy and giving .some atten-
tion to telegraphy. Later he conducted a drug
store, and afterward spent some time in the mines
of Northern California, making his first overland
trip to Utah in 1850. On returning east he was
associated with the Alameda Silver Mining Com-
pany of New York City, and subsequently made
several trips to Utah in the interests of that com-
pany. He was the discoverer of the famous
Emma mine, and was the first Gentile to open an
assay office in the territory , operating also various
mines in Utah and Nevada. He was commis-
sioned by Governor Durkee, of Utah, to represent
the territory at the Paris Exposition of 1867.

A graduate of Rush Medical College, Chicago,
Dr. Conger practiced his profession more or less
throughout his life. In 1867 he married Louise
Tryphena Whittier, at Niagara City, N. Y. She
was born at Brighton, Me., in 1833, and was a
granddaughter of James and Mary Allen (Burn-
ham) Pickering, the latter a direct descendant of
Gen. Ethan Allen. Her father, Henry Chandler
Whittier, was born in Athens, Me., in 1807, and
at Brighton, that state, in 1827, married Mary
Ann Pickering, who was born at Portsmouth,
N. H., in 1805. They moved to Wisconsin in
1846 and spent the remaining years of their lives
in that state.

Immediately after Dr. Conger's arrival in Pa.sa-
dena he purchased thirty acres of land on the
southeast corner of Orange Grove avenue and

Colorado street — a beautiful site, commanding
one of the most attractive views in California.
This tract was set out to all the then known
varieties of citrus and deciduous fruit trees and
choice grapes. On this site he built, consecu-
tively, three houses, and in the one last erected
his soul took leave of its earthly tenement. A
portion of the land at the east end furnished the
material for the first public auction with which
the noted "boom" was begun, he having previ-
ously sold it to Ward Brothers.

Though reared in the Baptist faith, Dr. Conger
never united with any church. He was, how-
ever, a firm believer in immortality, holding that
our deeds in this life make the character of the
life after death. Though always leading a busy,
active life he often found time to prepare and
read papers on horticulture, religion, temperance
and various sciences. He was a most earnest ad-
vocate of temperance, and perhaps no person in
Pasadena's early hi.story did more for the cause
of total abstinence than did he. Fearless and
outspoken in whatever he believed to be right, he
attacked the wrong regardless of criticism.

After a long illness Dr. Conger died, April 2,
1892. No one who attended his funeral will ever
forget the simple yet- impressive service, the
wealth of flowers, the silent sympathy of friends
and old neighbors and the beautiful homestead
bathed in the cheerful sunshine that he loved so
well. His wife and three children survived him,
but the older daughter. Flora B., has since fol-
lowed her rather in death. Howard Whittier
and Lulu Nell are living, the son in San Diego
and the daughter with her mother in Pasadena.

(lOHN KINGSLEY CARSON, M. D. Con-
I ceutration of purpose and persistentlj' applied
G/ energy rarely fail of success in the accom-
plishment of any task, however great, and in
tracing the career of John Kingsley Carson, a
well-known physician and surgeon of Los
Angeles, it is plainly seen that these things have
been the secrets of his rise to a position of
prominence and respect. Moreover, he possesses
genuine love for his work, and esteems it a privi-
lege to carry comfort and aid to the sick and
suffering. The presence of a Christian physician
in the house of pain and mourning has a peculiar

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

297

value, and in numerous instances his opinions
and timelj' words of consolation carry far more
weight than those of a spiritual advisor.

The parents of John Kingsley Carson came of
old and respected Virginia families. His grand-
father, James Kendall Carson, was a soldier in
the Revolutionary war and served in Gen. George
Washington's body guard. The father, James
Kendall Carson, Jr. , whose birth occurred at
Front Royal, Va., May 14, 181 1, was a carpenter
by trade, but, during the gold excitement on the
Pacific slope, he came to California and engaged
in prospecting and mining for the precious min-
eral. His death, which took place February 6,
1856, was the direct result of the privations and
expDSure to inclement weather, which he, in
common with other miners of the day, was
obliged to endure. His wife, whose maiden
name was Elizabeth Walker, made her home in
Missouri, with her son. Dr. Carson, for many
years after his demise. She died in 1882, at the
home of her son-in-law. Dr. W. B. Tunnell, in
Hartville, Mo. Of her seven children, four are
deceased.

Dr. John K. Carson is a native of Jacksonville,
111., and was quite young when his parents
removed to St. Louis, in which city he was
reared and educated. He then entered the St.
Louis Medical College, where he was graduated
in March, 1883, soon after which event he estab-
lished an office in Hartville, Mo. P'or the period
which has since elapsed he has been engaged in
general family practice and has been remarkably
successful. After spending about four years at
his first location he removed to Los Angeles,
arriving here in June, 1887. He belongs to the
Los Angeles County Medical Society, the South-
ern California Medical Association and the
Academy of Medicine. He neglects no opportu-
nity for self-improvement and takes the leading
medical journals of the day. He has been local
medical examiner for several of the old-line life
and fraternal insurance companies, and is called
into consultation frequently with old and promi-
nent members of the profession.

In political affairs Dr. Carson uses his franchise
in favor of the platform and nominees of the
Republican party. In disposition he is decidedly
.social, and in the several orders to which he
belongs he is an ever-welcome member. He is a

Mason, a Knight of Pythias and a Knight of the
Maccabees, and is connected with the Fraternal
Brotherhood. Religiously he is a Presbyterian,
and, with his estimable wife, is identified with
the Second Presbyterian Church of this city. He
holds the office of elder in the congregation, and
is earnestly engaged in the various departments
of religious activity. He is a supporter of the
Y. M. C. A. and a director of the Pacific Gospel
Union.

The marriage of Dr. Carson and Nellie M.
Haley, a native of New York City, was solemnized
in this city, September 7, 1892. Mrs. Carson is
a daughter of Solomon and Henrietta (Williams)
Haley. The pleasant home of our subject and
wife is blessed by the presence of two charming
little daughters, Nellie Kingsetta and Annie
Allene. A great compliment was paid the elder
one, in July, 1899, when the National Teachers'
Convention met in Los Angeles, the official
march played by the fine orchestra being named
the "Kingsetta March," in honor of little Nellie
Kingsetta Carson.

(Joseph KURTZ, M. D. For more than
I thirty years this leading member of the
(2/ medical profession of Los Angeles has been
steadily engaged in practice on the Pacific coast,
winning distinction and an enviable reputation.
He is a native of Oppenheim, Germany, his birth
having occurred April 16, 1842, and his boyhood
years were spent on the banks of the world-
famed Rhine. His parents. Christian and Eliza
(Schuman) Kurtz, were natives of the same city,
where the father died at the age of sixty-five
years, and the mother in the prime of young
womanhood. Christian Kurtz was a hotel-keeper
and a prosperous business man, enjoying the
respect and confidence of the community in
which he dwelt. He had four children, of whom
two are living.

Dr. Joseph Kurtz attended the celebrated
schools of his native laud, receiving a liberal
education. He took up the study of medicine in
the winter of 1859-60, and in 1862 sailed from
Bremen to the United States, where he had de-
termined to practice his profession. After spend-
ing a few weeks in New York and Philadelphia
he located in Pottsville, Pa., where he was em-
ployed in a drug store while he acquired famil-

29S

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

iarity with the English language and continued
his medical work. In the spring of 1863 he
went to Baltimore, where he remained for about a
year, being an assistant in the Jarvis hospital.
For several years he was engaged in practice and
carried on a drug store in Chicago. In October,
1867, he arrived in San Francisco, where he con-
tinued his work as a phy.sician and surgeon until
February, 1868, when he came to Los Angeles.
Here he established a drug store and office,
building up a large and remunerative patronage
within a short period. In 1872 he went to San
Francisco, for the purpose of pursuing a course
of medical study in special branches. Since the
year just mentioned he has been a member of the
district, county, state and national medical socie-
ties, contributing to his colleagues the results of
his long and comprehensive work and study.
He has occupied the chair of clinical surgery in
the medical department of the University of
Southern California, of which institution he was
one of the founders. For a period of fifteen
years he was the surgeon of the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company in Los Angeles, and during
the '70s he held the position of county coroner
for six years. The cause of general education is
one in which he is deeply interested, and for
eight years he served as a member of the city
school board, while for two years he was con-
nected with the county school board. Politically
he is a Democrat, and cast his first presidential
vote for Horace Greeley. Fraternally he is a
member of the German Turn Verein, of Los
Angeles, which he assisted in organizing many
years ago.

While a resident of Chicago, in January, 1866,
Dr. Kurtz and Ida Felbert were united in mar-
riage. She is a native of Germany, and was
brought to America in her infancy. Six chil-
dren were born to this worthy couple, one of the
number now being deceased. Dr. Carl Kurtz,
who is engaged in practice with his father, their
offices being in the Douglas block, is a young
man of exceptional ability. After graduating in
various medical colleges, he gained practical ex-
perience in Hellevue Hospital Medical College,
of New York, and in ho.spitals in Germany. He
spent four and a half years in actual hospital
work, becoming proficient in the treatment of all
manner of disea.ses and surgical cases. While in

Berlin he was assistant to the noted surgeon,
Sonnenburg. William, the second son, is en-
gaged in farming in Orange county; the oldest
daughter is the wife of R. L. Horton, a well-
known attorney of Los Angeles; and the other
daughters, Christine and Catherine, are at home.

EARL SCHWALBE, M. D. Few physicians
of Los Angeles have enjoyed so many supe-
rior advantages in the field of medical
research as has Dr. Schwalbe. The major
portion of his life was passed in Europe, and in
the various centers of science and learning upon
the continent he gathered the results of the study
and experience of some of the ablest physicians
and surgeons of the latter half of the nineteenth
century.

He was born in Ouedlinburg, Germany, Janu-
ary 17, 1838, and was reared in that city. Having
mastered the elementary branches of knowledge
as taught in the public schools, he matriculated
in the University of Berlin at the age of nineteen
years, and subsequently attended the celebrated
universities at Halle, Bonn and Zurich. Being
graduated at Bonn with honors, March 29, 1862,
and at Zurich, April 27, 1863, he was offered a
position at Zurich as assistant to Professor Horner
of the chair of ophthalmology within a few weeks,
and, accepting the opportunity, filled the position
until he was forced to resign on account of ill
health.

In 1864 Dr. Schwalbe left his native land and
went to Costa Rica, where he resided one winter,
thence going to New York, where he embarked
in medical practice. The climate proving too
severe, he again went to Costa Rica, and it was
not until May, 1868. that he ventured to leave
that equable temperature. At that time he pro-
ceeded to Switzerland, where he acted as teacher
at the university and polytechnic institution,
teaching hygiene principally. When the Franco-
Prussian war came on he joined the army of his
native land as a physician and surgeon. He
rendered valuable ser\-ices for his country and
compatriots until illness obliged him to leave his
post of dut\-. It again became necessary for him
to seek a balmier clime, and during his extended
travels in the West Indies his health was per-
manentlv benefited, so that he was enabled to

:<s

c:^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

return lo the Fatherland and take up his beloved
work once more. Years of .steady application
and practice followed, and his name became well
known in the institutions of learning with which
he was connected. In the spring of 1891 he
bade adieu to the friends of a lifetime and came
direct to Los Angeles, the metropolis of ' 'Ameri-
can Italy," as Southern California has been aptly
called. Arriving here on the 29th of April, he
has looked upon this city as his home for the
past nine years, and has made hosts of friends.
He is a member of the Los Angeles County, the
Southern California and the American Medical
Associations, and in Germany was prominently
connected with the Thuringia German Surgical
Society and the Society of the German Surgeons
at Berlin.

A marriage ceremony was celebrated in Baden,
Germany, September 10, 1864, by which the
fortunes of Dr. Schwalbe and Miss Mary Nieder-
stein were united. Of their five children, a son
died in Germany, and two are still living there,
while the other two are in the United States.
Those surviving are named, respectively: Mary,
Gertrude, Charlie and Helena.

pQlLLIAM FRANCIS EDGAR, M. D., de-

\ A / ceased, for many years one of the mo,st
V V prominent citizens of Los Angeles, was
born in Kentucky, of Virginian parentage.
When a boy he accompanied his parents to Mis-
souri, but returned to Kentucky to pursue his
studies, and in 1848 graduated from the medical
department of the University of Louisville. Im-
mediately afterward he went to New York City,
where, after passing a successful examination,
he was commissioned an assistant surgeon in the
regular army, March 2, 1849. He was ordered
to Jeiferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo. , and thence
went to Fort Leavenworth, Kans., and from
there accompanied a regiment of mounted rifles
across the plains. At that time there was a great
rush for the California gold fields, and the
.soldiers were never out of sight of parties of Ar-
gonauts until they diverged fiom the California
route, west of the Rocky Mountains. Two com-
panies were detailed to build and garrison a mili-
tary post at Fort Hall, on the Lewis fork of the
Columbia or Snake river, and to this command

Dr. Edgar was assigned. The post was in the
heart of the country of the Shoshone (or Snake)
Indians and was intended to protect emigrants
on the Oregon trail. However, it was so diffi-
cult of access and the winters were so cold, that
the war department ordered its abandonment
and the command marched to Fort Vancouver,
where they arrived in July, 1850. Afterward
Dr. Edgar was stationed at The Dalles for a year.
He then, with a part of the command under Gen.
Philip Kearny, left \'ancouver in April, 1851,
en route to California. On the 4th of July they
camped near the foot of Mount Shasta. After
many skirmishes with hostile Indians ai;d many
perils incident to travel in unknown, mountain-
ous regions, they arrived at Benicia, Cal., the
last of July and thence marched to Sonoma,
where were stationed Capt. (afterward Gen.)
Joseph Hooker, Lieutenant (since General and
Governor) Stoneman and others who afterward
became widely known.

Later, in 1851, Dr. Edgar was ordered to Fort
Miller, on the head waters of the San Joaquin
river, where were stationed two companies of the
Second United States Infantry. In the spring of
1852 the command was ordered into the Yosemite
valley to punish the Indians who had massacred
a party of miners. They were successful in this
and then returned to Fort Miller in time to sup-
press a war between whites and Indians in the
Tulare country. In 1854 Dr. Edgar was ordered
to Fort Redding. Soon afterward he joined a
company of the First Dragoons, which marched
to the Tejon Indian Reservation and later es-
tablished FortTejon. On the night of December
8, 1854, he was called to go out in the mountains,
in a blinding snow storm, to assist a wounded
man of the fort. The night was dark and the
ground slippery, causing his horse to fall and in
the fall Dr. Edgar was seriously injured. How-
ever, he went on and found the man, dressed his
wound, and then returned to the fort, cold and
exhausted. About sunrise he was stricken with
paralysis of the left side, and it was four months
before he was able to walk or speak. He was
then ordered east, on a three months' furlough,
with a servant to assist him on the trip. At the
expiration of his leave of absence he reported
for duty at Jefferson Barracks. He was ordered
with the Second Cavalry to Texas and thence to

302

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

P'lorida, later taking some invalid soldiers to
New York. In 1857 ^^^ returned to Fort Miller,
whence he accompanied troops to quiet In-
dians in Oregon. After being stationed at the
Presidio in San Francisco and at Benicia for a
time he was ordered in 1858 to join an expedi-
tion from Los Angeles to the Colorado river
against the Mojave Indians. This was his first
visit to Los Angeles and the first night here he
slept at the Bella Union hotel, which was then a
two-story adobe.

The expedition proceeded, via Cajon Pass, to
the Colorado, where it subdued and punished In-
dians who had massacred whites, and then re-
turned to Cajon Pass. Later a much larger ex-
pedition was organized by the same and other of-
ficers and marched to the Mojave country. To
this force the Indians surrendered and a treaty
of peace was made. Part of the command re-
mained to garrison Fort Mojave and the other
part returned to Los Angeles county, the officers
of the command camping at Compton. Dr.
Edgar was ordered to San Diego, where he re-
mained until November, 1861, and then, with
the balance of the regular troops on the coast,
was ordered east to participate in the Civil war.
He was for some time with the army of the Poto-
mac and was promoted to surgeon (with the
rank of major) in Buell's army in Kentucky,
where he organized a large general hospital in
Louisville. Next he was made medical director
at Cairo, 111. However, the uncongenial climate
(which was especially debilitating during the
summer months) caused a partial return of the
paralysis and rendered him unfit for duty. He
was ordered before a retiring board at Washing-
ton, D. C, and on examination was retired from
active service. After recovering from the effects
of a surgical operation he was assigned to duty
in the medical directors' office in the department
of the east. During part of the time he was a
member of the board that organized the Signal
Corps in Washington. At the close of the war
he closed up the hospitals of his department. He
was then ordered to return to California and in
1866 was stationed at Drum Barracks, Los An-
geles county, where he remained for three years.
Failing health obliged him to seek a furlough
and for a year he rested. During that time (in
January, 1870) congress passed a law which pro-

vided that officers retired from active service
should be relieved from all duty. The passage
of this law placed him on the retired list. He
remained on his ranch at San Gorgonio for some
years and then came to Los Angeles, where he
engaged in the practice of his profession. In
1 88 1 he sold a portion of his ranch and in 1886
disposed of the remainder, after having owned it
since 1859. The ranch was first owned by the
well-known trapper, Pauline Weaver, of pioneer
fame. In March, 1866, Dr. Edgar married Miss
Catharine Laura Kennefer, of New York, who
survives him, making her home in Los Angeles.
Dr. Edgar spent his last years retired from the
active duties that had filled his younger years,
and enjoj'ing that rest from professional and busi-
ness cares which he so richly deserved. He died
August 23, 1897, mourned by the host of friends
who honored and admired him for his high ideals,
his genial di.-^position, broad knowledge and his
varied intellectual attainments.

HENRY HOBART MAYNARD, M. D. In
no respect is Los Angeles more remarkable
than for the character and the standing of
its physicians, a large proportion of whom are
graduates of leading eastern medical colleges and
have gained reputations for broad knowledge of
the art of healing. Such an one is Dr. Maynard,
who has been engaged in the practice of the med-
ical profession in this city since 1882. He was
influenced in locating here by his far-seeing
judgment in regard to the growth and develop-
ment of the city, and his expectations in that
regard have not been disappointed; on the other
hand, the population has increased far more rap-
idh' than his most sanguine hopes pictured eigh-
teen years ago. With the increase of the popu-
lation, his own practice has expanded in quantity
and assumed a constantly developing importance,
which is the just reward of his painstaking care
and recognized skill.

The Maynard family is of English extraction
but French descent, descending from John May-
nard, who came from England to America in
1638, and settled at Sudberg, Mass., where he
died in 1672. From him descended Stephen
Maynard, who was born in Massachusetts in
1763 and at the age of thirteen entered the conti-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

363

iienlal army as a nmsiciati. His son, Stephen,
was born in Massachusetts, November 25, 1791,
and at an early age settled in Ohio, thence re-
moving to Iowa in 1844. He died in Tipton,
that state, September 5, 1874. His wife, in
maidenhood Lurenda Humphrey, was born in
Connecticut September 4, 1801, and died at Tip-
ton, Iowa, August 31, 1872.

During the residence of Stephen and Lurenda
Maynard in Columbus, Ohio, theirson, Henry H.,
was born September 6, 1835. He was nine years
of age when the family settled in Iowa, and he
grew to manhood on a farm near Iowa City. His
primary education was obtained in country
schools. Later he studied in the normal depart-
ment of the Iowa University at Iowa City for a
year. His studies from an early age were di-
rected with a view to entering a profession.
When twenty-two years of age he began to read
medicine, being first with Dr. E. J. B. Statler
and subsequently with Dr. Frederick L. Lloyd,
both of Iowa City. Under their preceptorship he
gained a rudimentary knowledge of the science.
Desiring to have the advantages of one of the
leading institutions of the country, he entered
Rush Medical College of Chicago, where he took
the regular course of lectures, graduating in
March, 1861. Immediately after graduating he
went to Tipton, Iowa, and opened an office, be-
ginning the life of a general practitioner. In
time he built up a good practice in and around
Tipton. Meanwhile he continued his professional
studies, for he had never ceased to be a student
of his profession, keeping abreast with every
discovery in the science. In 1874 he went to
New York, where he took a post-graduate course
in Bellevue Hospital Medical College, enjoying
all the advantages which that remarkable institu-
tion affords.

During his residence in Tipton, Dr. Maynard
was married, September 5, 1865, to Miss Susan
Edwards. They are the parents of three chil-
dren: Maude, a graduate of Ellis College, Los
Angeles, with the degree of A. B.; Rea Edwards,
who graduated from the Leland Stanford, Jr.,
University in 1894, with the degree of A. B. and
M. E., and from the Colorado School of Mines in
1898, with the degree of E. M.; and Frederick
Gray, an assayist.

In November, 1881, the family came to Cali-

fornia, remaining for six months in the Santa Ana
valley and thence coming to Los Angeles, where
Dr. Maynard has since practiced his profession.
His ability has received recognition in his ap-
pointment to the position of professor of the prin-
ciples and practice of surgery in the College of
Medicine connected with the University of
Southern California. He is now professor emeri-
tus of surgery in that institution.

The devotion of Dr. Maynard to his country
was thoroughly tested and proved during the
Civil war. At the beginning of the struggle he
threw his sympathies and energy into the cause
of the Union and never afterward wavered in his
allegiance to the government. He became assist-
ant surgeon of the Eighteenth Iowa Infantry.
For considerably more than a year he was sur-
geon in charge of the general hospital at Spring-
field, Mo. Later he was appointed surgeon of
the Second Arkansas Cavalry and until almost
the close of the war he remained nominally in
that position, although during most of the time
he was really the medical director of the south-
western Missouri district. When the war closed
he was released from a position in which he had
served with such patriotic zeal and devotion, and
August 20, 1865, he was mustered out with his
regiment.

raCJlLLIAM B. BULLARD, M. D. During
\A/ the years that have elapsed since he came
V V to Southern California Dr. BuUard has be-
come known as a skillful physician. He was born
in Oxford county. Me., April 12, 1829, a son of
Jonathan and Nancy (Bradford) Bullard, natives
respectively of Massachusetts and Maine. On
the maternal side he is a direct descendant of
Governor Bradford, who was chief executive of
the Massachusetts colony for thirty-six years.
On his father's side he is also of good old Puritan
stock, his paternal ancestors having come to this
country ten years after the Mayflower first landed
on our shores. Jonathan and Anna (Harring-
ton) Bullard lived and died in the Bay state.
Their son, Jonathan, married Ruth Whittamore,
a descendant of an old and prominent family of
the state. During the Revolutionary war he
took up arms against England and participated
in many of the hard-fought battles of that period,
and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis

304

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

at Vorktowu. His son, Jonathan, the third of
that name, was born at Oakham, Mass., Septem-
ber i8, 1800, and died in Foxcroft, Me., June 4,
1879; his wife was born in Turner, Me., April 7,
1806, and died in the same town when seventy -
seven years of age. They were the parents of
six sons and six daughters. The father followed
the occupation of a carriagemaker at Turner for
fifteen years, after which he disposed of his inter-
ests in the town and removed to Foxcroft, where,
in addition to work at his trade, he engaged in
farming and met with gratifying success.

The first school which Dr. Bullard attended
was at Turner. After his parents removed to
Foxcroft he attended an academy in that town.
Being determined to obtain a good education,
but not possessing the requisite means for such
a course, he secured employment as teacher and
carefully saved his earnings. He began the study
of medicine with Dr. Josiah Jordan, of Foxcroft,
and later read under Dr. Freeland S. Holmes.
The degree of doctor of medicine was conferred
upon him in June, i S59, at the time of his gradu-
ation from Bowdoin Medical College. Locating
at once in Lincoln, Penobscot county, Me., he
began the practice of medicine, and soon became
one of the foremost physicians of the town.

During the year of his graduation from Bow-
doin, and on the 14th of August following, Dr.
Bullard married Miss Lydia Dearborn, who was
born in York county, Me., a daughter of Sylvanus
and Mary (Meder) Dearborn, natives of Maine.
Her father engaged in the manufacture of shoes
during his active life, and died at Foxcroft when
fifty-four years of age; his wife died at Jackson,
the same state, at the age of thirty-six, leaving
three children. Dr. and Mrs. Bullard became
the parents of four children, three of whom are
living. Of these, Frank D., of Los Angeles, is a
successful physician and author; William L., an
expert accountant, is connected with a large boot
and shoe house in this city; and Charles T.
served as a member of the Seventh California
Regiment during the Spanish American war, and
is now engaged in mercantile pursuits.

For twenty-seven years Dr. Bullard engaged
in the practice of medicine at Lincoln, Me. He
left there November i, 1886, and came to Los An-
geles, establishing his home at No. 259 Avenue
23, where he has since resided. He is a member

uf the County Medical Society and an active
Mason and Odd Fellow. In the affairs of East
Los Angeles he is especially interested. Among
all who know him his upright character and his
ability command respect. Both he and his wife
are identified with the Baptist Church. Besides
her home and church duties Mrs. Bullard finds
leisure for other interests. She is a charter mem-
ber of the Wednesday Morning Club of this city,
in which she is warmly interested, and is also a
member of the Woman's Parliament of Los
Angeles.

HERMAN GORDON BAYLESS, M. D.,
who has had the advantage of thorough
professional preparation in schools in
America and Europe, is engaged in the practice
of medicine in Los Angeles. By birth a Ken-
tuckian, he descends through his father from a
long line of English ancestry. His grandfather,
AbijahBayless, was born in Lancashire, England,
and in earlj' manhood came to the United States,
where he followed mercantile pursuits. He died
in Louisville, Ky., when eighty-one years of age.
His wife, who was a Miss Costello, died in the
same city at the age of seventy. The doctor's
father, Rev. John Clark Bayless, D. D.. was born
in New York City and received splendid advan-
tages, being educated for the ministry at Prince-
ton. Ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian
Church, he gave his life to the preaching of the
Gospel. So generous was he that every com-
munity in which he lived was materially bene-
fited by his presence. Frequently he established
libraries, and twice, from his own private means,
he built churches. Much of his life was passed
in Kentucky and he died there when fifty-six
years of age. He married Rosa, daughter of
Jacob and Rosa Lewis, natives of Spain, whence
her father, who was a banker in that country,
emigrated to the United States in 1830, settling
in Charleston, S. C, and dying there at the age
of seventy three. Mrs. Rosa Bayless was thirty-
nine at the time of her death, which occurred in
Covington, Ky. She left five children, all but
one of whom are now living.

In the city of Covington, Ky., the subject
of this sketch was born March 24, i860. The
rudiments of his education were acquired in that
town. Later he studied in the Ashland .schools.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

307

His collegiate course began iu 1879 and covered
a period of three years, after which he began the
study of medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio, taking the
regular medical college course and graduating in
1S82. Afterward he was retained as an interne
in a hospital in that city. His first location was
at Augusta, Ky.

Desiring to broaden his professional knowledge,
in 1886 Dr. Bayless went to Europe, where he
took advantage of instruction under the best
teachers and in the most thorough institutions.
His post-graduate course in Vienna proved par-
ticularly helpful and profitable. On his return
to the United States he engaged in practice at
Knoxville, remaining there for six years. From
there he went to Louisville, Ky., to accept the
chair of surgery in the Homeopathic Medical
College, a responsible position and one which he
filled with efficiency. In 1895 he came to Los
Angeles and opened an office opposite the post-
office, later removing to Fourth street, and in 1899
to No. 355 South Broadway, his pressent office.
He is a member of the Los Angeles Homeopathic
Medical Society and the California State Medical
Association, also belongs to the Doctors' Social
Club, the Jonathan Club and the Masonic fra-
ternity.

HBERT. ELLIS, A. B., M. D. The medical
profession in Los Angeles has many mem-
, bers who have achieved prominence in
their chosen field of labor, and of these the sub-
ject of this sketch is one of the foremost. In the
prime of life, he po.sses.ses that enthusiasm and
energy and vitality which are essential to the
highest success, and, being an earnest student,
his mind is ever open to conviction and progress.
Dr. Ellis is a son of Dr. James Henry and Annie
M. (BuUard) Ellis, who were of the stanch old
New England stock, and descended from English
ancestors. The father was a direct descendant of
one of the lord mayors of London, while the
mother traced her ancestry to William Bradford,
second governor of Massachusetts and the head of
the little colony of Puritans at Plymouth. Dr.
J. H. Ellis, who was born April 23, 1836, in
Middleboro, Mass., became one of the leading
dental surgeons of the maritime provinces, and
from 1867 to 1883 was located in Fredericton,

New Brunswick. His wife was also a native of
the Bay state, and was born August 21, 1838.

The birth of Dr. H. Bert. Ellis took place in
Lincoln, Me., May 17, 1863. His education was
obtained in the public schools of Fredericton and
in the University of New Brunswick, where he
spent a year. During the following three years
he attended Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova
Scotia, from which institution he was graduated
in 1884. In July of that year he came to Los
Angeles, and for a year was engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits and in business enterprises in this
city and Pasadena. In 1887 he matriculated in
the medical department of the University of
Southern California, and was graduated there in
April, 1888. During a portion of this time he
was interne at the Los Angeles County Hospital.
Subsequent to his graduation here he went to
Europe in order to perfect himself in special
branches, and there pursued studies at the uni-
versities of Gottingen, Germany, and Vienna,
Austria. April i, 1889, he opened an office in
Los Angeles, and entered upon a professional
career which has been exceptionally successful.
Since 1893 he has devoted himself exclusively to
the treatment of di.seases of the eye, ear, nose and
throat, and has won wide distinction in this
important and difficult field of labor. In October,
1889, he was honored by being chosen as a lec-
turer on physiology in the College of Medicine of
the University of Southern California. In Octo-
ber, 1890, he was elected professor of the same
department, and continued to act in that capacity
until January, 1896, when he was elected to the
chair of ophthalmotology, and in November,
1898, was further honored by being made treasurer
of the college of medicine.

That Dr. Ellis stands especially high among
his professional brethren is shown by the fact
that he has so often been called upon to serve in
official positions in the numerous medical organi-
zations to which he belongs. In 1899 and 190°
he was president of the Southern California Medi-
cal Society. He was senior vice president of the
American Medical College Association, and has
been either the secretary or assistant secretary of
the Los Angeles County, Southern California,
State and American Medical Associations, the
American Medical Editors' Association and of
the Doctors' Social Club of Los Angeles. More-

7,oS,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

over, lie is a pujnilar lueniber of tlie California,
the Jonathan and the University Clubs and of the
Science Association of Southern California.

The marriage of Dr. Ellis and Miss Lula Tal-
hott took place in this city May :■,, 1888. In his
political faith the doctor is a stanch Republican.
He is identified with the Elks and the Masonic
fraternities.

HUBERT NADEAU, M. D., of Los Angeles,
is of French-Canadian origin. He was born
in 1841 near Marieville, Canada, where his
father, John B., was a prosperous farmer and
prominent citizen. The family being in comfort-
able circumstances, it was possible for him to se-
cure advantages denied those of humbler birth
and surroundings. From an early age his studies
were directed with the medical profession in view
as their objective point. His advantages were
exceptionally good. He was given a scientific
education in St. Hyacinth's College in Canada.
When twenty-one years of age, in 1862, he re-
ceived the degree of M. D., on the completion of
the regular course in the College of Physicians
and Surgeons in Montreal.

Opening an office at St. Aimer, Canada, the
young doctor began to practice his profession,
and soon had a goodly share of the practice of his
town. However, as the years passed by he be-
gan to see the necessity of a larger field for pro-
fessional activity, and resolved to seek a location
in the States. The year 1866 found him in Kan-
kakee, 111., where he remained for eight years,
building up a valuable patronage, and, in addi-
tion to professional work, ser\-ing for four years
as a member of the city council. Upon closing
his office in Kankakee he began to travel, and
during the next two years he visited most of
the large cities in the United States and Can-
ada, thus gaining a thorough knowledge of the
country.

Since the spring of 1876 Dr. Nadeau has made
his home in Los Angeles and meantime has
gained a reputation for skill and .scientific treat-
ment of disease. Besides his private practice, for
years he was physician in charge of the French
hospital. In 1879 he was chosen coroner of Los
Angeles county, and this office he held by re-
election until 1884. In 1885 he was appointed
professor and chief of dispensary clinics of the

medical department of the Universit\- of Southern
California at Los Angeles, a position that he
filled for years with the greatest efficiency, his
connection with the institution aiding greatly in
the promotion of its success. Immediately after
coming to this city he identified himself with the
Los Angeles County Medical Society, of which
in 1883 he served as president. His connection
with the medical fraternity of the city and county
has been most helpful to the progress of the pro-
fession. It has always been his ambition to keep
in touch with the latest developments in the sci-
ence of materia medica. For this reason he has
ever been a student of his profession . He has
read the leading medical journals as well as the
prominent publications in the interests of the sci-
ence. His knowledge is therefore not superficial
or narrow, but broad and deep and thorough.
In the diagnosis of disease he is cautious, careful
and conservative, not reaching decisions rapidly,
but by logical processes of reasoning; and his
opinion, when once given, is seldom afterward
found to be at fault.

Having given Jhis attention closely to profes-
sional duties. Dr. Nadeau has little time or desire
to participate in public affairs. During President
Cleveland's administration he was appointed to
the office of pension examiner of Los Angeles
county and served satisfactorily until the close of
the administration. For years he has been iden-
tified with the Masonic order. He holds mem-
bership in Kankakee Lodge No. 389, A. F. &
A. M.; Kankakee Chapter No. 78, R. A. M.;
Ivanhoe Comraandery No. 53, K. T., of Kan-
kakee, 111.: and Oriental Consistory, S. P. R., in
Chicago.

r~DGAR VERNON VAN NORMAN, M. D.
Iv) Although Dr. Van Norman has not long
I been established in medical practice in Los
Angeles his fame had preceded him, and within
a remarkably .short period of time he succeeded
in building up a large and remunerative business.
He is a physician of extended experience in the
treatment of the ills to which flesh is heir, and his
sympathetic, cheery manner, united with the
assured confidence which he has in his power to
relieve and cure most ailments — a confidence
born of his long and versatile experience — is

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

309

comiuunicated to his patients aud their friends
from the moment of his entrance into a sick-room.

Dr. Van Norman was born in Ontario, Canada,
July 18, 1838, a son of William and Gills (Black)
Van Norman, who were natives respective!}- of
Ontario and St. Johns, New Brunswick. His
father was a farmer by occupation, and died upon
the family homestead in January, 1849, when he
was in his forty-fifth year. His wife, who had
long survived him, was born November 21, 1814,
and died in Berea, Ohio, at the age of threescore
and ten. Of her ten children, five are still living.
The property formerly owned by William Van
Norman was pre-empted by his father, Isaac Van
Norman, who took up four hundred acres of Can-
adian land. During the war of the Revolution in
this country he and four of his brothers were
taken prisoners by the British. He lived to be
nearly one hundred years old, and his wife, whose
maiden surname was Cumniings, was between
seventy-five and eighty years old at the time of
her death.

Until he was about twenty years of age Dr.
E. V. Van Norman lived with his parents, at-
tending the public schools. Though he had not
yet attained his majority when his father died,
he assumed the responsibilities of the head of
the family, and, after settling all of the debts
outstanding, he devoted himself to securing an
education.

An older brother, Dr. Horace B.Van Norman,
achieved distinction in his profession in Cleve-
land, Ohio. Another brother, Dr. William Byron,
was the family physician of Rutherford B. Hayes,
and died June 23, 1876, in Fremont, Ohio. Our
subject, having determined to devote his life to his
present line of work, went to Detroit in 1861, and
pursued medical studies under the direction of
Dr. J. M. Van Norman for two years. Then,
finding it advisable to be in possession of more
means in order to complete his studies satisfacto-
rily, he accepted a position as representative of a
leading manufacturer of mowers and reapers, and
for about two years .sold goods for his firm in In-
diana and the northwestern states.

In the course of his travels he went to Ander-
son, Ind., where he made the acquaintance of
Miss Martha Nutt Hazlett, a daughter of James
Hazlett, a life-long resident of the place, and its
mayor a number of terms, having been elected by

Ijoth parties. Dr. Van Norman and Miss Hazlett
were married July 18, 1867. Their daughter,
Gertrude, became the wife of Judge Gibson, of
Los Angeles, and is the mother of two children.
Their son, William Vernon, is married, and is en-
gaged in the practice of medicine in Los Ange-
les, being a graduate of the Cleveland Medical
College.

Prior to his marriage Dr. Edgar V. Van Nor-
man had given his attention to the allopathic
method of treating disease, but about that time
a great deal of comment was given to the compar-
atively new homeopathic system; and after inves-
tigating its principles he concluded that they were
in accord with common sense and progress, and
after a partnership with his brother, who was
established in Ashtabula, Ohio, for three years,
pursued the required courses of lectures, and was
graduated from the Cleveland Homeopathic Col-
lege in 1870. He also gained valuable experience
when, for a year, he was the assistant to Prof.
T. P. Wilson, in the Ophthalmic Institute of
Cleveland. In 1873 he went to Springfield, Ohio,
where he resided about fourteen years, all of which
time he was successfully occupied in his chosen
work. In 1887 he came to California and resided
in San Diego for several years. Since December,
1897, he has been located in Los Angeles, with
offices at No. 545 South Broadway.

In 1871 Dr.Van Norman joined theOhioState
Medical Society, and still retains his membership
in it. For one year he served as vice-president of
the society just named. After coming to the west
he became a member of the California State and
Southern California Associations and the San
Diego County Homeopathic Medical Society, and
for years has been an active member of the Ameri-
can Public Health Association. Since 187 1 he has
been a member of the American Institute of Ho-
meopathy, of which he is a senior member. He
is a Mason of the thirty-second degree, Scottish
Rite, becoming affiliated with the order in 1867.
When he was eighteen years old he joined the
Methodist Episcopal Church, with which denomi-
nation all of his family have been identified for
.several generations. He recalls a "grand" ser-
mon which his venerable grandfather. Rev. Isaac
Van Norman, preached when he was over ninetj'
years old, and from his early manhood to the pres-
ent he has earnestly endeavored to perform his

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

whole iluly toward God and man. He is loved
and highly esteemed by a multitude of friends
here and in the east, where he labored so long;
and, though his years on earth have been more
than three score, he bids fair to live many happy,
useful years in the sunny southland to which he
has come.

(Tames D. reed, M. D. Years of thorough
I and painstaking preparation, together with
(2) subsequent practical experience, qualify Dr.
Reed to fill a high position in the medical profes-
sion and to maintain a deserved reputation for
.skill and proficiency. In 1890 he first came to
Covina, and here, with the exception of two
years (1893-95), he has since carried on an active
professional practice. He is actively identified
with the Pomona Valley Medical Society and is
an honorary member of the Sacramento Valley
Medical Society of this state. While his atten-
tion is largely given to profes.sional duties, this
work does not represent the extent of his ac-
tivities. He is particularly interested in educa-
tional affairs and has served acceptably for some
time as a trustee of the Covina schools, being
now clerk of the board.

In Randolph county, Mo., Dr. Reed was born
September 20, 1858, a son of Hon. Thomas B.
and Rachel E. (Denny) Reed, natives respec-
tively of North Carolina and Missouri. His
father, who was a leading attorney of Huntsville,
Mo., was a man of prominence in public affairs
and represented his district in the Missouri state
senate with distinguished ability. During the
Civil war he was captain of a company of the
Missouri state militia and served under Gen.
Odon Guitar principally in Missouri. He is now
deceased, and his widow still remains in Hunts-
ville. His father, John D. Reed, was a soldier
in the war of 181 2, and descended from Scotch-
Irish ancestry. The subject of this article re
ceived his education in the public schools and
Mount Pleasant College at Huntsville. His first
course of medical lectures he took in the medical
department of the Missouri State Univer.sity at
Columbia, Mo. In 1883 he graduated from
Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York
City. Since then he has been a constant student
of his profession, for it is his belief that no man
can hope for professional success unless he keeps

in touch with every development and new pha.se
of his profession. In 1899 he took a course in
the New York Post-Graduate Medical School
and Hospital, thus having the advantages of the
finest opportunities for clinical work that our
country affords. After his graduation he prac-
ticed in Westville, Mo., until his removal to Co-
vina, Cal. While residing in Westville he mar-
ried Miss Eva Clark, of that place. Two sons
bless their union, Wallace and Thomas B.

Though having little time to identify himself
with politics every acquaintance of Dr. Reed
knows that he is a stanch Republican and never
fails to cast a straight party ticket. The Ma-
sonic and Odd Fellows' lodges of Covina number
him among their members, as do also the Wood-
men of the World, the Independent Order of
Foresters and the Ancient Order of United
Workmen.

(Tames HARVEY. Having made his home
I in Pomona since 1879, Mr. Harvey has
(2) witnessed the development of this place
from a tract of unimproved land, used only as a
sheep pasture, to its present standing as one of
the citrus fruit centers of Southern California.
In partnership with Stoddard Jess, he is the
owner of an orange ranch of thirty-five acres,
which is one of the fine orchards of Pomona.
He is well known to the people of Pomona and
at this writing is serving as a member of the city
board of trustees. At the time of the establish-
ment of the city government he was a prime
mover in making the change and was chosen a
member of the first board of trustees. In that
capacity he bore an important part in many of
the plans and movements for the early develop-
ment of the city.

Mr. Harvey was born in Marshall county,
I nd. , September 7, 1839, a son of Itlmmer and
Lurinda (Morris) Harvey, natives of New York
state. His father, who was of English extrac-
tion, served in the war of 18 12 and took part in
the memorable battle of Plattsburg. He died
when his son, James, was six years old. Three
years later the wife and mother passed away.
This left the boy an orphan, without means of
support. He was therefore thrown upon his
own resources for a livelihood. When eleven
years of age he was bound out to a man in Ply-

LARKIN SXODGRASS.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

313

mouth, Ind., with whom he remained for seven
years. He then started out for himself, going
to Minnesota and beginning the life of a farmer
in that region. At the opening of the Civil war
he responded to the first call for volunteers to
put down the rebellion. In April, 1861, he en-
listed in Company B, First Minnesota Infantry,
which was assigned to the army of the Potomac.
Among the engagements in which he bore a part
were the first battle of Bull Run, the seven days'
battle during McClellan's retreat, the battle of
Antietam, and others not so important. On ac-
count of disability he was honorably discharged
in June, 1863.

Returning to Minnesota Mr. Harvey resumed
the occupation of a farmer. He remained there
until 1 868, when he disposed of his interests in
that state and settled near Walla Walla, Wash.,
on a farm. Eleven years later he sold out and
came to Pomona, Cal., to engage in the raising
of citrus fruits.

Mr. Harvey has been married twice. After
the death of his first wife, who was Mercy
Palmer, of Minnesota, he was united in marriage
with Mrs. Nettie Castle, of Pomona, by whom
he has two sons, James H. and George J. The
first husband of Mrs. Harvey was Jerome Castle,
by whom she had three children, Hulbert, Annie
and Delos C. Mr. Harvey is of the Unitarian
belief in religion and politically favors the prin-
ciples for which the Republican party stands.

I ARKIN SNODGRASS. Larkin Snodgrass,
I C who has a fine old home at No. 606 East
|2f Washington street, Los Angeles, has been
closely associated with the agricultural and finan-
cial interests of this locality for the past sixteen
years, prior to which he was similarly connected
with the welfare of Ventura county for a like
period of time. In fact, he is one of the pioneers
of this state, which he first beheld fifty years ago,
and, beholding, was enchanted, so that his fealty
never has wavered.

The parents of the above-named gentleman,
Isaac and Jane (Thompson) Snodgrass, were
natives of Virginia, but at an early day removed
to Kentucky. His father was a carpenter and
farmer in the Blue Grass state, and there resided

until his death. To himself and wife seventeen
children were born, of whom sixteen reached
maturity, but of these only three sons survive.

Larkin Snodgra.ss was born in Rock Ca.stle
county, Ky., March 11, 1824. In his youth he
attended the common schools and when he was
only twenty -two years of age he crossed the
plains to California. Here he spent four years,
then returning home, but, though he continued
to dwell there some seven years, his purpose was
to come back to the west, sooner or later. For
the second time he turned his face westward and
made the long and perilous journey across the
plains and deserts of the great west, and, arriving
in Sacramento, turned his attention to the raising
of cattle and sheep. He lived there for eleven
years, gradually accumulating a fortune, and in
1868 he removed to Ventura county, where he
also engaged in the raising of live stock. He
assisted in the organizing of the Ventura Bank
and served as its president for four years. He
stood high in the estimation of the people of that
county, and by them was elected to the respon-
sible position of treasurer of the county. He met
every obligation in a manner which greatly
accrued to his honor, and, at the expiration of
his first term of office, was re-elected.

In 1884 he removed to Los Angeles and about
four years later bought a large ranch located
several miles southeast of the city, and it was not
until 1890 that he disposed of this property. He
then purchased his present fine stock farm, which
is nearly three miles northeast of Compton and
about an hour's ride from Los Angeles, when
seated behind one of his splendid roadsters. He
makes a point of raising thorough-bred trotting
horses, and, indeed, is one of the few who hold
the palm in this specialty in Southern California.
He also raises English shire horses, and at the
head of his stud is the celebrated "Bob Mason,"
known to turfmen all over the United States.

At his old home in Kentucky Mr. Snodgrass
married Miss Amelia Stringer, daughter of a
neighbor, and to them five children were boin.
Mrs. Snodgrass departed this life at the age of
thirty years, and two of their children are also
deceased. Returning to Kentucky subsequently,
Mr. Snodgrass married Mrs. Elizabeth Noax, by
whom he has had five children, four now living.
John M. and Robert Snodgrass, sons of our sub-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ject, are enterprising _voung business men. They
attend to their father's stock farm and are mak-
ing a splendid success of the undertaking.

Politically Mr. Snodgrass is active in the ranks
of the Democratic party, though in the old Whig
days he voted for Henry Clay of his own illus-
trious state. He has been actively connected
with numerous local enterprises, and besides
being a stockholder in several large business con-
cerns in Los Angeles, is a director in the East
Side Bank and is treasurer of the Hay and Grain
Storage Company. He is progressive and lib-
eral, supporting all movements for improvements
and better facilities for the comfort and conven-
ience of the public, aud in a thousand ways man-
ifesting his patriotism.

EHARLES E. BACON, M. D. As the mild
climate of Southern California is constantly
attracting more and more of the population
of the northern and eastern states, and thousands
of persons in failing health are constantly seeking
the benefits of an out-door life in this wonderful
American Rievera, the medical profession is
taxed to the utmost to combat the various forms
of disease, and skill of the highest type is
required. Thus many specialists have located in
Los Angeles and other cities of this sunny south-
land and find an abundance of business. Among
those who have met with the cordial co-operation
of the public within late years, Doctors Bacon,
father and son, deserve mention.

The elder, Dr. John W. Bacon, was born in
McDonough county. 111., August 13, 1838, and,
after a long and useful career in his chosen line
of work, passed to his reward May 18, 1899. He
was a graduate of Rush Medical College, of
Chicago, and for a period of twenty years was
engaged in the practice of his profession in Ipava,
111. In 1883 he removed to McPherson, Kans. ,
where he established an office and succeeded in
building up a large practice. In 1895 became
to Los Angeles, where he met with success as a
medical practitioner, and won the high regard of
the citizens. His wife was Miss Elizabeth Bailey
in her maidenhood, and to them were born three
children, viz.: Mrs. Alta Nichols, of Buffalo,
N. Y.; Charles E. aud Mattie.

Dr. Charles E. Bacon, who succeeded his father

at the latter's death in his well-established practice
in Los Angeles, has been ranked among our best
local physicians for nearly two years. He was
born in the village of Ipava, 111., October 28,
1865, and spent his boyhood in that place. He
obtained the foundations of his future knowledge
in the public schools of Ipava, and when he was
about sixteen years of age it was his privilege to
become a student in the State University, and
two years afterward he attended Jacksonville
(111.) College. At the close of the three years of
his collegiate training he had no difficulty in
gaining a certificate to teach, and for about a
year he was thus employed in his native state.
Then, going to Kansas, he was similarly occu-
pied for a like period. In 1884 he went to the
southwestern part of that state and homesteaded
a tract of laud, at the end of a year "proving up' '
his claim to the property. During the ensuing
two years he was engaged in the drug business in
McPherson, Kans., after which he took up the
study of medicine under the tutelage of his father.
After long and careful preparation he matricu-
lated in the Kansas City Medical College, where
he was graduated in the spring of 1890. For
eighteen months he practiced his profession in
Adams county, Neb., after which he was located
in Denver for eight months. Returning to his
native county, he established an office in the town
of Table Gro%^e, 111., and built up a fine practice
and an enviable reputation for skill and trust-
worthiness during the seven or more years of his
residence there. With natural reluctance and
regret at leaving the people to whom he had be-
come much attached, he nevertheless closed his
business there and arranged his affairs in the
spring of 1898, in order to take up the work
which had fallen from his late father's hands. He
is an ardent admirer of this charming city and
country, and possesses the enterprise and skill
necessary to success here.

Fraternally Dr. Bacon is a member of the
Knights of Pythias, which order he joined in
Denver, Colo., in 1892, serving in many of the
offices of the lodge, and is past chancellor com-
mander of Freedom Lodge No. 494. Politically
he is an ally of the Democratic party.

November 10, 1892, a marriage ceremony per-
formed in Ipava, 111., united the destinies of Dr.
Bacon aud Miss Mattie Perry, who is a native of

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

3«5

the same town as her husband. They have two
promising sons, John A., born March 12, 1894,
and A. Perry, born March 4, 1896. Mrs. Bacon
is a lady of superior educational and social attain-
ments. She is a member of the Episcopal
Church and takes great interest in religious and
philanthropic movements.

IT DWIN C. BUELL, M. D. As a represent-
1^ ative of the homeopathic school of medi-
|_ cine, there is perhaps no physician of Los
Angeles more deserving of mention than Dr.
Buell. Since he came to this city, in September,
1888, he has become known for his thorough
knowledge of every department of professional
activity. Especially has he won prominence
through his success in operative surgery, in
which branch of the profession he has few su-
periors in the state. He has made a specialty of
surgery and is known far and wide as the homeo-
pathic surgeon of Los Angeles. He was one of
the organizers of the Pacific Hospital, which is
splendidly equipped for all kinds of surgical
operations and is said to be the finest private
hospital on the coast. His extensive practice
has made him familiar with all forms of disease,
and his close study of medicine and surgery has
given hira the position he now holds. Whatever
success he has attained is the reward of effort.
In his youth he had no special advantages
save such as he made for himself, and probably
it is due to his enforced dependence upon his
own efforts that he became so self-reliant and
resolute in character.

A member of an old eastern family. Dr. Buell
was born in Summit county, Ohio, in 1853, his
parents being David C. and Harriet E. (Chap-
man) Buell. In boyhood he acquired a knowl-
edge of the "three R's" in district schools. Not
content with the meagre advantages afforded by
these schools, he determined to secure a college
education, and turned his efforts toward that end.
He was successful and had the advantage of
study in Oberlin College, which was then, as
now, one of the famous educational institutions
of the east. During boyhood he had resolved to
enter the medical profession. He chose the
homeopathic school of medicine, of which he
has since been a true disciple. For a time he

studied in the Cleveland Homeopathic Hospital
College and later entered the New York Home-
opathic College, from which he graduated in
1876. After his graduation he began to practice
in Ohio.

Like most young physicians he experienced
the "day of small beginnings." Gradually,
however, as his skill became known, his practice
increased and financial returns were more satis-
factory. It had been his intention to remain in
Ohio permanently, but the delightful climate of
California, its rapid increase in population and
the opportunities offered here to professional
men, led him to settle in Los Angeles, where he
has his office and home on South Hill street. He
is a member of the California Medical Society.
For one year (which is the limit of office) he
served as its president. He was one of the or-
ganizers of the Southern California Medical So-
ciety, with which he is actively connected. Fra-
ternally he is connected with the Elks and Mac-
cabees.

During his residence in Ohio Dr. Buell married
Miss Florence T. Shannon, who was born and
reared in Ohio, and received her education in
that state and in the Gannett Institute at Boston,
Mass. As a musician she is well known in Los
Angeles social circles, while her many graces of
mind and heart have won for her the warm re-
gard of acquaintances.

EHARLES T. HARRIS, a prominent citizen
of Covina and a director of the Covina
Orange Growers' Association, has been a
resident of this place since 1S91 and has engaged
in the meantime in horticultural and kindred
pursuits. He was born near Halifax, Nova
Scotia, July 29. 1844, a son of Nathan T. and
Charlotte (Ells) Harris, also natives of Nova
Scotia, the former of English and the latter of
English and Scotch extraction. His educational
advantages were less than those enjoyed by the
present generation, but his long business ex-
perience has given him that best of all educa-
tions, to be gained only by habits of close
observation, training and quickness of com-
prehension.

While still a boy Mr. Harris entered the em-
ploy of Safliuel Strong & Co., dry -goods mer-

.v''^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

chants of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and there he was
employed for three years. When about eighteen
he went to Boston, Mass., and entered the em-
ploy of Jordan, Marsh & Co., one of the largest
mercantile firms in the east. After three years
in that house he decided to try his fortune in the
west, and accordingly went to St. Paul, Minn.,
where he remained for a time, and later spent
some months in traveling. Going back to New
Brunswick, he became connected with the dry-
goods house of Armstrong & Co., of St. Johns.

The year 1870 found Mr. Harris in California
for the first time. He located in Sonoma county
and engaged in buying, baling and .selling hay,
in which he was quite succes.sful financially. His
next occupation was that of a nurseryman in
Orange, Cal., where he spent many years.
Afterward he carried on a real-estate bu.siness and
had other interests in Los Angeles. In 1891 he
came to Covina and settled on the ranch he has
since cultivated. He is a well-known citizen,
who enjoys the esteem and confidence of a.sso-
ciates. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd
Fellows and Foresters in Covina, in both of
which organizations he is influential.

The marriage of Mr. Harris united him with
Elida Hale, of Eaton Rapids, Mich. They have
had five children, all but one of whom are now
living, Charles H. having died in childhood.
The others are Lottie B. , Lillian E. , Edith and
Ethel.

REV. P. J. FISHER, pastor of St. Joseph's
Roman Catholic Church at Pomona, dates
his residence in California from October i,
1880, at which time he accepted a position as
first assistant pastor of the Cathedral St.Vibiana,
of Los Angeles. In that office he continued for
four years. To him belongs the distinction of
having been the first English-speaking pastor of
the Roman Catholic denomination of Los Ange-
les, and he was also the first Roman Catholic
priest to officiate at Santa Monica, where he or-
ganized a mission in 1883, although he had com-
menced missionary work in that beautiful ocean
town as early as the fall of 1880. In the fall of
1884 he was transferred to vSan Diego, Cal., where
he labored for two years as assistant pa.stor of St.

Joseph's Church. During his residence there he
won the confidence of his parishioners and the
esteem of the general public. His characteristics
as a priest were no less striking than his powers
of endurance physically. From early youth he has
been fond of exercising his powers as an athlete.
One single instance is sufficient to prove his phys-
ical endurance. One afternoon, while in San
Diego, he swam acrcss the bay of San Diego and
back again, a distance of five miles altogether,
this being the first time such a feat had ever been
attempted. Indeed, no one before had ever
swam across the bay, much less attempting the
return trip.

In April, 1886, Father Fisher was transferred
to Pomona as pastor of St. Joseph's Church, with
which he has been connected during the fourteen
subsequent years. In addition to the supervision
of this parish, the missions at Ontario, Chinoand
Azusa are also under his charge. "When he came
here Pomona had a population of only one thou-
sand. He has witnessed its subsequent growth
and development. Side by side with the growth
of the town has been the progress of the church,
and its influence has grown and broadened under
the wise and kindly rule of Father Fisher.

In Dublin, Ireland, Father Fisher was born Feb-
ruary 24, i860, a son of James J. and Catherine
M. (Brady) Fisher, natives of the Emerald Isle,
the former being of English extraction. The ex-
cellent schools of Dublin furnished him with fine
advantages, and of these he availed himself to
the utmost. After a thorough classical course he
graduated from Dublin University in June, 1878,
with the degree of A.B. After his graduation in
the classics he took a course in theology in the
College of All Saints, in Dublin, from which he
graduated in 1880 with the degree of A.M. Im-
mediately after completing his preparation for the
priesthood and his ordination to the holy office of
priest he came to the United States, proceeding
direct to Los Angeles He is in thorough sym-
pathy with American institutions, and is loyal to
every principle of his adopted country. Working
for the religious progress of the people and their
spiritual development, he has been a contributor
to the moral development of the .state, and has
aided in raising its citizenship to that high level
which is the ambition of every patriotic resident.

(jlcJ^x:t/i^ J^. /^ -ca2£S^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

319

0SCAR C. MUELLER. Probably no pro-
fession affords a wider field for individual
enterprise and ability than does the law, and
this fact has attracted to its ranks multitudes of
ambitious young men in every generation since
law became reduced to a recognized science and
increasing civilization demanded a finer discrimi-
nation between justice and unjustice. And nat-
urally from this profession have come the bright-
est leaders in statesmanship, for, in addition to
the thorough knowledge of law and government
which its members must possess, if they rise
above mediocrity, their daily habits of thought,
development of the logical and resourceful powers
of the mind and the keen estimate of human
nature which they inevitably form set them apart,
as a class peculiarly fitted to hold the reins of
power and specially useful in legislating for the
people.

From his youth, Oscar C. Mueller, of Los
Augeles, has manifested unusual aptitude for
dealing with the knotty problems of the law, and
ever since he was fairly launched upon his chosen
vocation his numerous friends and life-long ac-
quaintances have unanimously predicted for him
a brilliant career. He is one of the native sons
of Colorado, but since he was about two years of
age he has dwelt in Los Angeles, and from his
earliest recollections has been intimately associ-
ated with this now progressive metropolis. As
his nativity occurred in the year of the Centen-
nial, and he was brought to this place in 1878,
he remembers it as a straggling, unpromising
town in the sand hills, and sometimes feels that
nothing short of the marvelous has transpired
here in two brief decades, whereby our attractive,
wide-awake and business-like city has come into
the ranks of the few leading cities of the Pacific
slope. His father, Otto Mueller, for many years
was at the head of a large and prosperous furniture
house here, and was known far and wide, through-
out this region, as an upright, honorable business
man. Heowned valuable property in Los Ange-
les and amassed his fortune, by square dealing
and keen financial forethought and judgment.
He died January 25, 1890. Of his three surviv-
ing children, a son, Earl, is a student at Throop
Polytechnic Institute. A daughter, Clare E., is
the wife of Perry W. Weidner, now residing in
Los Angeles.

Oscar C. Mueller was fortunate in having
fine educational advantages. He acquired his
elementary knowledge in the public schools, and,
being a great student, he has continued the im-
provement of his mind and the broadening of his
ideas. Having determined to devote his life to
the law, he entered the law office of the late
Judge Wilde, where he became familiar with its
rudimentary principles. Later he attended the
law school of the University of Virginia, further
perfecting himself in legal lore, and, returning
home, was admitted to the supreme court of this
state at the time that he reached his raajoritj'.
He has also been admitted to the circuit court of
tlie United States. After his admission to the
supreme court he went to Europe, where he
traveled quite extensively, residing for a time in
Berlin, Germany. Returning to Los Angeles, he
formed a co-partnership with Hon. C. C. Wright.
He has made a specialty of probate law, and the
law relating to real property, and enjoys a large
and remunerative practice.

Fraternally Mr. Mueller is a Mason, and in the
local society he is popular with young and old.
He favors the platform of the Republican partj%
but is not a politician in any sense of the word.
In the work of the Unitarian church he is actively
interested, and has served in the double capacity
of a trustee and treasurer of the board of trustees.
He was married April 5, 1900, in Los Angeles, to
Miss Ivy S. Schoder, daughter of Joseph Schoder,
vice-president of the Union Hardware & Metal
Company. Mrs. Mueller is a native of San
Francisco and was educated in the Marlborough
School. She is prominent in the social life of Los
Angeles.

30SEPH J. PLACE, M. D. Everywhere
throughout the length and breadth of Amer-
ica are to be found men who have worked
their own way upward from humble and lowly
beginnings to positions of leadership, renown and
high esteem, and it still is one of the proudest
boasts of our fair land that such victors over cir-
cumstance are accounted of thousand-fold more
value to the commonwealth than is the aristocrat
with his inherited wealth, standing and distin-
guished name. When even a reasonable degree
of success has been attained by one who has beeu
obliged to battle with many adversities, we are

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

inclined, as a people, to award him the palm of
honor, and doubtless this very spirit of "giving
honor to him to whom honor is due" in its true
sense is one of the secrets of our prosperit\- as a
nation as well as individual!)-.

Dr. J. J. Place, a leading physician of Santa
Monica, is a native of Taunton, Mass., his birth
having occurred there some thirty-eight years
ago. When he was three years old his mother
died, and nine years later his father died, so from
his twelfth year he has been obliged to fight the
battle of life alone. His father was a wheel-
wright by trade, and was employed chiefly at
that vocation, but he was a great student, and,
having devoted considerable time to medical re-
search, he engaged in practice to some extent.

After his father's death Dr. Place left his old
home in Taunton and went to Rhode Island,
where he acquired his education for the most
part. When he was about eighteen years of age
he commenced learning the jeweler's trade, and
at the same time gave all his leisure time to the
study of medicine. When he was twenty-two he
went to New^ York City, where he matriculated
in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and
in 1888 he was graduated from Hahnemann
Medical College in Chicago. Returning then to
Rhode Island, he established an office and began
practicing in Providence. His long years of
study and close confinement to work had made
inroads upon his health, and in 1890 he wisely
determined to come to the sunny southland, where
he would be able to spend a large share of his
time out of doors. Deciding to make his home
in Santa Monica, he opened an office here and
soon built up a large and paying practice.

The marriage of Dr. Place and Miss Caroline
M. Rogers, a native of New York City, was sol-
emnized April 10, 1892. They had a very pleas-
ant home on Third street, and though they had
no children of their own they adopted one, in-
tending to rear and educate him in the same way
they would if he were indeed their own.

In his political creed the doctor was a stanch
Republican. For six years he was health officer
of Santa Monica, and instituted a number of im-
portant reforms and sanitary regulations. He
also was a member of the pension board of the
Soldiers' Home at Santa Monica, and was act-
ively interested in every enterprise carried on in

this community. He was a member of the Ma-
sonic and Odd Fellows' orders. Intellectually he
was a man of broad mind and liberal information,
endeavoring to keep posted in all of the leading
issues of the period. He was one of the most en-
ergetic men in the town, and had to be restrained
constantly by his wife and friends because his
health would not admit of all the undertakings
in which his kind heart and noble spirit prompted
him to engage. He was held in loving esteem
by his many patients and friends, and stood high
in the medical profession, whose members honor
his memory. At the meeting of the State Ho-
meopathic Medical Society in San Francisco in
1900 a historical sketch of his life was read, in
which his many noble qualities of mind and
heart were brought before the members of the
society.

HENRY J. STEVENS, assistant solicitor for
the Santa Fe Railroad, lines west of Albu-
querque and one of the ablest lawyers prac-
ticing at the Los Angeles bar, was born in New
York state in 1865 and was educated at the State
University of \'ermont, graduating with the class
of 1886. In the spring of that year he came to
California and located in San Diego, where he
read law in the office of Judge Works until his
admission to the bar in 1887. He engaged in
practice in that city for some time and .served as
first assistant district attorney until the fall of
1888, when he resigned to take up general prac-
tice as a partner of Judge Works and Judge Wel-
born, now United States district judge for this
district. When Judge Works was elected to the
supreme bench of California the firm became
Welborn & Stevens, which partnership was dis-
solved in 1893. In 1894 Mr. Stevens removed to
Los Angeles, where he formed a partnership w'ith
W. J. Hunsaker, and together they engaged in
practice for one year. Afterward Mr. Stevens
was alone until July, 1896, when he became
assistant solicitor for the above railroad com-
panies, which position he still fills to the entire
satisfaction of the companies. His representa-
tion of these large corporate interests is a high
testimonial to his skill and ability in his chosen
profession.

In 1S97 lie was united in marriage with
Florence Runyon .Stanford, of vSan Francisco,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and to them have been born two daughters,
Esther Runyon and Kathryn Elizabeth. Poli-
tically Mr. Stevens is a stanch Republican. He
is a man of deep research and careful investiga-
tion, and is eminently- gifted with the capabilities
of mind which are indispensable at the bar. He
is a pleasant, genial and polished gentleman, of
high social qualities and is very popular, having
an extensive circle of friends.

G\ K. CRAWFORD. For the past seventeen
LA years A. K. Crawford has been prominent-
/ I, ly associated with the upbuilding and im-
provement of Los Angeles, and has just reason
to be proud of the fact that to his efforts can be
traced many a substantial enterprise or achieve-
ment contributing greatly to the beauty and pros-
perity of this city. In every sense of the word
he is a representative citizen, devoted to the wel-
fare of his chosen state and community and loyal
to the government.

His father, Dr. W. H. Crawford, was a pioneer
physician in northwestern Missouri several dec-
ades ago, and was widely known and beloved
throughout that section of the country for many
years. He had an extensive, though very scat-
tering, practice. In addition to this he was the
owner of a very large store and stock of merchan-
dise, and a number of finely improved farms in
that locality. He was extremely successful and
enterprising in his business affairs, and main-
tained, at the same time, a high reputation for
uprightness. Prior to and during the Civil war
his sympathies were strongly upon the side of the
north, and at a time when it was dangerous to be
accounted a Union man, he never hesitated in ex-
pressing his opinion.

A. K. Crawford was born in northwestern Mis-
souri fifty-four years ago, and in his boyhood,
when not attending school, he worked in his fath-
er's store, there obtaining practical information
and business experience which was of great bene-
fit to him in later years. Subsequently, feeling
the need of more accurate training in special di-
rections, he went to St. Louis and attended a
business college for a period. When he was in
his eighteenth year his father retired from active
business and removed to the country, leaving the
young man to manage the store. He continued

to carry on the business for about five years in
his father's name, and then purchased the stock
of goods and became independent. From the
start success attended him. In 1883 he sold out,
in order to come to Los Angeles. Since casting
in his lot with the people of this favored clime
he has been engaged in the real-estate business,
and in this field of enterprise, as in that of mer-
chandising, he has met with well-deserved suc-
cess. Not the least important factor in his pros-
perity has been the sincere interest which he has
maintained in everj- local movement for the im-
provement and upbuilding of the city, and every
one with whom he has had dealings holds him in
genuine respect.

Twice married , the first wife of Mr. Crawford
was Martha Jones, a native of Ohio, but educated
in Missouri. She died January 15, 1887, leaving
one son, William K. Crawford, a student in the
University of California, at Berkeley. The sec-
ond marriage of Mr. Crawford was to Miss Emma
J. Jones, who is the mother of one son, Kerrins
Jones Crawford, at home. The family have re-
sided in their pleasant home. No. 337 South
Grand avenue, for the past fifteen years.

Though he has never desired public ofiice for
himself, Mr. Crawford has been a worker for his
political friends, and is a zealous Republican.
Religiously he is a member of the First Christian
Church of this city, and takes a leading part in
the maintenance of the noble work being carried
forward by his particular branch of the church
militant.

Gl RTHUR LELAND HAWES, an enterpris-
Ll ing young lawyer and business man of Los
/ I Angeles, is deserving of great credit for the
success which he has thus far achieved, for he
has been forced to rely entirely upon his own re-
sources. Possessing pluck and determination, he
has bravely mastered every obstacle which he has
encountered, and is rapidly winning the favor of
those with whom business or social relations
bring him into contact.

Born in the central part of Missouri twent)--
eight years ago, Mr. Hawes is the only sou of
Alfred E. and Kinnie (Calhoun) Hawes. His
mother died when he was a mere child, and his
father, who was a banker, died when the lad was
but eight years old. His maternal grandfather

322

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

was a second cousin of ex-\'ice-President John C.
Calhoun. The paternal grandfather, now in his
ninet3--second }-ear, and a resident of Central Mis-
souri, is remarkably clear-minded and capable for
one of such an advanced age, and he still attends
to all of his business matters.

When he was a child Arthur L. Hawes was
taken to Kansas Cit}-, where he received his ele-
mentary education. Later it was his privilege
to attend Westminster College, at Fulton, Mo.,
where he was graduated in the class of 1893.
After completing his literary studies he took up
legal work, and was duly admitted to the Mis-
souri bar in 1896. Practicing in Kansas City for
a couple of years, he then came to Los Angeles
on business, and was so pleased with the place
that he decided to make his home here perma-
nently. In the interest of Mr. Peyton, a gentle-
man of wealth and prominence, he investigated
the condition of the Mount Lowe Railway Com-
pany, and the former became the purchaser of
the same, and is serving as president, while Mr.
Hawes holds the office of vice-president and treas-
urer. He has already built up a large law practice,
here, and has his office with Judge John D. Pope,
on the fifth floor of the Stimson building. His
friends have long predicted a brilliant career for
him, and he is fully justifying their faith. From
the start he has built upon the foundation of
thorough knowledge of the law, and spares him-
self no pains or labor in the preparation of a case.
Once convinced of its merits, he carefully guards
any weak points in the argument, and loyally
strengthens the side for which he is battling.
Nature endowed him with many of the qualities
which are essential to success, and persistently he
has endeavored to earn a place in the regard of
those who are associated with him. One is im-
pressed by his evident sincerity and integrity
upon slight acquaintance, and this grows to be a
fi.Ked conviction to his friends. Animated by
high principles, he is one of the men whose wish
it is that right and justice, and not might, should
conquer, and with this noble thought in mind, he
acts accordingly.

The marriage of Arthur L. Hawes and Miss
Bertha Peyton, daughter of \'alentine Peyton,
president of the Mount Lowe Railway Company,
was solemnized April 26, 1899. Mrs. Hawesisa
lady of culture and education, and is (jualified to

adorn any station in life to which she may be
called. She presides over her new home with
charming hospitality, and, with her husband,
possesses the admiration and love of a host of
friends.

pCjARREN GILLELEN. Those public-

\ A / spirited citizens whose sound judgment
Y V has promoted the financial welfare of their
community and whose ability has brought an
enlarged prosperity to every line of local activity,
deservedlj' occupy positions of prominence in
the annals of their home town. Such a man is
found in the subject of this article, who is a
recognized leader in the banking circles of Los
Angeles. He is prominently connected with a
number of the most substantial financial institu-
tions of the city, being president of the Broad-
way Bank & Trust Company and vice president
of the State Bank & Trust Company. Accustomed
as he is to enterprises of magnitude, he is dis-
tinguished by his breadth of views, quickness of
perception and promptness in action, and is there-
fore quick to discern investments of undoubted
value and equally quick to grasp such favorable
openings.

The family of which Mr. GiUelen is a member
has been identified with the history of Pennsyl-
vania for several generations. He was born in
Carlisle, Pa., in 1849, a son of Prof. F. D. and
Rebecca (Grayson) Gillelen, the former of whom
devoted his entire active life to educational work
and for years stood at the head of a college which
he had founded and established. It was in this
college that the son received his education, which
was thorough, equipping him well for the re-
sponsibilities of life and fitting him to occupy a
position of importance in society or in business.
After his graduation, when twenty-one years of
age, he secured employment as agent with the
Pennsylvania Central Railroad, and later, sever-
ing his connection with that company, he went
to Kansas City, Mo., and embarked in the mer-
cantile business. He witnessed much of the
growth of that city and held a high place among
its merchants. In 18S6 he disposed of his inter-
ests there and came to Los Angeles, with the in-
tention of establishing a permanent home in this
progressive and growing town. He was oiie of
the founders of llie Los Angeles National Bank

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

325

and one of its original stockholders. At the
founding of this institution he was elected vice-
president. On the establishment of the Broad-
wa}' Bank & Trust Company in 1892 he took an
active part in its founding and was made its
president. He has since stood at the head of
this solid and well-known institution, the suc-
cess of which is due almost wholly to his able
oversight.

Mr. Gillelen is known for his sound and care-
ful judgment as a banker; for the enterprise that
makes him willing to foster any undertaking
promising a successful termination; and for the
conservative spirit that is displayed in all of his
investments. All his transactions have been con-
ducted with such a regard for integrity, fairness
and justice, that not a stain has ever rested upon
his reputation. His counsel and opinions are
daily sought by others; and his keen conception,
his ready grasp and apprehension of the real
points in a case, render his decisions quick and
correct. He has little time for participation in
politics, yet he is a stanch Republican, whose
vote is always to be relied upon by his party.
Fraternally he is connected with the Elks and
the Foresters.

While in Kansas City, in 1880, Mr. Gillelen
married Miss Jennie Dawson. They and their
children, Frank, Warren and Lute, have a pleas-
ant home at No. 1229 South Main street.

HON. JOHN BRYSON, SR. The city of Los
Angeles stands out before the world to- day
as, in all essential respects, the most lovely
and progressive city on the western continent,
and the writer has heard it pronounced by men
of extensive travel and close observation as not
having its equal on the eastern hemisphere. It
is natural to enquire why it is thus. Some say
the delightful climate, the rich soil and the su-
perb beaut}' and grandeur of its natural location
and surroundings. These are indeed important
factors in the city's growth, but these conditions
had all existed for hundreds, if not thousands, of
years while the country laid still dormant and
listless, basking in the same glorious sunlight,
with this same wealth of soil and scenery, and
yet it did not grow. The Spanish friar came to
tutor the wild man and laid the foundation for a

.semi-civilization. The pioneers of i Si 6 to 1846
came and blended their blood with that of the na-
tives, which so neutralized their individuality
and efforts as to effect but a slight change in the
advancement of the country. The pioneers of
1849 came in quest of gold nuggets and gave the
country a somewhat vigorous yet not so material
push along the path of enterprise, and the north-
ern part of the state grew. Not until very late in
the '70s and early in the '80s did the little Span-
ish city of Los Angeles, then as now, the me-
tropolis of Southern California, feel the magic
touch of the hand of the business genius. Not
until then did she awake from her lifelong slum-
bers and lethargy and begin to put on the clothes
and airs becoming a city of importance.

It was late in the year 1879 that John Bryson,
Sr. , came to Los Angeles and stamped the impress
of his strong individuality upon the marvelous
present and also the glorious future of this city.
He came at a time when Los Angeles most
needed men of his metal, and brought with him
a wealth of successful experience with ample
means to back him in any enterprise that his
ripened judgment and keen foresight might
recommend as being feasible. The city had not,
as yet, had even a taste of a genuine boom. The
completion of the Southern Pacific Railway from
San Francisco two years previous had given it a
little jolt in that direction, but the boomer had
not arrived and the peaceable and leisure-loving
people were entirely innocent of anything so
monstrous as the boom that followed Mr. Bry-
son's arrival proved to be, and with which he is
credited as being the chief promoter.

A brief glance back to the days of 1879 (the
date of Mr. Bryson's arrival) will reveal to the
reader the rapid, the marvelous strides the city
has made as a direct result of the wonderful im-
petus given by the boom of 1885 to 1887. In
1879 Los Angeles had barely eleven thousand
inhabitants. There was not a business block of
any pretensions south of First street, except the
Nadeau. Adjoining the Nadeau on the south
was the wagon shop of Louis Roeder, and south
of it stood the Scoville planing mill, and next ad-
joining that, on the corner where now stands
the Bryson block, a lasting monument to Mr.
Bryson's great business genius, was the old brick
school house built in 1S54, and across the street

326

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

where the Holleubeck Hotel stands was a horse
corraL Just below Third street on Main stood
the old round house. The citj- had but two
parks, the old Plaza, in a wretched condition, and
the Sixth street (now Central) park, then sur-
rounded by a dilapidated picket fence and watered
by a ragged, open ditch. The city had two bob-
tail street car lines operated by mule power.
Electric cars and electric lights had not been
dreamed of. There was not a telephone in the
city, no mail delivery, not a paved street, and the
city hall was a straggling old adobe at the corner
of North Spring and Franklin streets, where the
Phillips block now stands. There is not space
here to finish the primitive picture as Mr. Bryson
found it. Enough has been told, however, to
show the transformation since his arrival. He
foresaw the possibilities of bringing about the
change, and with his accustomed zeal and enter-
prise proceeded to effect it by making judicious
investments in real estate and to improve the
same upon a modern scale. He purchased the
ground now occupied by the Los Angeles Na-
tional Bank and erected the present building. He
discerned the needs of the community for better
banking facilities and forthwith supplied it by
founding the bank of that name, which has grown
in strength and usefulness as the citj- has ad-
vanced in commercial importance. When this
modern bank building was erected many of the
croaking people of Los Angeles (some of them
Mr. Bryson's well-meaning friends) were skep-
tical of the future of their city and assured him
that he was sinking his money and wasting his
time, but he steadfastly continued his plans of
investment and improvement, and in rapid suc-
cession purchased inside business property, tore
away the old-time and worthless shacks and built
substantial business blocks in their place. He
erected the substantial two-story block at Nos.
125-127 South Spring street, also another at the
southwest corner of Broadway and First street.
He built himself a residence where the Broadway
Hotel now stands, and later erected a palatial
home on the corner of Tenth and Flower. He
erected the present Bryson block in 1888, after
the great boom had subsided. It is without a
rival in architectural beauty and grand propor-
tions on the Pacific coast. About this time he asso-
ciated with him some of the leading capitalists of

Southern California and organized the State Loan
and Trust Company and became its president at
once, being also vice-president of the Los Angeles
National Bank and of the Southern California
Savings Bank.

The city government of Los Angeles had up to
this time passed through the vicissitudes of a
struggling embryo period, having faintly defined
policies and some of those indifferently executed.
In casting about for a modern and progressive
candidate for mayor the Democratic party turned
to John Bryson, Sr., whom they duly nominated
and elected b^- a majoritj- of fourteen hundred in a
Republican city that gave Harrison seventeen
hundred. The wisdom of their choice was amply
verified by the inauguration of many needed and
radical reforms in local political economics. The
sentiments and established customs of what is
termed practical politics were b\' Maj'or Bryson
observed with a warm indifference, and the gov-
ernment in all its departments put upon a work-
ing business basis and rigidly kept so as long
as he occupied the executive chair. He held
that the affairs of a city should be adminis-
tered upon the same principles and along the
same lines of rational economy that one would
conduct and tran.sact business for himself, and he
succeeded in demonstrating the feasibility of such
a reform. He was nominated by his party for a
second term to run against Hon. Henry T. Haz-
zard, an esteemed friend and a Republican.
Feeling that he could scarcely spare his time
from business for a second term's service, he
made no canvass for the ofiice and voted for his
genial friend and opponent, and Mr. Hazzard
was elected. Other official honors were laid
within easy reach of Mr. Bryson, but with this
one exception he always declined them, prefer-
ring success in the business walks of life, to
which he seemed so eminently adapted and which
he better enjoyed.

Mr. Bryson is a native of the town of Mount
Joy, Lancaster County, Pa., where he was born
June 20, 1S19, and in order of birth was the sec-
ond of a family of thirteen children. When yet
of the tender age of ten years he was apprenticed
to a cabinetmaker to learn the trade, in which he
became proficient and pursued the same for up-
wards of twenty years. In 1847 he went to Ohio
in quest of better business opportunities and en-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

^27

gaged successfully in business on his own ac-
count in the town of Euphemia. In 1851 he
removed to Iowa and lived at Muscatine until
1856, when he took up his residence in the town
of Washington, the county seat of Washington
county, in the same state There he embarked
in the lumber business, investing his meager cap-
ital of about |[,500. The first year (owing to
the business depression of 1857) 1^^ was com-
pelled to do business at a serious loss, but with
fortitude and faith in the future, and also his
ability to recover, he continued, surmounting all
obstacles and bringing grand success out of what
for a time promised little but failure. A gazetteer
history of Washington county, published in
1886, in treating of the resources of that county
and Mr. Bryson's interests, states that he owned
twelve lumber yards in that state and Kansas in
addition to his supply yards in the city of Chi-
cago. He was there, as here, a man of affairs
and foremost in the matter of public improve-
ments and progress. The first sidewalks in his
city were laid through his instrumentality and
individual effort. The public cemetery there was
in what he considered a disgraceful state of neg-
ligence and a sore blight upon an enlightened and
progressive community; he called a public meet-
ing, talked to the people and inspired them to
improve and beautify the resting place of their
departed loved ones, and it became an hallowed
spot and a pride of the city. Some of the most
substantial and pretentious buildings of Wash-
ington are to-day truthful evidences of his enter-
prise, thrift and energy. The people of that city
have to thank Mr. Bryson for the building of the
Southwestern Railway into their town, as it was
his enterprise and money that secured it. His
relinquishment of his extensive interests there
was a matter of serious regret to the people of
that section, but what was their loss was a most
substantial gain to Los Angeles. In addition to
his work in Washington, Iowa, he also made
valuable improvements in Red Oak, that state.

It is unnecessar}- to say that Mr. Bryson is a
self-made man; the evidences are before the
reader and they teach a lesson of industry, fru-
gality and thrift that is worthy of emulation and
imitation by the rising generation. Of recent
years Mr. Bryson has gradually withdrawn from
the cares and friction of active business to spend

his advanced and declining days in the leisure
which is the reward of an honorable, busy and
successful career.

EHARLES LEGGE. The real-estate in-
terests of Pasadena are represented by Mr.
Legge, who has not only gained a large
degree of success for himself, but at the same time
has contributed toward the upbuilding of his
home town, one of the fairest spots in the whole
world. Like so many of the citizens of Southern
California, he is of eastern birth and Revolu-
tionar}' descent. He was born in Licking count}',
Ohio, November 5, 1850, and is a son of Col.
Andrew and Cassandra (Hamilton) Legge, na-
tives respectively of Licking county, Ohio, and
Reedsburg, Va. His father was a lumber dealer
and contractor. ,At the opening of the Civil war
he was one of the first to offer his services in the
defense of the Union. His previous experience as
captain of a military company admirably adapted
him for service at the front. He was made cap-
tain of Company E, Twelfth Ohio Infantry, and
some time later, by reason of meritorious service,
was promoted to be colonel of the One Hundred
and Thirty-fifth Ohio Infantry, serving principally
in West Virginia under General Rosecrans. On
account of ill health he was discharged, but soon
afterward returned to the front. On two later
occasions he was again obliged to accept an
honorable discharge on account of disabilitj', and
he never recovered from the effects of the hard-
ships and exposure of army life. In 1865 he re-
moved to Marshalltown, Iowa, where he soon
afterward died, at the age of fifty-three years.
His wife is still a resident of Iowa. They were
the parents of five children.

In the common schools the subject of this
article laid the foundation of h's present large
fund of knowledge. His training in school,
united with his keen observation and experience
in the world of affairs, has resulted in the attain-
ment of a broad information that is of great value
to him in his work. He remained at home until
1875, when he came to California and settled in
Pasadena. Here he purchased twenty acres and
planted the same in oranges, but later sold it off
in town lots. He was a member of the Lake
Vineyard colony, and for several years gave his
attention to fruit-raising. However, the rapid

32S

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RIvCORD.

growth of the city made the real-estate business
one of importance. Since 1 883 he has devoted his
attention exclusively to the real-estate business.
He has gained the confidence of the people, who
recognize him as a man of excellent judgment,
keen intuition, broad information and lar^e enter-
prise. His j udgment as to the values of property
here is referred to by many, who recognize his
opinion as almost infallible. He is also interested
in irrigation and mining near Gila Bend, Ariz.
Pasadena has in him one of its most progressive
citizens. He has favored every movement for its
progress and has personally contributed to each.
An instance of his liberality may be mentioned:
Upon the establishment of the Pasadena public
library he not only donated the property (valued
at $3,000) on which the building was erected,
but also contributed $1,000 in cash. Besides his
other interests he is a director in the Pasadena
National Bank. In politics he is a Republican.
In 1887 Mr. Legge married Miss Algeo Jen-
nings, who was born in Detroit, Mich. Her
father was a native and lifelong resident of
Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Legge are the parents
of a daughter, Frances Lynnette Legge.

SEORGE F. HERR, the well-known and
popular city ticket agent of the South Pa-
cific Railroad Company at Los Angeles,
was born in Kentucky in 1869, and is the only
son of George W. Herr, a Kentucky planter.
He was educated in the public schools and in
1883 entered the employ of the Louisville &
Nashville Railroad as messenger boy, remaining
with that company in different capacities for
seven years. Throughout his entire business
career he has been connected with railroads. On
coming to California in 1887 he entered the serv-
ice of the Santa Fe Railroad, and subsequently
represented the Union Pacific in the passenger
service for five years, since which time he has
been with the Southern Pacific, serving as city
ticket agent at Los Angeles since 1897.

In 1892 Mr. Herr was united in marriage with
Miss Mary E. Stewart, a daughter of W. W.
Stewart. Politically Mr. Herr is a Democrat,
and fraternally is a Knight Templar Mason, a
member of the Mystic Shrine, and also a member
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

He is a [jkasant, genial gentleman, who com-
mands the respect and confidence of all with
whom he comes in contact either in business or
social life, and has a large circle of warm friends
in Los Angeles.

^EORGE W. LUCE. Success is determined
l_ by one's ability to recognize opportunity
[^ and to pursue this with a resolute and un-
flagging energy. It results from continued labor,
and the man vv'ho thus accomplishes his purpose
usually becomes an important factor in the busi-
ness circles of the community with which he is
connected. Mr. Luce, through such means, has
attained a leading place among the representative
men of Los Angeles, and is to-day assistant gen-
eral freight and passenger agent of the vSouthern
Pacific Railroad Company, with headquarters in
the Douglas building.

A native of California, he was born in Eldorado
county, September i, 1856, and is a son of Israel
and Mary A. (^Nichols) Luce, natives of New
York and Massachusetts, respectively. His father
was engaged in the marble business throughout
the greater part of his life, and as a Republican
he took quite an active and prominent part in
political affairs during his residence inSacramento.
He died in October, 1S98, and the wife and mother
died in 186 t. Our subject has one brother, J. C,
who is still engaged in the marble business in
Sacramento.

George \V. Luce spent his boyhood in Sacra-
mento, where he attended the common and high
schools, and at the age of sixteen commenced
learning the ornamental marble business, which
he followed for four years. At the age of twentj'
he entered the employ of the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company as messenger boy, in the office
of the freight auditor at San Francisco, and there
remained until 1883, when he entered the com-
mercial office of the same road as contracting
freight agent. January 1, 1887, he came to Los
Angeles in that capacity, but after being here for
a time, he severed his connection with the South-
ern Pacific and went with the Texas Pacific as
general Pacific coast agent. This position he
filled until September, 1891, when he resigned
and became connected with the Union Pacific
system as general agent of the freight depart-
ment. November 20, 1894, he resigned that to

Pholo by Marceau.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

accept the position of assistant general freight
agent of the Southern Pacific Compan>-, witli
headquarters at San Francisco, which position
had been tendered him by hisold emploj-ers after
seven years of separation. On the ist of March,
1898, he was promoted to the office which he is
now so creditabl)- and acceptably filling. He is
really the head man in Los Angeles for all of the
freight and traffic business of the company.

Mr. Luce married Miss Clara Von Rhein, a
daughter of O. F. Von Rhein, an extensive real-
estate dealer and prominent citizen of San Fran-
cisco. To them have been born two children,
one son and one daughter, Roy R. and Mabel C.
In national affairs Mr. Luce is a supporter of the
Republican party, but at local elections, where
no issue is involved, he votes for those whom he
considers best qualified to fill the offices. He is
a member of the National Union. His success in
life is mainly due to hard work and the habit of
giving careful attention to details. He is a close
student of human nature, treats all with courtesy,
and, as a genial gentlemen, he makes many
friends and stands very high in both business and
social circles.

I ILTON D. PAINTER. The complete his-
tory of Pasadena could not be written
without giving due notice to the Painter
family, so prominently associated with its up-
building and numerous important enterprises.
Of this family, a prominent member is M. D.
Painter, proprietor of La Pintoresca, a famous
winter resort, situated between Pasadena and the
base of the Sierra Madre Mountains. The hotel
is thoroughly equipped with modern appliances;
is lighted by gas and electricity, and heated by
steam. With its hundred sleeping apartments it
has accommodations for a large number of guests.
Every fifteen minutes the Altadena and Pasadena
electric cars pass the door, thus affording guests
quick transit to the city. In 1887 the two broth-
ers, Alonzo J. and Milton D. Painter, together
with their father, John H. Painter, founded what
was then known as the Painter Hotel, which had
sixty sleeping rooms. In 1S97 'he building was
enlarged to its present capacity, furnished with
the most approved appointments and rechristened

La Pintoresca. In connection with the hotel, the
proprietor also carries on a livery business for the
accommodation of guests.

In tracing the ancestry of Mr. Painter, the rec-
ords show that he is descended from good old
Quaker stock. His paternal great-grandfather,
Jacob, a son of John and Susanna Painter, was
born August 21, 1764, and died May 9, 1851.
His wife, Mary, daughter of Robeit and Abigail
Hunt, was born July 25, 1768, and died Septem-
ber 7, 1818. David, son of Jacob and Mary
Painter, was born February 4, 1792; October 27,
1813, he married Ann Webb, who was born
June 12, 1787, of an eastern Pennsylvania family.
Subsequent to his marriage David Painter moved
to Salem, Ohio, and engaged in agricultural pur-
suits. He died in August, 1866, and his wife
about a year later. Their son, John H. Painter,
father of our subject, was born in Columbiana
county, Ohio, September 3, 1819. He bought
property in Cedar county, Iowa, in 1844, his
family joining him here the next year. He was
active in the early settlement of Iowa. For
twenty-one years he engaged in farming and busi-
ness pursuits in Cedar county, and was for a
time justice of the peace there. Later he made
his home in Muscatine, Iowa, for fourteen years.
He was an Abolitionist and a friend of John
Brown. In 1880 he came to Pasadena, where he
invested in various enterprises and made an en-
viable reputation for business sagacity. He
bought and .sold land, aided in the building of
the Painter House, was influential in a local
water supply company and in other organizations.
He died in this city April 9, 1891. His wife,
who died here July 20, 1899, bore the maiden
name of Edith Dean and was born in Ohio
August 5, 1 82 1. Her father, James H. Dean,
was born in central New York April 14, 1799,
became a teacher, also followed farm pursuits;
was married September 27, 1820, to Eleanor M.
Winder, who was born in Virginia March 17,
1799; he died in Columbiana county, Ohio,
March 28, 18S5, and his wifepa.ssed away in Feb-
ruary, 1891. His father, Jonathan R. Dean, was
born Maj' 26, 1776; and July 12, 1798, married
Hannah Tuttle, who was born June 9, 1778, and
died in October, 185 1 ; his death occurred in Sep-
tember, 1S40. Mr. and Mrs. John H. Painter
were the parents of eight children. vSix reached

332

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

maturity, viz.: Louis .M., a holdier in tliu war of
the Rebellion, who died aged tvvenl\ -four years;
Mrs. Ellen Michener; Mrs. Esther Michener;
Milton D.; Alonzo J., deceased: and Mrs. Imelda
A. Tebbetts.

Milton D. Painter was born in Springdale,
Iowa, March 29, 1852, and was one of eight
children, four now living. His elementary edu-
cation was obtained in district schools, but when
he was fourteen he entered the Muscatine schools,
and five years later was graduated in the high
.school. Later he clerked with a lumber firm and
for five years was in a wholesale grocery. Going
to Marshall county, Iowa, he was bookkeeper
for five years in a general store and in mills.
Having thus gained a practical knowledge of gen-
eral business, he was prepared for the duties
that awaited him when he came to Pasadena in
1883. He was a partner of his father and broth-
er, Alonzo J., until they died. He was exten-
sively interested in real estate and prominently
connected with the street railroad of this city.
On the incorporation of the North Pasadena
Water Company in 1885 he was chosen secretary
and is now its president. For some years he has
been the sole owner of La Pintoresca. A wide-
awake, aggressive business man, he is quick to
grasp an opportunity for advancement and is
almost unerring in his judgment.

At Muscatine, Iowa, May 4, 1876, Mr. Painter
married Miss Mary E. Joy, who was born in
Evans, near Buffalo, N. Y. Her grandfather,
Ira Joy, was a contractor on the old Erie Canal
and owned a farm in the Empire state. In fact,
Buffalo stands on a portion of his old homestead.
During the war of 1812, when he was engaged in
contracting in Buffalo, he witnessed its destruc-
tion by British soldiers, who were under orders to
burn it. In 1854116 moved from Buffalo to Mich-
igan and died in Galesburg, that state.

Going back to the time of King Henry \'ni. of
England, we find mentioned in the records one
George Joy, who was admitted in 15 17 as a fellow
to Peterhouse College at Cambridge. It is stated
in old manuscripts that he was a "learned,
pious and laborious reformer in the reign of
Henry VIII." In the Herald's College, London,
may be seen the grant of a coat of arms to the de
scendants of Thomas Joy. The crest is a vine-
stump, with a dove standing between two

Ijrauches, and the motto is "Vive la juie." The
earliest record of the said Thomas Joy in Amer-
ica bears date of 1634. Doubtless he emigrated
from Hiugham, Norfolk county, England, with
a colony of .some eight hundred persons who
cros.sed the Atlantic in 1630, with Governor
Winthrop as leader. That noted man thus speaks
of Mr. Joy: "There was a young fellow, Thomas
Joy, whom they had employed to get hands for
the petition. He begun to be very busy, but was
laid hold on and kept in irons four or five days
and then he humbled himself, confessed what he
knew and blamed him.self for meddling in matters
not his, and blessed God for the irons upon his
legs, hoping they would do him good while he
lived. So he was let out upon bail." In 1646
Thomas Joy, with his wife and four children,
moved from Boston toHingham, Mass., where he
built and operated a mill and spent the remainder
of his life. He died October 21, 1678. Hiswife,
Joan, was a daughter of John Gallop, a renowned
Indian fighter and trader, who, with a son, served
in the Pequod war and received large grants of
land from the government in consideration of his
timely aid. He married Hannah Lake, a niece
of Governor' Winthrop. He was killed in the great
fight with the Indians at Narragansett, Decem-
ber 19, 1675. Of the eight children of Thomas
Joy, the fourth son was Joseph Joy, born Janu-
ary 2, 1645, and who married Mary Prince,
August 29, 1667. Their son, Joseph, Jr., mar-
ried. May 26, 1690, Elizabeth, daughter of Capt.
James Andrews. They had a son, David, who
in 1 7 18, married a lady whose fir.st name was
Ruth. Their son, David, Jr., married Elizabeth
Allen. Next in descent was David the third,
who in 1776 married Hannah Partridge, of Guild-
ford, Vt. One of their children was Ira Joy,
the grandfather of Mrs. Mary E. Painter, who in
1S15 married Clarissa Ludlow. In 1800 he had
accompanied his father to Onondaga county,
N. Y., where much of his life was passed. He
was a very active member of the Congregational
Church and most of his descendants have adhered
to that faith. His sou, William H. Joy, father
of Mrs. Painter, was born in Tompkins county,
N. Y., October 24, 1819; he married Marion W.
Ingersoll, at Evans, N. Y., October 24, 1843.
They became the parents of thirteen children, nine
of whom are still living. William H. Joy lived in

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Buffalo when it was a small town. From there
he moved to Muscatine, Iowa, and became agent
for the United States Express Company, holding
the position until he was fift5'-six years of age.
He died one year later. He and his wife were
faithful members of the Congregational Church;
she died in 1870, about five years before his death.
Their daughter, Mrs. Painter, was born at Evans,
N. Y., August 12, 1854. She grew to woman-
hood in Muscatine, Iowa, where she resided until
the family removed to California. The eldest
child born of her marriage, Joy Painter, was born
in Iowa, March i, 1879, and died in infancy.
The living children are: Charles Wilfred, born in
Muscatine, Iowa; Robert Alden and Marion, born
in Pasadena. Mr. and Mrs. Painter aided in or-
ganizing the First Congregational Church of
Pasadena and later were among those influential
in founding the North Congregational Church,
of which they are now members.

|AJOR JOHN W. A. OFF, cashier of the
State Bank and Trust Company of Los An-
geles, is one of the leading business men of
this city. For the past fifteen years he has been
actively iuterested in the upbuilding and progress
of Los Angeles and Southern California, and to
his loyal efforts in the advancement of local enter-
prises much of the prosperity which now blesses
this section must be justly attributed. Success
such as he enjoys rarely comes to aiiyciie save
to those who richly merit fortune's favors, as he
certainly does. Like the one person in a thous-
and who is prepared for opportuuity when it
comes, he was ready for every chance of ad-
vancement, and carefully considered each move
on life's checkerboard ere venturing upon it.

Though born in Lowden, Iowa, February 4,
1868, John W. A. Off spent his boyhood in Wis-
consin and received his education in that state.
Subsequent to leaving school he went to Wau-
paca, Wis., and there learned the drug business
thoroughly. At the age of fifteen years he went
to Denver, Colo., where he was occupied in the
same calling for two years, and in 1885 he located
in San Francisco. Two years later he came to
Los Angeles, and here, as formerly, he gave his
time and attention to the drug business. During
the .seven or more vears that he was thus em-

ployed in this cit}- he gained the esteem of the
general public and the confidence and respect of
the business men with whom he came in contact.
Some eight years ago he became financially iu-
terested in the State Loan and Trust Company of
Los Angeles, which later was styled, as at pres-
ent, the State Bank and Trust Company. The
first-named organization was established in 1887
by Major George H. Bonebrake (then president
of the Los Angeles National Bank), John Bryson
and H. J. WooUacott, the latter now serving as
president of the bank last mentioned. Major Off
is actively interested in several more or less im-
portant local enterprises, including that of the
Title Guarantee and Trust Company, of which he
is a director.

For a number of years Major Off has been
prominent in the California National Guard, and
while serving with this organization received his
military title. He maintains a deep interest in
whatever effects the prosperity of the state and
country, and as a loyal citizen upholds the law
and good government. Politically he is a Re-
publican, and fraternally he is a Mason of the
thirty-second degree. His marriage to Miss
Blanche Bonebrake, daughterof Major George H.
Bonebrake, occurred in 1892, and they have one
child, Georgia Helena.

(cjTEPHEN C. HUBBELL. More thantwen-
?\ ty-five years have passed since Mr. Hubbell
\pj established a law office in Los Angeles and
identified himself with the fortunes of this city.
It was then a straggling town of a few thousand,
with little commerce and less euterprise. It lay
sleeping beneath the bright rays of an unchang-
ing sun, waiting, like the sleeping princess, for
the touch that was to bring it to life and fame.
There was little to attract a young man to it un-
less he, with shrewd foresight, grasped its oppor-
tunities and perceived, even though but dimly,
the brightness of its future. Such was the faith
of Mr. Hubbell iu the future of the City of the
Angels, nor has this hope been left unrealized;
indeed, the reality is brighter and better thau his
most sanguine dreams pictured. In the upbuild-
ing of the city he has been an active factor, aid-
ing liberally with his time and means, movements
for the benefit of the place and the welfare of its

IIISTORICAr, AND BIOGKAl'HICAL RECORD.

people. He has been parlicnlaily iiileie^ted in
securing good transportation service, and the
street railway system, which is one of the best in
the country, is due not a little to his assistance
and ability. He aided in building the first street
railway in the town and was retained as its man-
ager for about twelve years, while for many years
past he has acted as attorney for the corporation
owning the street railroad. His financial ability
and tact in the management of important affairs
have brought him before the people frequently,
and in every responsibility entrusted to him he
has promoted the interests of his city. The un-
doubted ability which he possesses as a financier
was recognized when elected president of the
National Bank of California, one of the sound
banking institutions of Los Angeles. He is es-
p;cially qualified to conduct a successful law
practice, for he possesses an analytical mind, is a
close, clear and logical reasoner, and excels in
equity and corporation cases.

Mr. Hubbell was born in Cattaraugus county,
N. Y., May 31, 1841. His education was ac-
quired in Randolph Academy, and later, by self-
culture, he supplemented the information gained
while in school. He studied law in Jamestown,
N.Y., and was there admitted to the bar in 1864,
after which he continued to practice in the same
town for five years. The year 1869 found him
one of the pioneers of Southern California, where
he settled in San Bernardino and for a year held
office as district attorney. Later, going to San
Francisco, he practiced for two years. In 1S73
he came to Los Angeles, where he has since re-
mained, prospering as the city prospered, and
striving at all times to fulfill every duty of a pri-
vate citizen. The high regard in which he is
held by his associates proves that he is a man of
many admirable traits of character. He is the
only member of the family who came to Califor-
nia, although the family was large, numbering
nine children. His father, Eli, was a farmer in
New York, spending his last days in Randolph,
N. Y., where he died in 1887. He was the son of
a Revolutionary soldier, Richard Hubbell, and
the latter descended from one of the early .settlers
of New England.

The first marriage of Mr. Hubbell took place
in Jamestown in 1869, his wife being Miss Jen-
nie A. Marks, who died in 18^19, leaving a son,

Charles E. W. Afterward Mr. Hubbell was
united in marriage with Miss Laura A. Loomis,
of Manchester, Iowa, and they are the parents of
two daughters, Mary S. and Laura L.

For many years Mr. Hubbell has been a mem-
ber of Emanuel Presbyterian Church, of which
he is au elder, and to whose teachings of charity
and helpfulness he has always proved true. He
is also a Mason. In his political views he is in
accord with the teachings and platform of the Re-
publican party, but he has never shown any par-
tisan spirit, his intere.st being that of the citizen
and not of the politician.

r"RANK D. STEVENS. Not without justice
r^ Mr. Stevens is conceded to hold a high
I * place among the business men of Pasadena.
Coming to this city in 1885 he has since been the
head of the hardware firm that bears his name.
During this period he has established his reputa-
tion among the business men of his acquaintance
and has built up a valuable trade with the public.
His store is situated at No. S East Colorado street
and contains a full line of articles, both hardware
and tinware. In addition to the management of
his store, he is a director of the Pasadena Lake
Vineyard Land and Water Company.

In Huntingdon county. Pa., Mr. Stevens was
born March 13, 1S41, a son of Benedict and Eva
(Ovv) Stevens, natives of Pennsylvania. He was
reared on his father's farm and received a public-
school education in Huntingdon county, supple-
menting the knowledge there acquired by his
practical business experience in after years. In
March, 1862, his name was enrolled in Company
I, Twelfth Pennsylvania Reserves, which was as-
signed to the army of the Potomac. Among the
important battles in which he bore a part were
those of Mechanicsville, White Oak Swamp,
Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness,
Mine Run and Bristow Station. Twice at Fred-
ericksburg he was wounded. During the cam-
paign in the Wilderness he was captured by Con-
federates and for nine months he was confined in
various prisons in Georgia and South Carolina,
being finally paroled in March, 1865. In April
of the same year he was honorably discharged.
Enlisting as a private, he was soon promoted to

J'. £^a

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

be sergeant, later was made a second lieutenant
and at the time of his discharge was serving as
first lieutenant.

Returning to Mount Union at the close of the
war, Mr. Stevens began in- the hardware busi-
ness, which he continued there for seventeen
years. He then came to Los Angeles, and a year
later to Pasadena, where he is the head of the
Stevens Hardware Compau}-. He takes an inter-
est in Grand Army matters, and is connected with
John F. Godfrey Post No. 95, in which he has
been commander. In the First Methodist Epis-
copal Church he holds office as a trustee. He has
been thrice married, his first wife having been
Annie A. Bush, of Huntingdon county, Pa ; his
second wife was Anna Hiney, of Mount Union,
Pa., who died in Los Angeles in 1886. His pres-
ent wife was Dora M. Bucher, of Philadelphia.
His five children were born of his first marriage.
Four of them are living, namely;- Arthur B.,
who lives in Pasadena; Claudine D., wife of
W. A. Beushoff, of this city; Rev. Frank G. H.,
who graduated from the University of Southern
California, and is now a minister in the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church; and Kingsley N., of Pas-
adena. A daughter, Ethel F. , is deceased.

0EWITT L. DAVENPORT. As early as
1630 Ebenezer Davenport came from Eng-
land to America and settled at Plymouth,
Mass. Subsequent generations were identified
with the colonial history of the old Bay state.
From him descended Alfred W. Davenport, a na-
tive of Colerain, Mass., and a successful agri-
culturist, following that occupation for some
years in New York state, and later, near Ber-
lin, Wis. In connection with the management
of his farm near Berlin, he also engaged in rais-
ing fruit, and became known in his section as an
authority on horticulture. His standing as a
citizen was high and he was frequently chosen to
occupy local positions of trust.

A son of Alfred W. and Emily H. (Briggs)
Davenport, the subject of this article was born
at Antwerp, Jefferson county, N. Y., May 3,
1847. When nine years of age he was taken by
his parents to Wisconsin. He grew to man-
hood on a farm near Berlin. From an early age
he was interested in horticulture; indeed, with

the exception of dairying, this has been the sole
occupation of his life. His education was re-
ceived in the public schools of Waushara county.
Wis., and in the count}' normal school and in-
stitute. After leaving school he began to teach
in order to secure the means necessary for a
start as a land-owner. For ten years previous
to his removal to California he made a specially
of the dairy business, in which he met with ex-
cellent success. While living in Waushara coun-
ty he married Louise M. Rosecrans, daughter of
Warren Rosecrans, an early settler of that coun-
ty. Their family consists of four children, viz.:
Loraine, Louis W., Alfred L. and Milton W.

Since February, 1886, Mr. Davenport has
been a resident of Pomona. Arriving here, he
bought land and set out an orange grove. The
following year his family joined him. During
the years that have since passed he has gained a
thorough knowledge of the raising of fruit, par-
ticularly oranges (his specialty) and it is said that
no one in the entire county is more successful in
this industry than he. His first purchase consisted
of two tracts of land, one of which is now owned
by Alexander Moncriefi", and the other is owned
by H. B. Hottel and S. W. Arbuthnot. Later he
bought some land at Cucamonga, which he
afterward traded for his present property, and
another piece of property near by. The latter
he gave, as part payment, to Mr. Joy for his
Glendora ranch, and this property he sold a year
after its purchase to C. C. Warren. In 1892 he
bought a sixty-acre ranch in San Diego county,
on which he set out forty acres to olives, peaches
and prunes. This property he has since sold.
In 1897 he bought from J. C. Callicott a nine-
acre ranch on the Kingsley tract, near his home
place. He now owns and cultivates fifty- five
acres of orange land, all bearing. The success
he has had in orange-growing has made him an
authority on the subject in his locality. He be-
lieves four watchwords nuist be observed in rais-
ing oranges, "fertilization, cultivation, irriga-
tion and fumigation," and without due observ-
ance of each of these noone can hope to succeed.
It is one of his theories that no pruning should
be done, but that the limbs should be allowed to
grow naturally, as the tree is kept warmer in
winter when the limbs hang over and touch the
ground, and a hard wind does less damage to

3,^8

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

fruit and tree, also the top then represents a
larger bearing surface (this principle has special
reference to the Washington naval orange). Once
in three years he fumigates his orchard by the
tent and cyanide process. Every detail of the
business is given the closest attention, audit is to
this fact that his success may be attributed.

For a time Mr. Davenport was secretary of the
Kingsley Tract Water Company and he also
served as its treasurer. The demands made upon
his time by his various interests are so great that
he has never had leisure for participation in pub-
lic affairs. In politics he is a Republican. He
is a member of the Pilgrim Congregational
Church of Pomona and a generous contributor to
its maintenance. He is not now identified with
any secret society, but for years was an active
member of the Good Templar Lodge of Wiscon-
sin.

the entire satisfaction of the company as well as
the general public. He is widely and favorably
known and is one of the most prominent young
business men of the city.

|YER MENDELSOHN, depot ticket agent
of the Santa Fe Railroad at Los Angeles,
was born in Patersou, N. J., in 1873, but
during his infancy was brought to Los Angeles
by his parents, Goodwin and Flora (Corinski)
Mendelsohn, who are still living here. During
his active business life his father was in the mer-
chant tailoring business and also engaged in
mining, but he is now living retired, enjoying a
well earned rest. He is one of the old pioneers
of Los Angeles county. Besides our subject,
there are in the family five children, four sous
and one daughter, namely: M. S., who is an
employe in the office of Mr. Nevins, general man-
ager of the Santa Fe Railroad; Ed, who is cashier
in the freight department of the same road; Sam-
uel El, a resident of Arizona; and David and
Goldie, attending school.

Reared in Los Angeles, our subject is indebted
to its public schools for his educational advan-
tages. He began his railroad career in 1885, at
the age of twelve years, as office boy, and later
was clerk in the office of the general agent for
about three years. He was clerk in the general
freight department for the same length of time;
spent one year in the city ticket office as agent:
and one in the Downey avenue station as agent.
For the past four years he has filled his present
responsible position with credit to him.-<clf and to

ILLIAM D. CAMPBELL. One of the
most popular railroad officials of Los An-
geles is William D. Campbell, general
agent for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway
Compau)-. Wide awake and energetic, he is con-
sidered a valuable employe by his company, and
attends strictly to the business entrusted to his
care. From Scotch and English ancestors he
doubtless inherited many of the traits of character
for which he is noted, absolute integrity and hon-
or being foremost in the list.

As he was born June 17, 1859, Mr. Campbell
is in the prime of life. He is a native of Ontario,
Canada, while his father, George R. Campbell,
was born in New Brunswick. The latter in his
early life went to New Zealand, where he re-
mained for a few years, prospering in his busi-
ness enterprises. Returning to his native land he
engaged in the lumber business until he retired
from active labors and since then has made his
home with our subject. He married Catherine
Harrison, who was of English extraction, and
whose death occurred in 1881. She was the
mother of three sons, namely: William D.; C. A.,
who is now employed by the Oregon Railway (S:
Navigation Company, at Dallas, Oregon; and
A. B., who is engaged in railroading.

When he was si.K years old, William D. Camp-
bell removed with his parents to Dallas county,
Iowa, where he received a common school educa-
tion. He was an apt student, and made such
good use of his rather limited opportunities that
he had no difficulty in obtaining a certificate to
teach when he applied for that document, and for
two years he had charge of schools in Iowa. In
the autumn of 1880 he entered upon his life work
of railroading, by accepting a position as a tele-
graph operator and assistant station agent at a
town on the Northwestern Railroad. He has been
connected with this corporation ever since, and
has continually won new laurels for his .system-
atic, painstaking work. In the spring of 1891
he was sent to Spokane, Wash., where he repre
.sented his companv in the capacity of general

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

339

agent for that section and the great northwest.
In 1S94 he came to Los Angeles, where he has
served in the same capacitj', that of general agent,
for this territorj'. The Chicago & Northwestern
Railroad Company's offices occupy the entire
floor of No. 247 South Spring street. Aside from
the fact that the location is extremely central and
desirable, the offices are fitted up in a superior
manner, redounding greatly to the credit of the
compan)' and those associated with the local man-
agement of its business.

In 1885 Mr. Campbell married Carrie B.
Bridges, of Syracuse, N. Y. They are the par-
ents of five children, and are giving them excel-
lent advantages. The home is a pleasant one and
everything about the place bespeaks the culture
and refinement of the occupants.

In political affairs Mr. Campbell is an ardent
Republican in all national issues, while in local
matters he reserves the right of absolute freedom
to use his franchise as seems best to him, regard-
less of party lines. The only fraternal organiza-
tion with which he is identified is that of the
Knights of Pythias. He is not only popular
with the general public, but also with his com-
pany and all of his business associates, by his uni-
form courtesy readily making friends.

fTREDERICK T. BICKNELL, M.D. There
JM are many who claim that no city in the
I United States can vie with Los Angeles in
respect to the ability and skill of its physicians
and surgeons. Certainly it is true that, as a class,
they are unsurpassed in intelligence and broad
profe.ssional knowledge. In the li.st of these men
the name of Dr. Bicknell occupies a prominent
position. During the long period of his residence
in Los Angeles he has established a valuable
practice and a reputation for skill in his profes-
sion. Not only is he held in high esteem by the
permanent residents of the city, but there are fre-
quent demands made on his time and professional
services by visitors from the east who have sought
our genial clime in the hope of regaining health.
He is a member of the firm of Bicknell & Moore,
physicians and surgeons, with office in the Brad-
bury building.

A knowledge of the section of country from
which a man comes usuallv furnishes us with

some clue to his attributes and to the influences
that give form to his life. Many of the traits
noticeable in Dr. Bickuell's character are tracea-
ble directly to his New England ancestry. A
native of Chittenden county, Vt., he represents a
family long resident in the Green Mountain re-
gion, and one whose members were, without ex-
ception, possessed of high qualities of manhood.
Hence, while his parents had no wealth to bestow
upon him, they could give him what was far more
to be desired — a truly noble birth. In many re-
spects he had in youth better advantages than in
his day fell to the lot of the children of the mid-
dle class. When he was ten years of age his
parents moved to Wisconsin, and a few years
later sent him to the State University at Madi.son,
where he proved a diligent and ambitious student.
While he was still a youth the Civil war broke
out, and he at once enlisted for service, going
with his regiment to the south and taking part in
a number of notable engagements. At the close
of the war he was honorably discharged.

From an early age it had been his hope to enter
the medical profession. Not long after the close
of the war he matriculated in Rush Medical Col-
lege, Chicago. There he availed himself of every
opportunity for study under some of the most
learned physicians of the day. After completing
the regular course of study, in 1870, he was given
the degree of M. D. In selecting a location for
practice, he went to southwestern Missouri,
where he remained for three and one half years.
However, he was not satisfied with prospects
in that country, and was ambitious for a broader
knowledge of the profession and a wider field for
itspractice. The winter of 1873-74 he spent in
post-graduate work at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons in New York City, and also had
the advantage of practical experience in Belle-
vue hospital, where he was brought in contact
with disease in every form, and where he also did
considerable surgical work. On leaving the hos-
pital became to California, and for a few months
remained in Los Angeles, but soon went to the
mining region of Inyo county, where he built up
a large practice. During 188 1 he returned to Los
Angeles, where he now makes his home on North
Broadway. From the time of his return until
the spring of 1888 he held the chair of gynecolo-
gy in the medical college here, but the demand

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

upon his time, added to his private practice,
proved too much of aph}-sical strain, and he re-
signed the chair. He has many important pro-
fessional interests. As pre.sident of the California
Hospital Company he is in charge of the largest
hospital in Southern California. He is also presi-
dent of the California Health Resort Company,
located among the big pines and oaks in the San
Jacinto mountains, better known as Strawberry
valley, five thousand feet above sea level; a
sanatorium and cottages of the most modern style
for the care and cure of tubercular cases.

As a surgeon, and especially in gynecological
surgery, none holds a higher rank in this city than
he. He has been honored by the profession with
election as president of the Los Angeles County
and the Southern California Medical Societies,
and is actively connected with both the.se or-
ganizations; also the American Medical Asso-
ciation. .

The first marriage of Dr. Bicknell was in Wis-
consin, and united him with Mi.ss Etta Cooper,
who died in Neosho, Mo., leaving one daughter,
Etta F. Bicknell. Afterward he married Miss
Carrie E. Fargo, who was born in Wisconsin, and
received her education in that .state. She is a
lady of most pleasing social and domestic quali-
ties, and makes her home a perfect haven of rest
for all the family.

ELARENCE A. MILLER. Classed among
the able metabers of the Los Angeles bar is
Clarence A. Miller, who within a few years
has risen to an honorable position in his profes-
sion. He pos-sesses the quickness of perception
and the logical reasoning powers which, when
united to a thorough knowledge of the law,
rarely fail of success. Earnestness and zeal in
the preparation of all cases entrusted to him are
characteristics noted in his work, and while
neglecting no opportunity to advance the inter-
ests of his clients, he renders loyal obedience to
the majesty of the law in its true spirit. Thus to
him has come the high regard of all who have
been witnesses of his struggles upward.

Robert Miller, father of Clarence A. , was
l)rominent in tlie legal profession for many \ears
in Ohio. After an exceptionally useful career
he retired from professional work, secure in the
competence which he acquired during the years

of his prime. He died February 24, 1900, at his
home. He was a loyal citizen and patriot, and
when his country was in peril, in the dark days
of the Civil war, he volunteered his services and
went forth to fight the battles which have re-
sulted in the present peace and prosperity of this
now united nation. He held the rank of first
lieutenant and was faithful to the trusts reposed
in him, making an army record of which he and
his posterity have reason to be proud. For a
wife he chose Margaret McQuiston, who was a
native of Ohio and came of an old pioneer familj-
there. She is a direct descendant of the Gastons,
who took a prominent part in the war of the
Revolution. Of the three surviving sons of
Robert and Margaret Miller, Arthur Miller is a
member of the faculty of the University of Ken-
tucky, and Marion is editor of the publication
Business, in New York City.

Clarence A. Miller was born in the eastern part
of Ohio in 1S58 and thus is in the full vigor of
manhood. Having completed his elementar}'
education in the common schools he attended
the University of Wooster, Ohio, from which ex-
cellent institution he was graduated in 188 1. Sub-
sequently he taught school for some time, and in
the meantime took up the study of law. In 1884
he came to California, and, locating in San
Francisco, was there admitted to the bar. After
practicing for a short time in that city he paid
Los Angeles a visit, and becoming enamored
with this lovely place, decided to become a per-
manent resident here. Opening an office, he pro-
ceeded to build up a practice which has steadily
increased during the thirteen years of his resi-
dence here. Like all young lawyers, he had
what seemed, at times, almo.st insuperable ob-
stacles to overcome, but, in his contests with
older and more experienced men, whose reputa-
tion and patronage were already assured, he
gained excellent training, and, as he measured
his strength with the best, his mind was broad-
ened and developed and he acquired that fertility
of resource and keenness of judgment which have
been essential factors in his success. His hand-
some office is located in the Bryson block. His
particular branch of the law is in that relating to
corporations and estates. In his political faith he
is an ardent Democrat, taking quite an active
part in local affairs of his party.

)A^j3ji^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

343

HON. GUILFORD WILEY WELLS. This
influential attorney of Los Angeles was born
at Conesus Center, N. Y., February i8,
1840, the youngest of the three children of Isaac
Tichenor and Charity (Kenyon) Wells. Through
his father he traces his ancestry back to the time
of William the Conqueror in England and to the
latter part of the seventeenth century in America.
His father was born at Fairfax, Vt., August 11,
1807, married Miss Kenyon at Granville, N. Y.,
February 4, 1830, and died in Conesus Center,
November 2, 1868.

The education of Colonel Wells was obtained
at the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, in Lima,
N. Y. While he was still in college the war be-
tween the- States broke out, and at the first call
for volunteers he enlisted as a member of the
First New York Dragoons. For almost four
years he served in the defenseof the government.
He participated in thirty-seven battles, and rose
by successive steps to the rank of brevet lieu-
tenant-colonel. In February, 1865, he was se-
riously wounded in the left arm, on which account
he was honorably discharged from the service.

Soon after his retirement from the army
Colonel Wells began the study of law. In 1S67
he was a law graduate from the Columbian Col-
lege of Washington, D. C. In December, 1869,
he opened an office at Holly Springs, Miss. The
next year he was appointed United States district
attorney for the northern district of Mississippi.
However, the position was far less desirable than
at the present time, for the eifects of the war were
being felt in an organized condition of lawless-
ness. In northern Mississippi the Ku-Klux Klan
filled every neighborhood with terror. Lives
were endangered, property was destroyed. The
ablest men at the bar were employed to defend
these law-breakers. One who opposed them must
indeed be a man of courage, and such Colonel
Wells was. He drew the first indictment under
the reconstruction act and secured the first deci-
sion rendered in the south against Ku-Klux,
thus establishing a precedent which was adopted
in other states, and finally resulting in the com-
plete destruction of the organization. Mississippi
was thus transformed from one of the most law-
less to one of the most orderly and law-abiding
states in the Union. Not a small part of the
credit for this result should be given to Colonel

Wells. His efforts, while bringing him the hatred
of certain classes, gave him the esteem and con-
fidence of the best people. At the expiration of
his first term, in 1874, President Grant re-ap-
pointed him and the appointment was unani-
mously confirmed by the senate. In 1876 he was
nominated for congress from the second district
of Mississippi, and was elected by seven thousand
majority, receiving the full vote of his party
(the Republican) and a large vote from the best
element of the Democrac3\ During his term in
congress he served on several important commit-
tees and was recognized as one of the ablest men
in the house.

In June, 1877, President Hayes appointed
Colonel Wells consul-general to Shanghai, China.
He accepted and sailed from San Francisco for
China on the 8th of August. His first work was,
in obedience to orders, to investigate charges
against O. B. Bradford, vice-consul at Shanghai,
whom he found guilty of grave offenses, such as
embezzlement of government fees, removal of of-
ficial papers from the consul-general's office, vio-
lation of treaty rights, robbing of the United
States mails, etc. On being convinced of Mr.
Bradford's guilt, Colonel Wells had him arrested,
and reported the same by telegraph and letter to
the state department at Washington. The inex-
cusable delay in replying, and other matters con-
vinced him that Mr. Bradford and his colleague,
George H. Seward, were being shielded, and he
therefore tendered his resignation, and sailed for
home, January 10, 1878. A committee of con-
gressmen subsequently investigated the charges,
found them correct, and the affair caused the
retirement of both Bradford and Seward to
private life. Colonel Wells was subsequently
twice offered the consulate at Hong Kong, but re-
fused.

While on their way home from China, Colonel
and Mrs. Wells visited Los Angeles and were so
delighted with the climate that they resolved to
settle here. Accordingly, in 1879 they returned
and Colenel Wells opened a law office, with
Judge Brunson as a partner, this relation contin-
uing until the latter's election to the superior
bench. Afterward the firm of Wells, Van Dyke
& Lee carried on a law practice until Mr. Van
Dyke was elected superior judge, when he was
succeeded in the firm by Mr. Guthrie. In 1886

344

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

that partnership was dissolved and the firm of
Wells, Monroe & Lee was organized. In Janu-
ary, 1 89 1, J. P. Works succeeded Mr. Monroe
and the title became Wells, Works & Lee, con-
tinuing as such until the illness of Mr. Wells
compelled his retirement. As attornej-, he was
connected with many of the notable cases in Cal-
ifornia, among them a number of murder trials
that attracted attention throughout the entire
countr}-.

In Avoca, N. Y., December 22, 1864, Colonel
Wells married Miss Katy C. Fox, who was born
in that town, a daughter of Matthias and Marga-
ret Fox. They became the parents of a son,
Charles F. , who was born in Washington, D. C,
November 9, 1869, and died at Holly Springs,
Miss., December 24, 1872. The second marriage
of Colonel Wells took place in Louisville, Ky.,
December 31, 1891, and united him with Mrs.
Lena (McClelland) Juny, a daughter of Frank
and Marion (Watts) McClelland, of Kentucky.
Mrs. Wells was born in Paducah, that state, and
is related to some distinguished southern families.
Her education was received principally in Ken-
tucky and was broad and thorough, qualifying
her for a position of prominence in social circles.

nOHN ALLIN. With many of the important
I enterprises that are contributing to the prog-
Q) ress of Pasadena, the name of John Allin
is closely associated. A residentof this city since
1882 he is familiar with its growth and has aided
in its development. Like the majority of the cit-
izens he has interests in fruit lands in this sec-
tion. Shortly after his arrival he purchased ten
acres which has since become a part of the city.
He also bought sixty acres outside of the city
limits, and the most of this has since been sold
off into orchards. Not only has he "engaged in
raising fruit, but he has also carried on a dairy
business and for several years was interested in a
livery business. For eight years he had the
contract for sprinkling the streets of Pasadena,
having a partner during part of that time. He
assisteil in the organization and incorporation of
the First National Bank of Pasadena, of which he
was a director for nine years. For three years
he held office as president of the Pasadena Lake
Vineyard Land and Water Company, and for

fourteen years has been one of its directors. His
election as a member of the board of trustees of
the city gave him an opportunity to promote the
welfare of the people by aiding needed reforms
and improvements. However, he has never
cared for political offices, much preferring to de-
vote his energies wholly to his business interests,
which, as may be inferred from the foregoing, are
extensive and important.

While Mr. Allin is of English birth, practicallj-
all of his life has been passed in America and he
is a thorough American, progressive in his views
and energetic in disposition. He was born in
Devonshire, England, on the 4th of July, 1834, a
son of William and Mary (Bambury) Allin, na-
tives respectively of the shires of Devon and
Cornwall. He was an infant of nine months
when the family came to the United States.
They settled in Gambier, Knox county, Ohio,
where he acquired an early education. When he
was sixteen the family removed to northwestern
Missouri, where he remained about eighteen
months. From there he accompanied his parents
to the vicinity of Iowa City, Iowa, settling on a
farm five miles from that town in 1S52. Owing
to his father's ill health, he was obliged to as-
sume the management of the farm, a heav}^ re-
sponsibility for a youth of eighteen, but he proved
equal to the emergenc}', and the successful dis-
charge of these duties developed in his character
the necessary trait of self-reliance. When he was
twenty-two he began to break prairie land in the
vicinity of Iowa City. Five years later he bought
a farm east of the town, and continued to culti-
vate and improve that place until his removal to
Pasadena in 1882. He was so successful that at
the time of coming to California he had con-
siderable monej'^ for investment in and near
Pasadena. The prosperity he has attained is the
result of his energetic and persevering efforts
through a long period of years. Discourage-
ments never daunted him; poor crops failed to
depress him more than temporarily. He had
started out to succeed and he kept perseveringly
on until he had become a well-to do citizen.

The close attention which Mr. Allin has found
it necessary to give his business interests prevents
him from taking any part in politics. He is a
stanch Republican and maintains an intelligent
knowledge of public affairs. Since coming to

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

345

Pasadena he has identified himself with the Ma-
sonic order and the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. During his residence in Iowa he
married Miss Jemima Townsend, of Cedar coun-
ty, that state. They have three children, name-
ly: Thomas D., a civil engineer; Charles A.;
and Rosa L., all residing in Pasadena. The
family home is at No. 109 East Walnut street.

(2IAMUEL ERASER OWEN, a pioneer of
?\ California, resides at No. 483 Kingsley
\yj avenue, Pomona. At an early period in the
history of America three brothers emigrated from
Wales to New England. From one of these de-
scended Nathaniel Owen, who was said to be one
of the best mechanics of his day in Maine and
whose .skill in invention was known throughout
all of his part of Maine. Though a man of un-
usual ability, he was nevertheless modest in
demeanor, utterly devoid of vanity, — a man
whom to know was to honor. He married
Matilda Eraser, a native of Bangor, Me., and a
daughter of a soldier in the second war with
England. To their union was born the subject
of this sketch, in Skowhegan, Me., November
26, 1835. When a boy he attended school and
assisted his father in mechanical work. In April,
1854, he left home and went to New York,
where he took a steamer bound for the Isthmus
of Panama. Crossing the isthmus, he proceeded
from there to San Francisco, where he arrived
after a voyage of thirty days from New York. In
those days almost every emigrant to California
was a gold-seeker. Mr. Owen was no exception
to the usual rule. He began to mine for gold in
Tuolumne county, where he successfully followed
the same occupation for more than twentj' years.
Afterward for four and one-half years he was
constructing engineer for the Homestake Mining
Company at Lead City, S. Dak., and later went
to South America, where he erected mining ma-
chinery for the French Mining Company in
Uruguay, French Guiana and the United States
of Colombia. In the employ of that company he
remained for six years or more, meantime making
four trips to South America and crossing the At-
lantic seven times. He has visited points of in-
terest in France, Spain and Portugal, has seen
the principal islands of the West Indies and

almost every point of note in the United States,
his extended travels having given him a cosmo-
politan knowledge that makes him an interesting
conversationalist and instructive companion.
During his travels as a mining expert his wife
had established her home in Pomona and in 1893
he joined her in this city, where they are the for-
tunate possessors of one of the finest suburban
homes in Southern California. Mrs. Owen was
Miss Rose D. Sawyer, daughter of Isaac and
Sarah Sawyer, of New Sharon, Me.

More than twenty-five years have come and
gone since Mr. Owen saw for the first time what
is now Pomona. He passed through the country
from Spadre to San Bernardino and on the way
stopped at Pomona, which then was so insignifi-
cant that it could scarcely be called a hamlet.
When he returned here he was astonished to see
the transformation that had been wrought. The
great stretches of orange and lemon orchards,
the attractive rural abodes, the neat roads and
substantial buildings, formed a picture wonderful
in its contrast with what he had seen on his first
visit. Additional improvements have been made
since he came here, and in these he has borne his
part. He has never been active in politics, in
which, aside from voting the Republican ticket,
he takes no part whatever. Both he and his wife
are identified with the Pomona Methodist Episco-
pal Church.

pGjlLLIAM H. SCHUREMAN. The in-
\A/ terests of the horticulturists of California
Y V have rendered the organization of union
packing houses necessary, and these are there-
fore to be found in every fruit-growing section in
the state. The Indian Hill Citrus Union pack-
ing houses at San Dimas and North Pomona are
among the best known establishments of their
kind in the vicinity of Pomona, and their success
and high standing are due largely to the efficiency
of the manager, Mr. Schureman, who devotes his
time and attention to promoting the best interests
of the union. He also fills the office of city clerk
of Pomona.

Mr. Schureman was born in Helena, Ark.,
July 18, 1867, and is a son of Joseph P. and
Sarah Schureman, natives respectively of New
Jersey and Illinois. When he was about six
months old his parents moved to St. Louis, Mo.,

346

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and there he attended the public schools and also
graduated from the Bryant & Stratton Business
College. For some four years prior to his re-
moval to California he was employed by three
different railway companies in St. Louis. In
1890 he settled in Pomona and identified himself
with the fruit-growing interests of this valley,
purchasing a ranch near North Pomona. His
persevering nature and wise judgment are bring-
ing him the success he so justl}- merits. Among
the people of this locality his standing is the
highest, and he is known as an enterprising and
public-spirited young man. In April, 1899, he
was elected city clerk of Pomona for a term of
two years. This office he is filling to the satis-
faction of the citizens and with great credit to
himself The Republican party receives his sup-
port in both local and general elections. He is
a firm believer in protection to home industries,
the maintenance of a sound money standard and
the expansion of territorial boundaries. Frater-
nally he is connected with the Woodmen of the
World, the Modern Woodmen of America and
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has
in a large measure the sterling qualities of man-
hood which bind intimate friends by the strongest
ties, and hence he is popular with all classes. In
1890 he married Miss Anita Baker, of St. Louis,
Mo. They have two children, Francis C. and
Leontine.

(I A. MORLAN. For fully a quarterof a cen-
I tury Mr. Morlan, of the firm of J. A. Morlan
v2/ & Co., of Los Angeles, has been engaged
in the real-estate business. Thoroughly inter-
ested in and confident of the increasing greatness
of this far-famed city of sunny southland, he
uses his best talents in her development and is an
influential factor in her success.

A native of Portage county, Ohio, Mr. Mor-
lan spent his boyhood days in Rockville, Ind.
He obtained an education in the common schools
and in a college conducted by the Society of
Friends, at Annapolis, Ind. He was but sixteen
years of age when he started out to make his in-
dependent way in the world. Later, going to
Kansas City, he was there engaged in the live
stock business for ten years, meeting with
marked success in the majority of his undertak-
ings. In 1873, when Denver was creeping into

prominence, he located there and for the ensuing
eleven years was occupied in conducting a real-
estate business, in which he met with success as
in his previous enterprises. About six years
ago he came to Los Angeles, where he has since
been a dealer in local property, with his office in
the Homer Laughliu block. He is noted for
looking after the interests of his clients in everj'
possible manner, paying especial attention to the
validity of titles to property and insuring his
patrons against losses.

During the Civil war, when Quantrell made his
raid through eastern Kansas, Mr. Morlan was a
resident of Lawrence, and when the guerillas
burned the place his home was burned and he
was a heavy loser through destroyed property.
He has advocated the policy and principles of the
Republican party, but has had no aspirations to
official distinction. Fraternally he is associated
with the Masonic order.

Of all the cities of the west in which Mr. Mor-
lan has engaged in business, his choice is Los
Angeles, which, in his opinion, is destined to be
a city of still greater commercial importance in
the future than in the past.

0SCAR FREEMAN, secretarj- of the Pasa-
dena Manufacturing Company and super-
intendent of its plant, was born in Wal-
worth county. Wis., October 18, 1858, being
a son of William and Mary (Cole) Freeman, na-
tives respectively of Sweden and Troy, N. Y.
He received his elementary education in gram-
mar .schools and afterward studied in the high
school at Genoa Junction, Wis., in which way he
laid the foundation of the broad knowledge he
has since acquired by practical experience and
habits of close observation. While still a mere
boy be began to assist his father, who for years
carried on a lumber business at Genoa Junction.
In this way he gained a thorough business edu-
cation.

About 1883 Mr. Freeman came to California
and settled in Pasadena, where he has since
made his home. Upon the organization and in-
corporation of the Pasadena Manufacturing
Company, in 1887, he became a stockholder and
was elected its fir.st secretary, which position he
has since filled with ability and judgment. The

C^z-c^O. ^^l-k:

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

349

many duties connected with his office have given
him a large scope of business systematization and
a quick grasp of minute details, so that his ex-
perience, thorough in its comprehensive methods,
makes him a valuable man in his company. He
is recognized as a potential factor in the develop-
ment of the company's interests. His reputation
is that of a gentleman of executive ability, busi-
ness acumen and honesty of purpose. By in-
dustry and perseverance he has brought the man-
ufacturing plant to a high degree of perfection.
He has introduced modern machinery and im-
provements, thus enabling the company to turn
out a high grade of products. Now in the prime
of life, it may be predicted of him that the future
years will add to the success he has already at-
tained.

Fraternally Mr. Freeman is connected with a
number of lodges, including Pasadena Lodge
No. 272, F. & A. M. As a citizen he is public
spirited. In politics he is a Republican. He has
not sought positions of official prominence, pre-
ferring the part of a private citizen, whose duties
he has at all times striven to fill, and the high re-
gard and esteem in which he is held by his fellow-
townsmen give evidence that he has not been
unsuccessful in his endeavors to fill his desired
place in life.

1VAR A. WEID. There are few men better
known in the pioneer circles of Los Angeles
than the subject of this article. A native of
Denmark and a son of Henning Hviid, he was
born on his father's farm near Odense October 23,
1837. The family name in the Danish language
is Hviid, but this being unpronounceable in
English, our subject spells his name Weid, which
has practically the same sound as Hviid.'

His early boyhood days were passed on the
homestead. Leaving there he entered a dry goods
house as an apprentice and served for seven
years with the same employer, after which he en-
tered the Danish army and was given a commis-
sion in the same. The breaking out of the Civil
war in the United States attracted his attention
and stimulated his desire to participate in actual
warfare. Accordingly he resigned his commis-
sion and came to America. He had a good gen-
eral education and a rudimentarj' knowledge of
the English language. His knowledge of army

rules and military tactics rendered him a welcome
recruit to the Union army. He went to Chicago
and presented his letters of introduction to the
Danish consul. He was promptly enlisted and
mustered into the Third Missouri Infantry, with
which he soon found himself at the front. For
a time his regiment fought Price in Missouri. In
view of his former experience and soldierly bear-
ing he was recognized as a splendid soldier, and
was detailed to return to Chicago, there to aid in
recruiting the Eighty-second Illinois Infantry.
Upon the organization of this regiment he was
elected captain of Company I and went with his
regiment to the front, being assigned to the de-
partment of Virginia. He remained with his
company until after the battle of Fredericksburg,
when, owing to a severe attack of rheumatism
contracted by exposure, he resigned his com-
mission and received an honorable discharge.

At once, after leaving the army, Captain Weid
came to California. He arrived in San Francisco
via Panama in 1863. There he found the trades
and occupations crowded with applications for
employment, so he went to Virginia City, Nev.
He returned to San Francisco in 1864 and ob-
tained work as an accountant for Miller & Cutter,
who were engaged extensively in the men's fur-
nishing goods and laundry business. After a
time he secured a half interest in their business,
but this he sold. In 1868 he spent a short time
in White Pine, Nev. During the same year he
married Miss Marie Magnus in San Francisco.
In 1870 they came to Los Angeles, where he
owned six hundred acres of government and rail-
road land four miles west of the court house.
Immediately he began to improve the land, and
gave his attention closely to the cultivation of the
property, which he transformed from an open
country to an attractive estate, with fine trees,
shrubbery and other improvements. A portion
of the place he sold during the so-called boom
for $1 ,000 per acre. The proceeds he invested in
city property, of which he now owns a consider-
able amount. He is a prosperous man, in com-
fortable circumstances, and with the ability to
conduct his real-estate dealings to a successful
issue. For many years he has been identified
with the United States internal revenue depart-
ment as ganger, and still holds the position.
Mr. and Mrs. Weid have five children. Otto,

350

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

who graduated from Santa Clara (Cal.) College
in 1889, and Victor, who was educated in Den-
mark, both reside in Denver, Colo. Selma and
Ovidia live in Denmark, the former being the
wife of Lieut. Gustav Clau.sen von Kaas, of the
Danish arraj-. The joungest child, Axel, resides
with his parents. The family spent three years
in Europe visiting the friends of Mr. Weid's boy-
hood and returning to California in the latter
part of 1890.

A genial, afiable gentleman, Mr. Weid is one
of the finest types of our Danish-American citi-
zens, and is counted among the substantial men
of his adopted city.

r"RANK R. WILLIS. Pbssessing a thorough
r3 and practical knowledge of the law, Frank
I R. Willis, now serving in the responsible posi-
tion of deputy district attorney of Los Angeles
county, is eminently fitted, in every particular,
to look out for the interests of the people, and with
absolute fidelity meets the obligations resting up-
on him. From a long line of Puritan forefathers,
devoted to their country and to the right, ready
to fight and die for their faith, if need be, he has
inherited a stanchness of purpose, a high regard
for true liberty and a zealous love for honor and
justice that sets him^apart from the multitude of
men who are striving first for personal gains and
distinction.

Could the limits of this article permit, it would
be of interest to trace fully the remote influences
which have been brought to bear upon the char-
acter of our subject, but a few brief facts must
suffice. His paternal great-grandfather. Major
Daniel Willis, held a commission as a major dur-
ing the war of the Revolution, and loyally fought
and suffered that the American colonies might
enjoy that freedom and reign of justice which he
firmly believed was to usher in the millennium.
His home was at Colerain, Mass., in the south-
eastern part of the grand old Bay state. The
maternal ancestors of our subject were directly
descended from the White family, who, as is
well known, were voyagers on the historic May-
flower, when she made the celebrated trip in
1620, landing at Plymouth Rock. The infant.
Peregrine White, born on the ship, is called the
first child of the Anglo-Saxon race born in the

United States. Albert L. Willis, the father of
Frank R., has been prominently associated with
the development and progress of Linn county,
Iowa, since 1857, at which time he removed to
the west from North Adams, Mass., his former
home. By industry and well directed business
ability he has amassed a competence, and has
long been one of the most influential citizens of
his community. He is a director in several banks
and financial enterprises and is serving his second
term as mayor of the city of Coggon, Iowa.

The nativity of Frank R. Willis occurred
August 17, 1855, '" the village of North Adams,
Mass., and when he was about two years old he
was taken by his parents to Linn countj-, Iowa.
There he spent the days of his boyhood in the
healthful, invigorating life of the countr}', lay-
ing the foundations of future health and energ}'.
After completing the district school course he
went to the Iowa State Normal, where he was
graduated in June, 1879. He then took up the
study of law and in i88i received his diploma
from the law department of the Iowa State Uni-
versity. Admitted to practice in the United
States district and circuit courts of Iowa, he
opened an office and proceeded to embark upon
his professional career. Locating in Aurelia,
Cherokee county, Iowa, he won the patronage ot
a large class of citizens and business men in that
localit)-, and became so thoroughlj- respected
that he was chosen as mayor of the place, in
which capacity he served until December, 1883,
when he resigned in order to remove to Los An-
geles.

Here he soon demonstrated his ability as a law-
yer and in 18S6 and 1S87 served the people of Los
Angeles county as attorney for public administra-
tor. In 1894 he was elected to his present office
as district attorney of this county, and for six
years has ably met the requirements of the posi-
tion. Forceful and convincing in argument,
well posted on whatever subject he has in hand,
he carries judge and jury with him in most in-
stances and is continually reaping fresh laurels.
His standing at the bar is high and deservedlj'
so, for he stoops not to the petty and dishonor-
able ways of too many men in his profession,
and maintains an elevated standard of ethics.

In municipal affairs, and in everything relating
to the prosperity and permanent good of this lo-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

351

cality, Mr. Willis is actively interested. For
three years he was a member of the California
National Guard. Politically he is identified with
the Republican party and has attended county
and state conventions, often serving on important
committees. During campaigns he has loyally
aided in the success of his party and in 1895,
when the city convention assembled in Los An-
geles, he distinguished himself by the efficient
manner in which he presided as chairman over
the meeting. Fraternally he is highly esteemed,
belonging to several of the leading lodges of the
city. In the Masonic order he is a Knight
Templar, and has passed through all the chairs
of the blue lodge, and is a member of the chapter
and commandery. Of Sunset Lodge No. 290 he is
a past master, and, besides this, he has crossed
the sands of the desert with the Nobles of the
My.stic Shrine. Nor is he less highly regarded
in the orders of the Knights of Pythias and the
Odd Fellows' society.

The marriage of Mr. Willis took place in
March, 1882, when Miss Letitia G. Allin, of
Iowa City, Iowa, became the sharer of his joys
and sorrows. They are the parents of two prom-
ising sons, William H. and Frank A., who have
not yet completed their studies.

©GJlLLIAM C. ORMISTON, whose horti-
\ A / cultural interests are centered in the Azusa
Y Y valley and who is a director of the Azusa
Irrigating Company, came to this valley from
New York City in 1890 and has since been iden-
tified with the development of the fruit industry
in this locality. The noted Gladstone ranch, of
which he is the owner, comprises one hundred
and five acres under citrus and deciduous fruits.
Besides its management, he is engaged exten-
sively in the nursery business and has about
twenty-five thousand Valencia and navel orange
trees just starting. In the organization of the
Azusa Valley Bank he bore an active part and
has since been one of its directors. He is also
a director of the Azusa Citrus Association, the
A. C. G. Fruit Exchange and the Azusa Irri-
gating Compan}', of which latter he is also the
superintendent.

Of Canadian birth, Mr. Ormiston was born in
Hamilton, Ontario, February 16, 1865, a sou of

Rev. William and Clarissa Ormiston. His father,
who was a minister in the Dutch Reformed de-
nomination, for many years served as pastor of a
church in New York City, previous to which he
was similarly engaged in Hamilton, Ontario, Can-
ada. He is now deceased, and his widow makes
her home with their son, William C. The latter
was a small child when his parents moved to the
metropolis of the United States. His education
was begun in the common schools and completed
at Columbia College, where he spent three years.
In 1890, with his parents, he came to California.
Shortly after reaching this state he settled on the
ranch he now owns and occupies.

The marriage of Mr. Ormiston took place in
1890 and united him with Sara Metcalfe, who was
born in Berlin, Ontario, and is a sister of A. R.
Metcalfe, the well-known attorney of Pasadena.
Mr. and Mrs. Ormiston have three sons: Wil-
liam M. , Thomas A. and Kenneth G.

NEMAN DYER, c^Jty clerk and assessor of
Pasadena, and a resident of this city since
February, 1886, was born in Manchester,
Vt., April 30, 1847, a son of David and Sarah
(Benedict) Dyer, natives of Vermont. His fa-
ther was a school teacher when a young man and
in later years followed agricultural pursuits. His
grandfather, Henry Dyer, a native of Rhode
Island, served in the American army during the
Revolutionary war. It is supposed that the fam-
ily originated in England. Our subject received
a common-school education and also studied for
a short time in a seminary at Manchester. The
knowledge thus acquired was supplemented by
practical experience in after life. With his par-
ents, in 1869 he moved to Rock Falls, Whiteside
county. 111., and,- there both his father and
mother died. He remained in Illinois until 1886,
meantime serving as deputy postmaster of Rock
Falls for nine years. During the remainder of
the time he was engaged in mercantile and man-
ufacturing enterprises.

After his arrival in Pasadena Mr. Dyer con-
ducted a real-estate business, being a member of
the T. P. Lukens Land Company. In those
days the real-estate business was at its height,
and all interested in it found their attention
closely engrossed in the many transfers and sales

352

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

being made. Later he held the position of deputy
county assessor for four years. He was first
elected to the offices of city clerk and assessor in
1892, since which time he has been regularly re-
elected every two years. The fact of his suc-
cessive re-elections gives abundant proof of his
successful service. In politics he is an en-
thusiastic supporter of the Republican party.
While he is not a politician, as that word is
sometimes used, he nevertheless is deeply inter-
ested in public affairs and is always pleased to
see his partj^ score a victory.

Fraternally Mr. Dyer is a member of the Order
of Maccabees, the Modern Woodmen of America
and the Royal Arcanum, all of Pasadena. He is
also still connected with the Ancient Order of
United Workmen in Rock Falls, 111. In re-
ligious belief he is a Congregationalist. By his
marriage to Miss Sarah E. Worrell, of Rock
Falls, he has one son now living. Kirk W.

HON. WILLIAM P.. FORSYTH. The es-
tablishment of a manufacturing enterprise
that has proved to be one of the most impor-
tant industries of Pasadena was due largely to the
energetic efforts of Mr. Forsyth. He assisted in
the organization and incorporation of the Pasa-
dena Manufacturing Company, and was elected
its first president as well as one of the first direc-
tors. After a few years he retired from the pres-
idency and accepted the office of vice-president,
in which, and as a member of the board of direc-
tors, he has since served. He makes his home at
No. 786 South Marengo avenue, on the corner of
Wisconsin street.

A resident of Pasadena since 1886. Mr. Forsyth
is of eastern birth and lineage. His father, Ed-
mund, was a son of John Forsyth, who enlisted
from New York at the time of the Revolutionary
war and served faithfully and well during that
conflict. Edmund Forsyth was born in New
York and became a farmer of Niagara county,
that state, where he married Miss Harriet Pardee.
Their son, our subject, was born near Lockport,
N. Y. , August 2, 1827, and grew to manhood on
the home farm, receiving his primarj' education
in local schools, after which he spent four years
as a student in Oberlin College, in Oberlin, Ohio.
Returning to New York he began to teach school.

in which profession he afterward successfully en-
gaged in that state and in Ohio and Wisconsin.
In 1849 he moved to Elkhorn, Walworth county,
Wis., where he made his home for two years,
meanwhile teaching school and carrying on a
mercantile business. Later he went to Jefferson
county, the same state, and engaged in teaching
there from 1852 until 1866. At the same time he
acquired some valuable agricultural interests,
conducted mercantile pursuits, and carried on the
manufacture of furniture.

During his residence in Jefferson county Mr.
Forsyth was an active participant in public
affairs. From the time of the organization of the
Republican party he favored its principles and
gave his influence to promote its success. It was
natural that such a man should be chosen for po-
sitions of trust and honor. His fellow-citizens
recognized his ability and selected him to repre-
sent them in places where tact, intelligence and
discrimination were needed. He was chosen to
fill the office of postmaster, and his service was
so satisfactory that he was retained for fourteen
years, during which time the village of Jefferson
increased considerably in population and the
duties of the office became correspondingly
greater. For one term he was county clerk of
Jeffer.son county, and for one term county treas-
urer. He also represented the county in the
Wisconsin legislature during the session of 1865.
For twelve years he served as a commissioner of
public debt in Jefferson township. For ten years
he was chairman of the board of supervisors of
the county. It will thus be seen that he took an
active part in public affairs. Possessing a true
public spirit, he labored to promote the welfare
of his town and county. While his business
duties were many and required the closest atten-
tion, he never allowed them to prevent him from
participation in enterprises for the general ad-
vancement of the community. Plans for the de-
velopment of the county's resources were always
eagerly championed by him. In addition to all
his other activities he was for two years cashier"
of the Jefferson County Bank.

In 1850 Mr. Forsyth married Miss Louisa
Denton, of Erie county, Ohio. They became
the parents of two daughters, the elder of whom
is the wife of Seymour S. Vaughn, of Pasadena,
and the younger, Harriet A., is with her parents.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

355

Disposing of his interests in Jefferson county
in 1886, Mr. Fors5'th came to Pasadena with the
intention of spending the remainder of his life in
this cit}'. Although he had ample means to en-
able him to retire from business, yet his disposi-
tion could not brook idleness, and he soon iden-
tified himself with the manufacturing company
with which he is still connected and in the secur-
ing of whose success he has been an important
factor. He has since won and retained the con-
fidence of his associates and the business men of
the community.

EURTIS D. WILBUR. In connection with
life in Los Angeles it is worthy of note that
there are a large number of young men ac-
tive in the professions, in business circles and in
public affairs; and certainly the city's rapid
growth is due in no small degree to their enter-
prise. Among the young attorneys who are
building up enviable reputations, inention belongs
to Curtis D. Wilbur, the chief deputj' district
attorney of Los Angeles county. In the position
that he holds, much of the responsibility of the
district attorney's office falls upon him, and he
has proved himself worthy of the trust reposed
in him, fully meeting the high expectations of
the people, and showing himself to be an in-
telligent and able official.

The Wilbur family has been so long identified
with American history that the exact time of
emigration from England is unknown, nor is the
name of the first emigrant preserved in genealogy.
The father of Curtis D. was Dwight L. Wilbur,
a native of Cumberland, Ohio, and who, at the
opening of the Civil war, enlisted in the Eighty-
seventh Ohio Infantry, and served until the sur-
render to "Stonewall" Jackson. On the expira-
tion of his term of service he returned to Ohio
and soon began the study of law, which he com-
pleted in the University of Michigan. In 1866
he settled in Boonesboro, Iowa, where he en-
gaged in practice until 1882. He then went to
North Dakota and settled in Jamestown, where
he engaged in practice and carried on a real-
estate and loan business. In 1887 he came to
California, settling at Riverside, where he has
since engaged in the real-estate business. In
politics he has always been an ardent Republican.
Fraternally he is connected with the Masons and

the Ancient Order of United Workmen. While
in Ohio he married Miss Edna M. Lyman, whose
ancestors came to America in the latter part of
the seventeenth century. Her mother was a sister
of Rev. Franklin W. Fisk, D. D., president of
the Chicago Theological Seminary from its or-
ganization until 1900.

Curtis D. Wilbur was born at Boonesboro,
Iowa, May 10, 1867. He accompanied the family
to Jamestown, N. Dak., and attended the high
school there for a year. On account of his ex-
cellent scholarship he was selected by a committee
as appointee to the United States Naval Academy
at Annapolis, Md. At the age of seventeen he
entered the academy from which four }'ears later
he was graduated with honors, being third in a
class that originally numbered ninety - three,
thirty-five of whom were successful in com-
pleting the course. During his last year he was
captain of a company. The third year, usually
considered the most difficult, he completed with
distinction, entitling him, under the rules of the
academy, to wear a gold star on the collar of his
uniform.

After graduation he joined his parents at River-
side and resigned from the nav}'. It being his
ambition to become a lawyer, he set himself to the
study of the law, which he studied at home from
eight to ten hours a day for sixteen months. In
October, 1893, he was examined before the su-
preme court of the state of California, and was
admitted to the bar, and has ever since practiced
law in Los Angeles. For three years he was in
the ofiice of Brunson, Wilson Sc Lamme. In the
fall of 1898 he was tendered the position he now
fills. As an attorney he is thoroughly grounded
in the principles of the law. With a desire to
occupy a high place in his profession, he has
utilized his leisure hours in study, and is there-
fore a growing man, one whose progress is steady
and sure. While he is not a politician in the
ordinary usage of that word, he has been active
in the Republican party and keeps posted upon
all matters bearing upon the party's welfare in
the city and county.

For two terms Mr. Wilbur has been a trustee
of the First Congregational Church of Los An-
geles, and he is now the youngest deacon of that
congregation. While at Riverside he was presi-
dent of the First Congregational Christian En-

356

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

deavor Society, and president of the Sau Bernar-
dino County Christian Endeavor Union. For
several terms he was president of the First Con-
gregational Christian Endeavor Societj' of Los
Angeles. As president and later as treasurer of
the Los Angeles Countj' Christian Endeavor
Union he was very active in perfecting and pro-
moting the splendid work of that organization.
He has also had the further honor of serving as
vice-president of the California Christian En-
deavor Union. For two years he was in charge
of the Boys' Brigade for Southern California,
during which time he organized thirty companies.
This is a religious organization of boys utilizing
the military drill as a means of attraction and
discipline in connection with religious work.

After the death of his first wife, who was a
native of Massachusetts, Mr. Wilbur married
Miss Olive Doolittle. They have a daughter
and a son.

EHARLES H. LEE. This gentleman is a
prominent, public-spirited citizen of Azusa,
where he is rendering valuable service as a
trustee of the Citrus Union high school, and as
superintendent of the well-known Vosburg ranch.
He was born January 24, 1855, in Sumner
county, Tenn., a son of William J. Lee, and a
direct descendant of Richard Henry Lee, a signer
of the Declaration of Independence.

William J. Lee was born in Virginia, of Eng-
lish ancestry, but settled in life as a farmer and
stockman in Tennessee, where he owned a large
estate. He married Doxy Morton, who was
born in North Carolina, and was also of English
descent. Of the children that blessed their union
two sons, John E. and Alfred J., served under
General Forrest in the army of the Confederacy
during the Civil war, and at a skirmish in Gun-
town, Miss., John E. lost his life.

Charles H. Lee received his early education in
the private schools of the neighborhood in which
he was reared, this being supplemented by judi-
cious reading and business experience. He
acquired a good knowledge of the different
branches of agriculture while living in his native
state, having had charge of his father's farm for
several years. In January, 1882, he came to
California, locating in Florence, Los Angeles
county, where he was at first assistant superin-

tendent of the Nadeau ranch, and afterwards
superintendent of the Slauson ranch for a number
of years. He first visited Azusa with a view to
making it his home in 1885, but did not locate here
permanently until 1890, when he became superin-
tendent of the Vosburg ranch (this property con-
tains two hundred and fifty acres of land, two
hundred of which are devoted to orange culture),
a position of trust and responsibility which he
has since ably and satisfactorily filled. As a
business man he has been quite successful, and
has now ten acres of land of his own in Azusa
under fruit cultivation, being set mostly to orange
trees.

Politically Mr. Lee is a Democrat with inde-
pendent proclivities, and is intimately associated
with the best interests of the town as a public
official. For three years he has been a member
of the board of trustees of the Citrus Union high
school, and its president for two years; he has
likewise been one of the trustees of the Azusa
city grammar school for three years. Fraternally
he is a Freemason, belonging to Azusa Lodge
and Pomona Commandery, and is a member ot
the Azusa Order of Foresters. He is active in
religious circles, being a prominent member of
the Baptist Church, in which he is serving as
deacon.

lu December, 18S7, Mr. Lee married Miss
Edith Shorey, who was born in Wisconsin, but
for several years was a resident of Glendora, Cal.
Mr. and Mrs. Lee have two children living,
namely: Arligh and Ruth.

HS. G. TODD is a prominent and successful
business man of Los Angeles, who is ex"
, tensively interested in mining. He is a
young man, comparatively, but has already at-
tained to a measure of prosperity that many a one
who started out on life's journey before him
might well envy. His life demonstrates what
may be accomplished through energy, careful
management, keen foresight, and the utilization
of the powers with which nature has endowed
one, and the opportunities with which the times
surround him.

Mr. Todd was born in Miller county, Mo., in
1863, a son of James H. and Mary (Richardson)
Todd, natives of Indiana and Tennessee respect-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

357

ively. His maternal grandfather was a captain
in the war of 1812, and the son of a captain in
the Revolutionary war. Our subject's father was
born in 18 15 and died in the spring of 1899. He
was a very prominent and influential man in his
community, and served as probate judge and state
senator in Missouri for over thirty-five years.

In the State University of Missouri Mr. Todd
received a collegiate education. In 1883 he em-
barked in merchandising at Tuscumbia, that
state, where he carried on business for two years,
and then removed to Silver City, N. M., where
he took up some mining claims. Since that time
he has been interested in mining. On leaving
Silver City, in 1886, he came to Los Angeles, and
has been actively engaged in mining, with the
exception of nine years, when in business as a
commercial traveler. He . opened his present of-
fice in the Laukershim block, on West Third
street, about five years ago, and has been inter-
ested in some of the largest mining deals in the
city. He owns shares in several companies, is
secretary of the Bay Horse Mining Company, and
secretary of two other important companies, with
headquarters in Los Angeles, as well as general
manager for two other companies. He is a man
of broad capabilities, and has been ver}' success-
ful in aH his undertakings along this line.

In 1889 Mr. Todd married Miss May Holmes,
a daughter of Capt. H. T. Holmes, of Jefferson
City, Mo. He is a stanch Republican, and is a
member of the Masonic order. He has made for
himself an honorable record in business, and by
his well-directed efforts has acquired a handsome
competence.

HENRY GREEN BRAINERD, M. D. No
member of the medical profession in South-
ern California stands higher than Henry
Green Brainerd. Possessing marked natural
keenness and executive ability and all the advan-
tages of a superior education and years of prac-
tical and varied experience in the practice of his
chosen calling, he is eminently well qualified to
occupy positions of trust and responsibility to
which he has frequently been elected by his
friends and professional associates.

Dr. Brainerd was born in Londonderry, N. H.,
May 23, 1852, a son of Rev. Timothy G. and
Lucinda R. (Dewey) Brainerd, the former a na-

tive of Troy, N. Y., the latter of Hanover, N. H.
Both represented old and honored families of
New England, several generations living and
dying there. The doctor's paternal grandpar-
ents, Joseph S. and Hannah (Green) Brainerd,
were born in Connecticut, but removed to Ver-
mont, where they resided for many years before
they died. His maternal grandparents were
Andrew and Mary (Newell) Dewey. The former,
born in Hanover, N. H., passed his entire life in
that town; his wife, a native of Massachusetts,
went to Illinois late in life and died there.

In 1830 Rev. Timothy G. Brainerd graduated
from Yale College. Seven years later he com-
pleted a course in Andover Theological Semi-
nary, after which he entered the ministry. For
sixteen years he occupied the pulpit of the Pres-
byterian Church at Londonderry, N. H., and for
twelve years preached the gospel at Halifax,
Mass. In 1868 he removed to Grinnell, Iowa,
after which he continued his ministerial labors
somewhat intermittently, as he was getting well
along in years; but he never ceased to feel a very
deep interest in the cause of Christianity and did
all in his power to uplift and influence mankind
for the better. His wife died in Grinnell when
she was in her fifty-second year. At the time of
his death he was four months over eighty-six
years of age. His general ability and regard for
the public welfare led to his receiving many
honors, which he bore with unostentatious dignity
and absolute rectitude of word and deed. During
the last days of the Civil war, in 1864, he was
elected to represent the people of his district in
the Massachusetts state legislature, and in that
body rendered faithful service for two winters.

In reverting to the personal history of Dr.
Henry G. Brainerd, it is found that he was reared
upon a farm. When he was in his fifteenth year
he removed to Iowa with his parents. At the
age of eighteen he entered the freshman class of
Iowa College, at Grinnell. Later he went to
Dartmouth College, where, in 1874, he graduated
with the degree of A. B. During the years of
his preparation for and actual work in col-
lege, he taught several terms of school in Iowa,
Vermont and Massachusetts. In 1874-75 he was
principal of the Independence (Iowa) city schools.
The following winter he attended lectures in the
medical department of the Iowa State University.

358

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

From April, 1876, to April, 1877, he was interne
at the state hospital for the insane, in Mount
Pleasant, Iowa. After having the degree of
M. D. bestowed upon him bj' Rush Medical Col-
lege, in Chicago, in 1878, he became assistant to
his preceptor, Dr. C. M. Fitch, of that city. In
the summer of the same year he was appointed
assistant physician in the Iowa hospital for the
insane, at Independence, Iowa, and subsequently
became assistant superintendent of that well-
known institution. He remained there for eight
years, rendering valuable aid in the management
of the hospital, and in the meantime, in order to
further equip himself for his life work, he went to
New York City and pursued a post-graduate
course in the winter of 1882-83.

About 1887 Dr. Brainerd came to Los Angeles,
where he has since actively engaged in practice.
In 1888 he was elected to the chair of mental and
nervous diseases in the College of Medicine,
University of Southern California, a position
which he still occupies. In 1897 he was further
honored by election as dean of this justly cele-
brated institution. From 1S89 to 1893 ^^ was
superintendent of the Los Angeles Count}' Hos-
pital, and during the same period served as sur-
geon of the Los Angeles Cable Railway Com-
pany. He is an honored member of the Ameri-
can Medical Association, the State, Southern
California and Los Angeles County Medical So-
cieties, and is a medical director in the Con-
servative Life Insurance Company. In 1896 he
ofiBciated as president of the county medical so-
ciety. For some time he has been a member of
the Doctors' Social Club and the University Club
of this city.

In May, 1879, Dr. Brainerd married Miss
Alma L. Loomis, daughter of Allen R. Loomis,
of Manchester, Iowa. She died in May, 1882,
leaving a child, Martha L., whose death occurred
in the following February, when she was nine
months old. In September, 1887, Dr. Brainerd
married Fannie L. Howard, whose parents,
Thomas F. and Frances (Clark) Howard, then
of Chicago, now reside in Los Angeles. The
doctor and his wife have two sons, Henry How-
ard, born in October, 1889, and Fred Lindley,
in February, 1891. The family are connected
with the First Congregational Church of Los
Angeles. Mrs. Brainerd belongs to the Ruskin

Art Club, of which she is a charter member.
Both are active in the social life of the city and
take a patriotic interest in its improvement and
upbuilding.

3 AMES C. PRESTON first came to the San
Gabriel valley in September, 1868. Three
years later he settled on a quarter section of
pre-empted land, of which he now owns twenty-
three and three-fourth acres, the greater portion
of the same being under cultivation to oranges.
As the land was in a primitive condition at the
time of pre-emption he had an arduous task
before him, and it required the constant effort of
many years to bring the property to its present
improved state. He has seen all of this part of
California transformed from a barren waste to one
of the fairest garden spots of the earth, and has
himself assisted in making the desert blossom as
the rose.

Mr. Preston was born in Washington county,
Va., November 22, 1831, a son of Thomas and
Jane Preston, also natives of the Old Dominion,
the former of Irish extraction, the latter of Scotch
descent. When he was a boy educational ad-
vantages were meager, and the system of train-
ing, as carried out in the sparsely furnished and
unattractive log-cabin schoolhouses, was far short
of that of to-day. However, he succeeded in
acquiring a fair knowledge of the rudimentary
branches, to which he has since added by practi-
cal experience. In i860 he left Virginia for east-
ern Texas. In the spring of 1862 he joined the
Confederate army, being assigned to Capt. B. D.
Martin's Company, Burnett's Battalion of Sharp-
shooters. He served in the commissary and
quartermaster's departments, and was sent from
Texas to Port Hudson, La., where his command
was a part of Maxey's Brigade. Prior to the
surrender of Port Hudson his command was or-
dered to join Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army,
near Jackson, Miss. They proceeded to that
place, and then marched with Johnston to the
various points ordered, remaining with him until
the fall of Vicksburg. On account of illness Mr.
Preston was sent to a hospital at Jackson. When
he was well enough to render removal possible,
he was transferred to a hospital at Enterprise,
Miss. , where he spent the period of convalescence.
On rejoining his command he accompanied them

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

361

to Mobile, and later, with them, was transferred to
the Trans- Mississippi department, where he joined
Maxey's command, and with them he continued
until the close of the war, when he returned to his
home in Texas.

From eastern Texas, in 1868, Mr. Preston came
to California, settling at El Monte, thence going
to San Bernardino, and in 187 1 locating on his
present homestead in the upper San Gabriel val-
ley. For a number of years he has been a mem-
ber of the board of trustees of the Azusa public
schools, being clerk of the board much of the time.
By his marriage to Mary Dougherty, of Grayson
county, Va., he has seven children: Charles T.;
William T.; John L.; Myrtle R.; James L.;
Carrie V. (wife of Edward Manning), and
Ralph V.

EHARLES H. TOLL, cashier of the Southern
California Savings Bank, is a representative
citizen of Los Angeles. Since January,
1897, he has represented the fifth ward in the city
council, and meantime has been influential in
securing numerous improvements and materially
promoting the prosperity of this thriving
metropolis. Heartily devoted to his chosen citj ,
he neglects no opportunitj' of advancing its wel-
fare, and is a thorough believer in the yet greater
future in store for this locality. Even during
his residence here of some fifteen years he has
witnessed changes for the better that seem
nothing short of marvelous, and, judging by
what has been accomplished within so short a
period, he is confident that the next fifteen years
will prove still more productive of results in
which the people will richly participate.

Mr. Toll is a son of Hon. Charles H. Toll, who
was born in New York, and removed to Clinton,
Iowa, in an earlj' day. Thenceforth he was
closely associated with the upbuilding of that
city and did much for its commercial prosperity.
He was actively engaged in manufacturing there
and had many local interests which conduced to
the benefit of the place. Rising to a position of
high esteem, he was chosen to represent his dis-
trict in the state legislature, and served several
terms with distinction. He also acted in the
capacity of postmaster for a number of years,
■ and gave perfect satisfaction to the public in
every office which he was called upon to fill. He

was a very public-spirited man and took an in-
fluential part in politics, both in his locality and
in general. In public matters, as in other lines
of endeavor, he was looked up to as an authority
and was valued accordingly. During the Civil
war he enlisted in the Tenth Iowa Infantry, and
continued to serve until the dreadful struggle be-
tween the north and the south was ended. He
was valiant and brave, and for gallant action was
promoted to the rank of major after the battle of
Chickamauga. For some time he was in charge
of the commissary department. Wherever sta-
tioned he discharged his manifold duties with
absolute fidelity and discretion. About two years
prior to his death he became a resident of Los An-
geles, where he died in 1887; his remains were
interred in Rosedale cemetery. He had married
Miss Elizabeth H. Lusk, who was born in New
York state. They became the parents of five
children, one of whom, Spencer L., is chief clerk
in the railway postal service.

The youngest member of the family, Charles
H. Toll, Jr., was born in Clinton, Iowa, in 1858,
and there passed his early years. He received
good educational advantages. After completing
the curriculum of the common schools he attended
Cornell College at Mount Vernon, Iowa, and
pursued a course of study in the higher branches
of knowledge. In 1879 he commenced to earn
his own livelihood, and in 1885 he came to Los
Angeles, where he engaged in the retail grocery
business. Later, for seven years he was credit
clerk in the wholesale grocery house of Haas,
Baruch & Co. In April, 1900, he was chosen
cashier of the Southern California Savings Bank,
of which he is also a stockholder. He is a
director of the Chamber of Commerce and chair-
man of the committee on ways and means.

Ever since he received the right of franchise
Mr. Toll has been an ardent supporter of the Re-
publican party platform and nominees. Having
become well known and highly esteemed as a
citizen, he was honored by being chosen to repre-
sent the fifth ward in the city council in the fall
of 1896, taking his seat in that body in January,
1897. The following year he was re-elected. His
election and re-election were both without oppo.
sition, hence a signal honor. He is still serving
as a councilman, and is promoting the rights and
interests of the people. At present he is chair-

362

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

man of the committee on finance, water supply
and legislation, thus having abundant scope for
his keen business and executive abilitj-. While
he was a resident of Clinton he was elected
deputy county clerk, and in that position made
an excellent record for sagacity and devotion to
the interests of the people. Since settling in Los
Angeles he has invested extensively in city real
estate and owns a pleasant home at No. 1941
Union avenue. Fraternally he is identi6ed with
the Foresters and several other organizations.
He is deservedly popular with all who know him,
and in all his relations with his fellow-men main-
tains a high standard of integrit}-.

HENRY D. BRIGGS. Since he settled in
the Azusa valley, in February, 1885, Mr.
Briggs has aided in the development of its
horticultural interests and has been identified
with various measures of local importance. Pos-
sibly he is best known as manager of the Irwin-
dale Citrus Association, in the organization of
which he was interested, and whose first manager
he was chosen, in August, 1899. He has also
acted as president of the association since its in-
corporation. For five years he held the office of
secretary of the Azusa Irrigating Compan3-.

His identification with fruit and water compa-
nies by no means represents the limit of his activi-
ties. For four years he was a deputy county as-
sessor under Capt. F. E. Gray. The Azusa Val
ley Bank numbers him as a member of its direc-
torate. A marked feature of his life is his activ-
ity in educational matters. The public school
system has in him a firm friend and champion.
He was a member of the board of trustees of
Azusa school district for seven years, and for
some time he served as clerk of the board. At
this writing he is an efficient trustee of the Citrus
high school and clerk of the board.

In Springfield, Mass., Mr. Briggs was born
November i, 1855, a son of Joshua L. and Elvira
(Stebbin.s) Briggs, natives respectively of Ver-
mont and Massachusetts, the former deceased,
and the latter a resident of our subject's native
town. The first representative of the Briggs
family in America came from the north of Eng-
land in 1636 and settled in the southeastern part
of Massachusetts, since which time his descend-

ants have been honorably connected with the his-
tory of the old Bay state. At seventeen years of
age our subject became an employe of a wholesale
notion firm, which later added a retail department
to its business. After nine years with that house
he accepted a position as agent for Clague,
Schlicht & Field, manufacturers of patent-office
devices, with whom he remained in New York
City for more than two years. Resigning that
position, in 1885 he came to California and turned
his attention to horticulture. He now owns two
ranches of twenty acres each, largely under
oranges and apricots. For three years he was
manager of the Azusa Citrus Association. He
possesses a thorough practical knowledge of the
fruit business, and is familiar with every problem
the horticulturists of California are called upon to
settle. Fraternally he is connected with the Ma-
sonic lodge and the camp of the Woodmen of the
World at Azusa. His political views are stanchly
Republican. In religion he is of the Presbyterian
faith. While living in the east he married Miss
Ida M. Whittemore, of Springfield, Mass. They
have four children: Ella M., C. Dwight, Ray-
mond H. and Claude W.

IJjlLES PEASE. If there is one lesson more
ry than another that the young people of the
lis present generation should lay deeply to
heart and that a perusal of the biography of Mr.
Pease cannot fail to impress upon the minds ot
all, it is that success and high standing are the
result of earnest, indefatigable labor, continued,
it may be, through a long period of years. The
president of the Niles Pease Furniture Companj',
one of the largest and most prosperous business
concerns of Los Angeles, and, indeed of the Pa-
cific slope, has achieved his position by a life
time of sturdy application and well-directed zeal.
A son of Wells and Betsey Pease, and a grand-
son of Simeon Pease (a Revolutionary soldier),
Niles Pease was born nearTliompsonville, Conn.,
October 13, 1837. For eighteen years he lived
in that locality, meantime attending local schools.
He spent three years in learning the tinsmith's
trade and then followed the occupation, manufac-
turing tinware and dealing in stoves and tinware
in his native town. From a small beginning his
trade grew to really remarkable proportions, and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

363

for years he kept on the road a number of wag-
ons, carrying housekeepers' supplies. Thus his
wares found their way into the homes of people
in all parts of the state, and a large proportion of
his income was gained in this manner. In 1876
he suspended this branch of his business, and de-
voted himself especially to the sale of furniture.
After twenty-four years of successful enterprise
in his 'home town he concluded to try a new field,
and sold out in the east.

In 1884 Mr. Pease came to L,os Angeles and
connected himself, as a partner, with the Los An-
geles Furniture Company, starting a store where
the Royal bakery now stands. At the expiration
of a year he purchased the interests of the other
members of the company. Little by little, as his
means increased, he added to his stock. In 1887
he removed his stock to the Harris block, between
Third and Fourth streets, on South Spring, and
there he had a well-equipped carpet and furniture
salesroom. After some years, finding that he
lacked space for the display of his goods, he de-
cided to have a building erected especially for his
business. Accordingly, L. Harris built a five-
story building on South Spring street, No. 439,
arranged to suit Mr. Pease, who has since carried
on business here. By a wise act, at the same
time he formed a co-partnership with his chil-
dren, and September 25, 1897, the Niles Pease
Furniture Company was incorporated. The firm
occupies a building of four stories and basement,
filled with the finest and rarest designs in modern
furniture, and with substantial, attractive, yet
less expensive lines. In brief, here may be found
as large and well-selected a stock of household
furnishings as may be seen in the west. The
building, 80x150 feet, affords ample accommoda-
tions for the proper display of goods, and the sys-
tematic arrangement of the furniture into depart-
ments is an admirable feature.

The marriage of Mr. Pease and Miss Cornelia
Gleason, a native of Thompsonville, Conn., took
place in that village March 25, i860. Seven
children bless their union, namely: Grace G.,
Jessie F., Sherman, Jewell, Anna, Herbert and
Florence. Several of the number are employed
as clerks or are financially concerned in the busi-
ness. The pleasant home of the family is at
No. 719 South Hill street.

Politically Mr. Pease is a Republican, and,

having been elected by his party friends to repre-
sent his town in the Connecticut state legislature
in 1876, he served with credit to himself and to
the entire satisfaction of all concerned. In the
Masonic order he ranks high, having attained
the thirty-second degree. For a number of years
he has been a trustee of the Unitarian church.
Many worthy philanthropies receive his liberal
support. He takes great interest in the prosperity
of this city, and, besides being a director in the
Columbia Savings Bank, is associated with other
local enterprises.

RICHARD M. SIPPEL, the successful dealer
in farm implements at Azusa and the manu-
facturer and inventor of the Orange Belt
cultivator, is a native of Sullivan county, N. Y. ,
where he was born May 27, 1865. A son of
Henry and Maggie (Bishop) Sippel, his parents
came to America from Germany and settled in
New York in the early '70s. He was reared on
a farm and attended the district schools, and at
the age of seventeen began to learn the black-
smith and wagonmaker's trade. When nineteen
years old he moved to Cameron county. Pa.,
where he engaged in the blacksmith's business.
In 1886 he came to Sacramento, Cal., and for a
short time was employed in the J. F. Hill Wheel
and Carriage Works, later going to Pasadena
and identifying himself with J. L. Johnson, car-
riage manufacturer and repairer, with whom he
stayed for some time.

In 1888 Mr. Sippel came to Azusa and for a
short time engaged in business with L. S. Knight
under the firm name of Knight & Sippel, since
which time he has been conducting his affairs
independently. He deals in agricultural imple-
ments, wagons, buggies, surreys, plows, harrows,
cultivators and innumerable other devices of a
labor-saving nature. His invention of the Orange
Belt cultivator has brought him into consider-
able prominence in the orange growing districts
of California, and he has realized considerable
financial benefit from the same. In 1898 he con-
structed the brick building in which he carries
on his enterprises, the carriage and implement
repository being located in the upper story. A
large gas engine furnishes power for the ma-
chinery used in the construction department,
which necessitates the employment of three men.

364

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Mr. Sippel married Lillian Shaw, of Azusa,
Cal., and of this union there are four children:
Sydney, Albert D., Richard M. and Harry. Mr.
Sippel is a member of the Modern Woodmen of
America and the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows of Azusa. In politics he is a Democrat.
He is a public-spirited man who has utilized his
opportunities to good advantage, and gained the
confidence and good will of the community in
which his lot is cast.

/HHARLES C. CASEY has led an interest-
1 1 ing, varied and exceptionally useful life.
\J Figuring conspicuously in the progress and
development of Azusa, he was foremost in secur-
ing its incorporation, in 1898, as a city of the
sixth class.

A native of Keokuk county, Iowa, he was
born December 9, 1858, and is a son of Benjamin
and Margaret (Clark) Casey, the former of Jef-
ferson county, Ohio, the latter of Harrisburg,
Pa. He acquired his education in the public
schools, and when eighteen years of age gained
considerable practical business experience from
his association with a large mercantile concern in
Oakland, Cal. He later embarked with varying
success upon a mining venture, which occupied
his attention for nearly nine years. When he
finally cast his lot with the residents of Azusa
they were few in number, the village containing
but a few scattered dwellings, surrounded bj'
stretches of land. He at once began to displaj'
a keen practical interest in the affairs of his
adopted country, his first ideas of innovation be-
ing directed towards an improvement of the water
supply. His first active business venture in
Azusa was with a hardware concern. In 1890
he contracted a partnership with William Gans-
uer, under the firm name of Casey & Gansner,
which contract lasted one year, after which Mr.
Casey bought out William Gan.sner and con-
ducted an independent business for a year under
the name of C. C. Casey. Subsequently he
formed a partnership with George T. Ott, the
firm name being changed to Casey & Ott. In
1897 F- H. Fabrick purchased Mr. Ott's share in
the business, which was then conducted under
the firm name of Casey & Fabrick until, in 1899,
the concern was incorporated with the name of

the C. C. Casey Company, whose affairs are at
the present time being successfully conducted in
Azusa with C. C. Casey as president. The com-
pany has a branch store at Covina, Cal. In con-
nection with their hardware trade they carry on
an extensive plumbing and tinning business.

Mr. Casey married Catherine Bates, of Keokuk
county, Iowa, and they have one son, William J.
Mr. Casey is connected with the Odd Fellows
and the Masons in Azusa. He has for a nunibej
of years been president of the Electric Light and
Power Company and of the Azusa Valley Sharp-
shooters' Gun Club.

No man has been more prominently connected
with the fortunes of Azusa or has shown a more
keenly disinterested ambition to aid in its better-
ment. His devotion and faithfulness are, fortu-
nately, appreciated by those who have reaped the
benefit of their application.

|~DWARD CHAMBERS. The railroad inter-
Ky ests centering in Los Angeles are represent-
L_ ed by active, efiicient men, almost without ex-
ception, and the Santa Fe is especial!}' fortunate
in this respect. Of its numerous local officials,
one of the oldest in years of continuous service is
Edward Chambers, who needs no introduction to
the people of this county, as his duties have
brought him into close association with the pub-
lic hereabouts for the past thirteen years.

Now in the prime of manhood, Mr. Chambers
was born in Waukegan, 111 , in 1859. He en-
tered the employ of the Santa Fe Railroad at
Pueblo in 1877, and engaged in handling freight;
and it may here be said that he has served in
every capacity in this department, gradually
working his way upward. His fidelity to duty
and earnest desire to meet the wishes of his su-
periors led to his promotion, and after acting in
the capacity of chief clerk he later became cash-
ier of the Santa Fe at Pueblo. After spending
eight years at that point he was transferred to
San Diego, Cal., where he was installed as the
first agent there, the line having just been com-
pleted to that city. At the end of two years, in
1887, when Los Angeles became a terminus of
the road, Mr. Chambers was stationed here, being
the first agent, and later becoming assistant
general freight agent. For several years he acted

Photo by .Marceau, I,os Aiigcle

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

367

in this position, and by his good business man-
agement advanced the interests of his company.
For some time he has occupied his present prom-
inent position as general freight agent of the
Santa Fe, and, with other officials of the compa-
ny, has his office on the fifth floor of the Bradbury
building. There can hardly be a more difficult
position to fill than the one which he occupies,
for so varied and numerous are the interests at
stake that the utmost wisdom, foresight and good
judgment are necessary to keep aflfairs running
smoothly. His efforts to accomplish this have
been successful. Though almost inevitable that
.some should feel that discrimination had been
made against them, the vast majority of the pa-
trons of the road acknowledge that Mr. Chambers
does everything within his power to insure their
satisfaction.

In 1884, when living in Pueblo, he married
Miss Marian Johnston, a native of Belleville,
Canada. They are the parents of four children.

RUFUS ROWE HAINES. The record of the
life of Mr. Haines is a history of telegraphy
in the west. It would be impossible to pre-
sent an accurate account of the one without fre-
quent mention of the other. For the noble work
that he accomplished, in opening regions before
unknown and in bringing remote sections of
country into direct communication with the cen-
ters of civilization, he is entitled to the lasting
gratitude of all who have realized, by actual ex-
perience, the vitalizing influence of the telegraph
service. Coming to the Pacific coast at a verj'
early period, he has since been identified with its
growth and been a contributor to its progress, and
in the citizenship of Los Angeles his position is
justly a high one.

The Haines family was founded in America by
Deacon Samuel Haines, of Wales, who landed in
New Hampshire in 1635. Fourth in descent from
him was John Haines, who removed from New
Hampshire to Maine in 1784. In 1776, one
month after the issuance of the declaration of
independence, he signed the "Test act," pledging
himself to support the colonies in their efforts to
throw off the government of Great Britain, The
20

subject of this sketch, who was a grandson
of John Haines, was born in Hallowell, Me., in
1826. In the winter of 1848-49 he studied
telegraphy in Bath, Me., on the first telegraph
line in that state. In 1857 ^^ came to California,
and the following year became manager of the
Placerville office of the Alta Telegraph Companj'.
This company had been organized in 1853 and
owned a line from Sacramento to Nevada City,
but afterward extended its wires to San Francisco
and the mining towns in the central and southern
part of the state.

The first effort made toward direct connection
with eastern telegraph lines was in 1858, when a
line was begun across the Sierra Nevadas by the
Placerville and Humboldt Telegraph Company.
In 1859 the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Com-
pany started east from San Jos6 via the southern
overland mail route, but only reached Los An-
geles.

In i860 the various companies that had been
operating in the west consolidated under the
name of the California State Telegraph Company,
and at the same time the Overland Telegraph
Company was organized by stockholders of the
former company, for the purpose of securing
telegraphic connection with the east. The terri-
torj^ to be covered was divided into two sections,
the one between Omaha and Salt Lake being
taken by an eastern company in the interest of
the Western Union Company, while the Over-
land Company took that between Salt Lake and
the terminus of the Placerville and Humboldt
Company's wires at Genoa, Nev. To encourage
the enterprise, the government pledged business
to the extent of $40,000 a year, this sum to be
divided proportionately between the two com-
panies, sixty per cent for the eastern and forty
for the western. The legislature of California
donated $100,000 to the western company. Con-
gress limited the time for the construction of the
line to July, 1862, but the war coming on, there
was such a demand for news in the west that a
great effort was made and the line was completed
in October, 1861, the eastern on the 24th and the
western on the 26th. This achievement aston-
ished the world. It was, of all factors con-
tributing to the development of California,
undoubtedly the greatest, with the exception of
the overlancl railroad, Over the wires was

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

flashed the same message that had passed between
Washington and Baltimore in 1844, "What hath
God wrought!"

January i, 1864, Mr. Haines was called from
his position as manager of the Placerville office
and made assistant superintendent of the Califor-
nia State Telegraph Company. He was com-
missioned to proceed to Oregon and decide as to
the advisability of building lines through the
northern country. Believing such lines necessary
and profitable, he at once set about the work. In
March, 1864, the line was completed to Portland.
The next order was to explore to Olympia,
Wash., and, without waiting for a report as to the
practicability of the route, a second order fol-
lowed the first to build immediately. In August
that work was completed, and Olympia was
given telegraphic connection with the world. In
the latter part of October the line was extended
to Seattle. This work took the builders into re-
gions that had never been opened by roads or
even by trails, and they were obliged to literallj-
hew their way through fallen timber. When
that line was completed the order came to extend
the line to the Frazer river into British Columbia.
The country to be covered was a dense wilder-
ness, where the foot of white man seldom trod,
where rivers had to be forded often at the peril
of life, and dangers, privations and hardships
abounded. To increase their troubles, winter
was approaching and the sun gave scarcely light
enough for a desirable day's work, while the cold
hampered the movements of the men . However,
in spite of all difficulties (and they were legion),
the work was completed, and the line reached New
Westminster April 4, 1865. Between Portland,
Oregon, and New Westminster nineteen rivers
had been crossed, three of them deep enough for
ship navigation, while almost all were navigable
by light vessels. The great Columbia and Frazer
rivers were crossed by submerged cables and the
others by wires suspended above the reach of
steamers.

The telegraph line reached Victoria, \'an-
couver's Island, in the fall of 1865. This re-
quired sixteen miles of submarine cable, laid in
three sections across the channels between the
i.sland and the main land of Washington. It was
at the time the longe.st submarine cable on the
coast, and in the work of laying it Mr. Haines

was assisted by the British gunboat, Forward.
In 1866 the Western Union Company purchased
a controlling interest in the stock of the California
State Telegraph Company, and has ever since
had control of all its interests.

In 1868 Mr. Haines built for the Oregon Steam
Navigation Company a line from Portland to
The Dalles, on the Columbia river, a distance of
ninety-five miles. He was then delegated to take
charge of electrical matters in Nevada, and re-
moved to Virginia City, remaining there one
year. When public interest began to center upon
Southern California, the Western Union Com-
pany commenced to enlarge its lines in this sec-
tion, and Mr. Haines was sent here to represent
the company. In 1870 a line was built from San
Diego via Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, and, in
1872, from Stockton to Visalia, along the track
of the Southern Pacific Railroad, this wire con-
necting at Visalia with the line from that point
southward , which was built to Los Angeles in
1859.

The Indian outbreak in Arizona in 1872 called
the attention of congress to the need of connect-
ing the military posts and supply depots of that
territory with electric wires, and an appropria-
tion was made for that purpose. In 1873 Mr.
Haines was appointed to superintend the con-
struction of the line. The work was entered upon
in July and completed in November. The line
was five hundred and fift}- miles long and con-
nected with the Western Union system at San
Diego. The construction work was mainly done
by soldiers. The absence of water on the arid
plains, with the mercurj- ranging from one hun-
dred to one hundred and fifteen degrees, made
the work very trying and severely taxed the en-
ergies ofallthemen. In 1873 a telegraph line
was constructed from Anaheim to San Bernar-
dino. The next year a line was built from Sa-
linas City to Santa Barbara, Santa Monica,
Riverside, Hueneme, in Ventura county, and
Cambria, Cayucos and San Simeon, in San Luis
Obispo county, were put in communication with
the telegraph system of the coast in 1875.

As the years passed by and the population of
California increased, a constantly increasing num-
ber of lines might be seen throughout the entire
country. Mr. Haines continued to be activel3'
connected with the building and superintendence

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

369

of various lines until the close of August, 1887,
when he tendered his resignation and severed his
connection with the company, to whose success
his faithful service had so materiallj- contributed.
His intelligence and determined energy had
greatly promoted the company's prosperity, and
those who were in touch with his work expressed
the highest appreciation of his services. When
he had completed his work in Arizona the quar-
termaster telegraphed him: "Well done, good
and faithful servant," and the general superin-
tendent, under whom he had worked since i860,
bore this testimony: "I heartily congratulate
you upon the completion of the lines across the
great desert. You deserve great credit for your
energy and perseverance. If I have any more
worlds to conquer I shall surely call upon you to
lead the van, as you are always ready and never
found wanting." Since his retirement he has
resided in Los Angeles, where he makes his home
at No. 218 West Twenty-seventh street.

Mr. Haines was married in Carson City, Nev. ,
in July, 1865, to Miss Eugenia Viola Kirk, a na-
tive of Indiana. Two children blessed this mar-
riage: Sarah E., now Mrs. J. J. McMillan, of
Los Augeles, and Estelle, now Mrs. H. T.
Fennell, of San Francisco.

pGjALTER B. CLINE. A truly representa-

\ A / tive citizen of Los Angeles is Walter B.
Y V Cline, whose standing is deservedly high
in both the social and business circles of this
flourishing western metropolis. He has been
ready and glad to liberally sustain every worthy
or creditable movement for the advancement of
the welfare of Los Angeles and vicinity, and has
spared himself neither money nor effort when the
permanent good of the people has been at stake.
He possesses the true patriotic spirit, and is
deeply loyal to his community, his state and his
country, setting an example in this respect well
worthy of emulation.

Though only just arrived at the prime of life,
Mr. Cline has accomplished more than many suc-
cessful business men of twice his years, and has
established a reputation for sagacity and integrity
in all of his dealings, of which he should be
proud. Born thirty-eight years ago, he claims
California as the state of his nativity, and as the

scene of his entire career, thus far. He passed
the first five years of his life in the city of Sacra-
mento, whence he removed with his parents,
William and Maria Cline, to San Francisco. His
father came to this state in 1852 and for many
years was successfully engaged in mining. He
also was occupied for years in conducting various
mercantile and other enterprises, both in San
Francisco and Sacramento, in most of his ven-
tures meeting with prosperity. His wife died
when Walter B. was young, and the lad was the
only son who lived to maturity.

The education of W. B. Cline was obtained in
the common schools of San Francisco, and his
first experience in the world of commerce was
acquired in the ofiBce of a stock-broker, in which
business he held clerkships from 1879 to 1882.
Eighteen years ago he became interested in his
present line of business, which he thoroughly
mastered. For a number of years he was con-
nected with the Central Gas Light Company of
San Francisco, and at length rose to the dignity
of manager of that concern. After passing
through the hands of a Philadelphia company it
finally was merged into the Pacific Gas Improve-
ment Company.

Eleven years ago Mr. Cline came to Los
Angeles, which has since been his home and is
looked upon as his permanent place of abode.
Up to that time there had been two local gas com-
panies in the city, but the service was not
adequate nor satisfactory until Mr. Cline took the
helm. Under his able management the former
concerns were merged into the Los Angeles
Lighting Company, which has held the field ever
since it was incorporated in 1889. Mr. Cline
then was elected its president, and later was
elected president of the Los Angeles Electric
Company. By his genius and fine executive
ability he has brought order and system and suc-
cess to the enterprises. He is a popular official,
as he strives to meet the wishes of the public and
to provide the citizens with excellent service.
The ofiicers of the companies are at Nos. 449 to
457 South Broadway, a central location.

Mr. Cline belongs to the Jonathan Club, also
to the California Club, which comprises in its
membership about three hundred of the repre-
sentative business men and citizens of Los
Angeles. He holds membership in the Ameri-

370

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

can Gas Light Association, and in the Pacific
Coast Gas Association, neglecting no means
for improvement and suggestion along the line of
his chosen field of labor. He is in no sense a
politician, though he discharges his duty at the
polls and keeps posted on national issues. His
preference is for the Republican party.

In the home circle Mr. Cline finds his chief
pleasure, and there he is to be seen in his be.stand
truest nature. His home, surrounded by lovely
grounds and the semi-tropical trees and foliage
for which this section is noted, is at No. 2 no
South Grand avenue. He was married, fifteen
years ago, to Miss Clara Smith, of San Francisco,
and their union has been blessed with two
daughters.

EYRUS BURDICK. For many years the
life of Mr. Burdick has been inseparably
associated with the history of Pomona, of
which he was one of the founders. He has lived
to see what was in years gone by a region of al-
most unsettled laud transformed into a prosperous
and beautiful country. In the midst of all the
arduous and stirring scenes of pioneer life he
was ever ready to aid those who needed assistance
and to promote enterprises for the benefit of the
community. He belongs to that class of pioneers
to whom so large a debt of gratitude is due from
the present generation, owing, as it does, all its
advantages for a high degree of culture to the
noble hearts that endured hardships and priva-
tions in order to open a way for civilization in a
region hitherto unknown and uninhabited. Not-
withstanding the cares of a busy life now ap-
proaching its twilight, he is still hearty and ener-
getic and with mind unimpaired by the flight of
time he can look back over the past with a just
pride and forward to the future without fear.
Although he came to California as early as 1853
and at that time settled in Los Angeles count}-,
he did not locate on his Pomona ranch until about
1870. He then settled on the property one mile
northwest of the Southern Pacific depot at
Pomona, in an old Mexican settlement then
known as San Jos^. Soon after going to that
place he planted some orange and lemon trees
and a variety of deciduous fruits. As a horticul-
turist he was prospered. He was one of the first
in this part of the state to start a fruit orchard

and his success encouraged others to embark in
that industry. In 1888 he moved from the ranch
to Pomona, where he now resides. With two
other gentlemen he started the town of Pomona,
since which time he has been more or less identi-
fied with its growth. He was one of five men
who built the Union block in this city and he
has also been interested in other important local
enterprises. With his wife, who like himself is
a California pioneer, he resides in a beautiful
home on Holt avenue and enjoys the esteem of
neighbors and associates.

In Lake county, Ohio, Mr. Burdick was born
October 22, 1834, a son of Thomas and Annie
(Higley) Burdick, natives respectively of New
York and Vermont. His grandfather, Gideon
Burdick, was a Revolutionary soldier and spent
the winter with General Washington at Valley
Forge. When Cyrus Burdick was eleven years
old his parents moved to Burlington, Iowa, where
his father taught school. A year later they went
to Council Bluffs, the same state, where they re-
mained for seven years. During that time his
father was the first countj- judge elected in Pot-
tawattamie county, which had not been organized
at the time they settled there. Judge Burdick
also served as postmaster at Council Bluffs, and
Cyrus was his deputy for three years. In 1853
the family cro.ssed the plains with a large part}',
there being one hundred wagons in all. They
left Council Bluffs on the 9th of May and arrived
in San Bernardino county, Cal., on the loth of
December, after a trip filled with hardships and
dangers. For one term Judge Burdick was a
member of the board of supervisors of Los An-
geles county and took an active part in local af-
fairs. He died in 1877, at the age of eighty
years, and was buried in Los Angeles, where the
body of his wife is also interred.

While Cyrus Burdick had few advantages in
boyhood, yet he was not deprived of all educa-
tional opportunities. He attended school in Ohio
and Iowa. However, his education had been
mostly self-acquired. He is well posted concern-
ing politics and believes in Republican princi-
ples. His marriage united him with Amanda
Chapman, who was born in Iowa and crossed
the plains in 1853 with her parents. Her
father, the late Charles Chapman, was a well-
known pioneer of Los Angeles county. The

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

373

family oi Mr. and Mrs. Burdick consists of one
son and three daughters, viz.: C. Gideon, Mrs.
Laura Bates, Mrs. Jasper N. Teague and Lucre-
tia, whose husband, Frank P. Brackett, is an in-
structor in Pomona College at Claremont, Cal.

QERCY E. fuller, one of the successful
Lr and promising young lawyers of Los An-
Y^ geles, has been almost a life-long resident of
this city, and is active in everything connected
with its improvement and prosperity. He is a
worthy representative of one of the sturdy old
New England families, four brothers bearing the
name having emigrated from England with the
Pilgrim fathers, seeking a home and ' 'freedom to
worship God."

Henry, father of Percy E. Fuller, was a native
of the Green Mountain state, where he grew to
manhood, and married Helen D. Day, likewise of
Vermont, During the Centennial year Mr. Ful-
ler brought his family to the Pacific coast, and
since that time has made his home in Los An-
geles, where he is well and favorably known.
For several years he conducted a large wholesale
furniture business here, being the pioneer in that
line. Some time ago he retired from active life,
having amassed a competency, and is pleasantly
spending his declining years on a beautiful
orange ranch in Redlands. He has nobly per-
formed his part to his community and country,
and during the Civil war he sought to enter the
Union army, but was rejected on account of
youth.

The nativity of Percy E. Fuller occurred in
the town of Vergennes, Vt., July 15, 1872, but,
as he came to the Golden state at the age of four
years he has littje remembrance of any other
home. Here he obtained a liberal education in
the public school and normal, and was one of
the first students in the then newly established
University of Southern California. For some
time he was engaged in the wholesale furniture
business with his father, but later gave his atten-
tion to the study of law, and was admitted to
practice before the supreme court of the state of
California. He has met with gratifying success
in his chosen field of labor, and, judging by what
he has accomplished within the past few years,
he has a brilliant future before him. In Novem-

ber, 1899, he formed a copartnership with Judge
William Fitzgerald, which continues under the
firm name of Fuller & Fitzgerald.

In political affairs Mr. Fuller is a stalwart Re-
publican, and fraternally he is a member of the
Knights of the Maccabees and other fraternal
orders. In 1895 he married Lillian, a daughter
of E. W. Lewis, of Cook county. 111. The young
couple have a very pleasant home and numerous
friends and well-wishers.

HHILIP C. DANIELS, the popular cashier
L/' of the Azusa Valley Bank, and secretary of
f2> the A. C. G. Fruit Exchange, took up his
residence in Azusa in 189 1. The Daniels family
is an old one, the first members to arrive in
America having settled in Massachusetts in the
beginning of the eighteenth century. The
parents of our subject were Charles E. and Eliza-
beth (Painel Daniels. Elizabeth Daniels' grand-
father was a valorous soldier in the war of the
Revolution.

A native of Clayton county, Ohio, Philip C.
Daniels was born November 20, 1865, and con-
tinued to live there until he attained his majority.
He studiously availed himself of excellent educa-
tional advantages, first in the McGregor public
schools, and later at Carleton College, Northfield,
Minn. In 1888 he entered upon his first busi-
ness venture, associating himself in various
clerical capacities with the Citizens' National
Bank at Des Moines, Iowa, in which capacity he
served for three years. Profiting by this ex-
perience, and having the ability and determina-
tion to work on independent lines, he came to
Azusa, Cal., and organized the Azusa Valley
Bank, which entered upon its existence in 1891.

In 1895 he was made acting manager of the
A. C. G. Citrus Association, and in 1896 became
secretary and manager of the same, a position
which he held until 1898. In addition, he has
served as secretary and manager of the A. C. G.
Fruit Exchange, as director in the Azusa Valley
Bank, and has been city treasurer since the date
of the city's incorporation, February i, 1899.

In politics Mr. Daniels is a member of the Re-
publican party. He is an active member of the
Presbyterian Church of Azusa, and has been
trustee of the same for several vears. He mar-

374

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ried Florence M. Hubbard, of Des Moines, Iowa,
and they have two daughters, Dorothy and
Sarah. Mr. Daniels represents the best and most
progressive element in Azusa. His ability,
geniality, and manifest interest in the public
welfare are appreciated b}' the members of the
community in which he lives.

([AMES A. METCALFE, M. D., one of the

I foremost physicians and surgeons of Los
(2? Angeles county, is located in Azusa, where
he has built up an extensive and lucrative prac-
tice. He was born May 20, 1852, in Natchez,
Miss., where his father, the late Volney Metcalfe,
M. D., was then an active practitioner.

Dr. Volney Metcalfe, who came of substantial
English ancestry, was born in Kentuck}-, whither
his progenitors had removed from Virginia, the
state in which the emigrant ancestor had settled
on coming to America from England in old
colonial days. He was well fitted for his pro-
fession, having studied surgery and medicine in
America and Europe, where he was under the in-
struction of eminent surgeons. After his mar-
riage to Ann Wood, also a native of Kentucky,
he located in Natchez, Miss., where he had a
very large practice until his death, from yellow
fever, in 1853.

James A. Metcalfe lived in Natchez until thir-
teen years old, when his widowed mother re-
moved with her family to Mason county, Ky.,
near Washington. For some time he attended
the Virginia Military Institute, at Lexington,
Va., and later entered the Louisville Medical
College, at Louisville, Ky., from which he re-
ceived the degree of M. D. in February, 1873.
After his graduation he was for a year resident
physician at the city and county hospital in
Loui.sville. He then went to Texas, where for
four years he was actively engaged in the prac-
tice of his profession, being located near the town
of Kosse. Going then to Robinsonville, Tex.,
he there continued his practice until coming to
California, in 1888.

Settling at once in Azusa, Dr. Metcalfe has
since won great success in the cases that have
come under his charge, and his services are much
sought, both as a physician and as a surgeon, in
this and neighboring cities and towns. He

occupies a place of prominence among his pro-
fessional brethren, and is actively identified with
the leading medical organizations of this vicinity,
belonging to the Pomona Valley Medical Associa-
tion, of which he is now president, and to the
American Medical A.ssociatioii. For the past ten
years he has been a special health officer of Los
Angeles county, and for nine years was a mem-
ber of the surgical staff of the Southern California
division of the Santa Fe Railroad, serving until
the office was abolished. Fraternally he is a
member of Azusa Lodge, F. & A. M., and of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and takes an
active part in both orders. He is identified with
the Presbyterian Church.

April 8, 1878, Dr. Metcalfe married Lettie J.
Wood, of Mason county, Ky. She died July 24,
1894, leaving three children, as follows: James A.,
M. Annie and Mary E. The doctor was again
married, March 29, 1898, Mrs. Ida T. (Sunder-
land) Rankins, of Chicago, III., becoming his
wife. Of their union two children have been
born, namely, Thomas and Andrew S.

(lOHN QUICK. Although his residence in
I the Azusa valley covers a comparatively
Q) brief duration of years, Mr. Quick has be-
come known as an efficient horticulturist and his
orchard of ten acres, under oranges, is said to be
one of the best in the valley. While he has made
his home in Southern California only since 1896,
he is a pioneer of the state, having come to the
Pacific coast as early as 1865, when he settled in
Nevada county, Cal. In that part of the state,
for more than thirty years, he engaged in hy-
draulic gold mining, being superintendent of the
mines owned and operated by a company known
as the English Company, and he still retains his
financial interests in that enterprise.

Cornwall, England, was Mr. Quick's native
county, and February 29, 1S40, the date of his
birth, his parents being Israel and Mary (Rowe)
Quick, natives of England. In boyhood he was
given such advantages as local schools afforded.
Although a farm was his boyhood home, yet he
early acquired a knowledge of mining, being for
some years employed in copper and tin mines in
Cornwall. The year 1865 found him making the
trip from Liverpool to New York, and from the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

375

latter city he proceeded, via the isthmus, to San
Francisco, thence to Nevada county, where much
of his time was passed until his removal to the
Azusa valley.

Before leaving England, Mr. Quick married
Mary Hosking, a native of that country and a
daughter of William and Ann (Hosking) Hos-
king. They are the parents of five children,
namely: Mary E. , wnfe of Prof. Henry McCut-
chan, principal of the Azusa grammar school;
Laura, wife of Robert Quick, of Nevada county,
Cal.; John H., who is living in the county
named; James R., who makes his home in San
Francisco; and Lilias A. , at home.

To the country of his adoption Mr. Quick has
proved a good citizen and he has kept posted
concerning affairs of national and international
importance. Politically he believes in Republi-
can principles. In Masonry he is connected with
the lodge at Azusa and the commandery at
Nevada, Cal.

miLAS JUDD, a veteran of the Civil war,
2\ came to the Azusa valley in 1887 and has
j2f since made his home upon his fruit farm,
the cultivation of which engages his time and at-
tention." The place comprises ten acres of land,
six acres being planted to fruit (mostly oranges)
now in a bearing condition. Mr. Judd was born
in Madison county, N. Y., May 6, 1826, a son
of Isaac and Belinda Judd, natives of New York
state. His grandfather, Silas Judd, who was
born in Connecticut in 1776, became a poet of
considerable note in his day. The latter's uncle
was captured by the Tories in the Revolutionary
war.

The public schools of Madison county fur-
nished our subject with a fair education. While
he was still quite young he not only gained a
thorough knowledge of agriculture, but also
learned the painter's trade, which he followed
much of the time for forty-five years. In 1852
he left the east and settled in Rice county,
Minn., where he followed general painting.
While he was living there, in August, 1862, he
enlisted in Company A, Seventh Minnesota In-
fantry, and accompanied his regiment to the
frontier, where he engaged in warfare against the
Sioux Indians for two years, being under Gen-
eral Sibley and Colonel Marshall. Among the

battles in which he took part was that of Wood
Lake. At the expiration of his term of service,
in April, 1864, he was honorabl}' discharged.
Returning to Northfield, Minn., he resumed
work at his trade, which he followed continuously
for years afterward. Meantime, he also identi-
fied him.self with local affairs and became well
known among the citizens of his town and
county. For one year he held office as justice of
the peace. One of the thrilling recollections of
his life in Northfield is in connection with the
famous robbery of the Bank of Northfield by the
James and Younger brothers, with their gang;
and he saw the dead robbers after they were laid
out.

Since his removal from Minnesota to Califor-
nia, Mr. Judd has been actively engaged in horti-
cultural pursuits. He is an enthusiastic Grand
Army man and has his membership in Burnside
Post No. 174, at Azusa, of which he was honored
at one time with the office of commander and is
now serving as officer of the day. His political
views are in accord with Democratic principles,
and we find him always standing firmly for that
party in its measures and movements. Prior to
his removal from New York state he was mar-
ried, in Madison county, to Miss Margaret Orr,
by whom he has one son now living, Herbert C.
Judd, now of Arizona.

HIRAM P. EPPERSON. The beautiful town
of Clearwater can boast of no citizen more
progressive than Mr. Epperson. Though
approaching the seventieth milestone on life's
journey he is rugged and active, and puts to
shame many a man not yet in his prime. Energy
and untiring industry always have been among
his marked characteristics, and all who know
him admire the manly, straightforward way in
which he has met and overcome the obstacles
which have lain across his pathway, wresting
success out of defeat, and never losing heart and
courage, but steadily pressing forward toward
the goal of his ambition.

The parents of this sterling citizen, William E.
and Susie (Richardson) Epperson, were natives
of Tennessee and Ohio respectively. His grand-
parents, William Epperson and wife, were born
in England, while Daniel and Mary Richardson

376

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

were natives of England and the United States
respectively, the latter being of German ances-
try. William Epperson, great-grandfather of our
subject, emigrated from England to Virginia at
an early period and spent the remainder of his
long life there, his death taking place at the age
of one hundred years and one month. William
E. Epperson, father of H. P. Epperson, was a
successful agriculturist. He lived to attain the
age of four score years, his death occurring in
Denver, Colo. His wife, Susie, died at their old
Illinois home when she was forty-five years old.
They were the parents of twelve children, of
whom three sons only survive.

Hiram P. Epperson was born in Fountain
county, Ind., November i, 1830. It was not
until he had reached his majority that he left
home. He went to Missouri, where he found em-
ployment in a hardware store, and for many
years thereafter he spent a portion of his time in
Illinois and the rest of his time in Missouri. In
1863 he made his first journey across the plains
to Colorado. The following year he went to Mon-
tana, where he remained four years, and then
returned to Missouri. Four other times he made
the same long and perilous trip back and forth.
Gifted by nature with the adaptability so fre-
quently remarljed in Americans, he was, by
turns, engaged in the hardware business, the
manufacture of saddles and harness, merchan-
dising and carpentering, agriculture and mining
operations. He prospected in the mines of Mon-
tana and Colorado, and, by a judicious invest-
ment at the right time in Denver real estate, made
a comfortable fortune. He was never idle, but
laboriously worked and economized until at
length he felt that he was justified in seeking
quietness and rest in his declining days.

Traveling far and extensively throughout the
west, Mr. Epperson concluded that no fairer
place could be found than in this land of sun-
shine and flowers, and in 1889 he bought two
hundred acres of land in the southern part of
Clearwater, of which he yet owns the larger
share. The place was a barren cattle range,
bearing no resemblance to the beautiful, produc-
tive homestead of to-day, and the wonderful
change has been effected by the intelligent and
untiring toil of the owner, who has just reason

to be proud of his model country seat. He sank
thirteen artesian wells after coming to California.
Six of these furnish an abundance of pure, spark-
ling water for irrigation purposes, and four reser-
voirs, over forty feet in diameter and six and
a-half feet deep, insure an ample amount of the
life-giving water for the thirsty crops. Large
harvests of alfalfa and corn, citrus and deciduous
fruits, and other crops are garnered each season,
and many cattle and hogs also are raised and kept
upon the products of the farm. Mr. Epperson
has proved himself to be a thorough-going, in-
telligent agriculturist under the peculiar climatic
conditions of this section of the Union, and read-
ily grasped the situations so puzzling to most
eastern farmers.

For three months after coming to California
Mr. Epperson resided in Long Beach, where he
bought some property. Several years ago he
owned land in Galveston, Tex., and real estate
and mines in Mexico. He built the first cream-
ery erected in Clearwater, and two years ago
started the Co-operative Creamery there, which
has proved very successful. He expended $34,000
in enterprises, most of them being local. Un-
doubtedly the town is deeply indebted to him for
the extraordinary prosperity which it now enjoy.s.

May I, i860, Mr. Epperson married the lady
who for two score years has shared his joys and
sorrows with the spirit and fidelity only found in
woman. She bore the maiden name of Artemisia
Banta, and her birthplace was in Missouri. Hav-
ing no children of their own, Mr. and Mrs. Ep-
person adopted three and gave them the love and
advantages which they would have bestowed
upon their own had they been thus blessed. The
daughter, Mrs. Bessee Grimes, a niece of Mrs.
Epperson, is a musician of local note, and the
two sons are now engaged in the practice of
dentistry, John W. in Compton and Harry V. in
Panay Island, south of Manila, in the Philip-
pines. Our subject and wife are prominent in
local society, and the former was one of the di-
rectors and leaders of the Clearwater Literary
Society for many years.

The life of Mr. Epperson has been a stirring
one, and no matter where his lot has been cast,
in whatever state, territory or society, he has
always been a man among men. He has taken a

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

379

leading part in the development of the resources
of the great west. To such men America owes
her present prestige among the nations of the
world.

HON. ALONZO E. DAVIS, chairman of the
board of county supervisors of Los Angeles
county and one of the prominent pioneers
of this section, was born in Livingston county,
N. Y., June 30, 1840. His early years were
spent on a farm in his native county, and he had
such advantages as local schools afforded.
Through his father, Thomas Davis, he descended
from a pioneer family of York state, one whose
members were noted as patriots and successful
business men. His father was a drummer boy
in the war of 1812 and in that same struggle the
grandfather, Robert Davis, served as a major,
while in the war of the Revolution the great-
grandfather, Thomas Davis, was also a com-
missioned officer.

When the now beautiful and richly cultivated
Mohawk valley was a dense wilderness our sub-
ject's father was born on a frontier farm there.
As he grew old enough to assist he helped to
clear the land and hewed the lumber from which
a home was built. His principal occupation
was that of agriculture, but he also followed other
pursuits. In 1818, when Rochester, N. Y., was
a wilderness, he removed there with his young
wife in a small colony and cleared up a farm.
He was one of the promoters and builders of the
Erie canal. After his wife died, in 1846, he
moved to Wisconsin and built a large hotel.
The venture, however, proved a most unfortunate
one. Two years later the building burned to the
ground and in the fire one of his children, a
daughter, lost her life. He then returned to
New York and spent the remaining years of his
life there, dying when he was eighty-three years
of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of
Sarah Randall, was a member of a old colonial
family of York state. They were the parents of
eleven children, seven of whom are living, name-
ly: Edwin A., who is superior judge at Marys-
ville, Cal., where the late Judge Field held his
first court; Robert, a farmer at Yuba City, Cal.;
Alonzo E.; Mrs. A. D. Ferris, of Tonawanda,

N. Y.; Mrs. Emily Elzea, of Elgin, 111.; Mrs.
Harriet Rosenburg, of Livingston county, N. Y. :
and Mrs. R. Manderville, of Lock port, N. Y.

On the farm where he was born our subject
spent his childhood years. When he was twelve
he secured employment on another farm, where
he worked in the summer and was given the
privilege of attending school in the winter. He
remained there until he was seventeen, and dur-
ing the last two years of the time was paid $9 a
month. With the money he had saved and with
some financial assistance from a brother, in 1857
he started for California via the isthmus, and
after a voyage of six weeks he landed in San
Francisco. For a short time he taught school,
but the work was too confining, and he sought a
more healthful occupation. For two years he
mined at Oroville. He then located one hundred
and sixty acres of land in Butte county, after
which, until 1862, he worked on the ranch in
the summer and during the winter hauled lumber
for posts and fencing from the mountains.

In the fall of 1862 Mr. Davis enlisted in the
Fourth California Infantrj', under an agreement
that the regiment would be sent east. After
drilling for six months they were ordered to
Texas and went as far as Willington Barracks,
when, on account of the hostile spirit manifested
in California against the United States, the order
was revoked. In April of the year 1863 the
regiment was ordered to Arizona, where thej'
had several skirmishes with Indians. At the
close of the war Mr. Davis was left in command
of a detachment of his company at Camp Cady.
On being mustered out he returned to Butte
county, sold his place (which had been leased)
and returned to Arizona, in order to engage in
mining. While in the United States service and
after leaving it he had studied law at odd
moments. In 1866 he was elected to the legisla-
ture, which met at Prescott. He was admitted
to practice before the supreme court. While
practicing his profession he superintended at
the same time his large mining and mercantile
interests in the territory. He also served two
terms as district attorney. In 1874 he was again
elected to the legislature. Four years later he
was the Republican nominee for congress, but
the district being strongly Democratic, he was
defeated, although he ran some two thousand

38o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

voles ahead of his ticket. His woik in the legis-
lature was especially helpful from an educational
point of view. In fact, his interest in the schools
led to his nomination (withouthis knowledge)
as territorial superintendent of schools. How-
ever, he was defeated, but only by two hundred
votes.

As early as 1871 Mr. Davis purchased land in
Los Angeles and from that time he has been more
or less closely identified with the city. He has
made more than one hundred trips by wagon
across the plains between Arizona and Los An-
geles and his wife has made the same trip sixteen
times. For several years he resided at Downey
and in 1888 was elected supervisor from that
place, .serving for four years. During that time
the new court house was built on the .superb site
that commands the admiration of all visitors to
the city. The original plan was for a three-story
building, but this was changed to a four-story
building, and he also worked indefaligably to
.secure the fine tunnel and elevator, which has
proved remarkably convenient, .saving the fatigue
of climbing the steep stone steps. In 1897 he
was again elected supervisor for a term of four
years and was made chairman of the board, which
recently, in token of regard for him, presented
him with a gold headed cane and gavel. The
Republican party has always received his vote
since he cast his first ballot for Abraham Lincoln.
He is a progressive citizen and, as an officer,
favors all enterprises whereby the city and county
may be benefited. Fraternally he is connected
with the Odd Fellows, the Ancient Order of
United Workmen and is also a member of the
Society of Los Angeles County Pioneers.

The residence of Mr. Davis is at No. 2904 Ver-
mont avenue. In February, 1868, he married
Miss Emily W. Matthews, who was born in
Springfield, 111., and at six years of age crossed
the plains, via mule team, from Illinois to Cali-
fornia, accompanying her parents, Francis and
Nancy Matthews, who still live in Los Angeles.
They pa.ssed through Omaha when it had but
one building, and that a hut. The Indians were
hostile and frequently on their journey they had
narrow escapes. After coming to this .state her
father engaged in mining, but now for .some years
past he has lived in retirement. He is a veteran
of the Mexican war. Mrs. Davis grew to woman-

hood in Los Angeles and received her education
principally in the Spring street school. She was
married at her father's home, on the corner of
Olive and Seventh street, now the heart of the
city, but at that time considered quite a country
district. Her father at that time owned all of the
land from Olive street to Grand avenue and from
Seventh to Eighth streets. The family of Mr. and
Mrs. Davis comprises the following named son
and daughters: Frank Davis, now deputy sheriff
of this county; Lottie, wife of James McKeller,
who is engaged in the furniture business in
Downey; Mrs. Louisa Van Clive, of Los Angeles;
and Miss Jes.sie, at home.

j H. WASHBURN, president of the Almond

I C and Olive Mutual Land Investment Com-
U, pany, of Los Angeles, is a gentleman of
wide experience in financial matters, added to
which he is a lawyer of long and high standing,
Having made his home in this city for the past
.seventeen years, he is thoroughly acquainted with
the resources and conditions of the locality, and
is a .stanch friend to improvement and progress
here along all lines. As an attorney he possesses
unusual ability and knowledge, and to each and
every case placed in his hands he gives earne.st
attention and care, neglecting no point which may
be turned in favor of his client. In his profession
he commands the respect and high regard of all
who know him, his record being that of an up-
right, fair man who will not stoop to the petty
practices and chicanery of .some of the members
of the bar.

The Washburn family came to the United
States from England in the days of the Pilgrim
fathers, and were prominently as.sociated with the
early history of the New England colonies and
the war of the Revolution. Our subject's father,
Zephaniah Washburn, removed from St. Law-
rence, N. Y., to Iowa in 1840, and thenceforth
was closely connected with the development of
Muscatine, of which town he was the first mayor.
He engaged in the carpentering and building
business there for a number of years, and met
with fair success. He cho.se for his wife Miss
Phoebe Parsons, who was a native of Oneida
county, N. Y. One of their children, P. L.,
came to California in the exciting days of 1849,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

38'

but returned to luwa at the end of two years.
The charms of the Golden state, however, soon
drew him back again, and since 1852 he has been
a permanent resident. For a period of thirty-four
years he made his home in Northern California.
He came to Los Angeles in 1883 and for years
was a reporter for the Herald. He died here in
1896.

L. H. Washburn was born in St. Lawrence,
N. Y., July I, 1832, and when he was eight
years old he accompanied his parents to Iowa,
where he grew to manhood. His education was
obtained in the public schools, and his initial
experience in the study and practice of law was
gained in Muscatine, Iowa. In 1852 he came to
the Pacific coast, and engaged in mining in the
nothern part of the state until 1855, when he had
the great misfortune to lose one of his arms in an
accident. He then returned to Iowa, where he
studied law and was admitted to the bar at Mus-
catine in 1862. Since that time he has been
actively engaged in practice, and has met with
gratifying success. During the Civil war his
sympathies were strongly with the Union, but,
of course, his disability prevented his service in
the field. His loyalty to the cause, however,
led to his appointment to act as an enrolling
officer, and for the last two years of the war he
devoted much time and energy to the discharge
of his duties. In 1883, after twenty-one years of
legal practice in Muscatine, he came to Los An-
geles, as previously stated, and in 1889 he opened
an office in the business section of the city. The
Almond and Olive Mutual Land Investment
Company, of which he is the president, was in-
corporated under the laws of the state of Califor-
nia, with a capital stock of $500,000.

In 1856 Mr. Washburn voted for John C. Fre-
mont, and ever since the organization of the
Republican party he has been a stanch defender
and exponent of its principles. When living in
Muscatine, Iowa, he was a member of the town
council for some five years, and for a long period
occupied the important positionof city judge, his
decisions meeting with the favor of the public.

In 1858 Mr. Washburn married Louisa A.
Lloyd, a native of Ohio. Two sons and a
daughter were born to the union. Jessie M.
Washburn, who has won celebrity as an artist of
unusual talent, has a studio in the Bryson build-

ing, this cit\'. Frank L., who was associated
with the Evening Express for fourteen years, is
now in the employ of the Los Angeles Lighting
Company, and Charles L. is a successful druggist
in Los Angeles.

HORACE HILLER. The late Horace Hiller
was a California pioneer of the practical,
enterprising and successful type. He was
a native of New York, born in March, 1846, in
the beautiful city of Hudson, on the banks of the
river of the same name. His father, Henry
Hiller, likewise a native of New York, was the
son of a Dutchess county pioneer and a descend-
ant of the Hillers of Holland, who were among
the thrifty founders of New York. Henry Hiller
married Henrietta Winans at Hudson, N. Y.
She was a descendant of a pioneer family of New
Jersey, and her grandparents, as shown in New
Jersey history, were active in the cause of the
American Revolution.

Until fourteen years of age the subject of this
memoir attended school in his native town. He
quite naturally inclined toward the calling fol-
lowed by his father and became familiar with
boating on the Hudson river, an occupation
that furnished enough adventure and romance to
stimulate the mind of an expectant and ambitious
youth. These were the palmy days of the
Tribune's greatness and the popularity of its
editor, Horace Greeley, who devoted much of
his paper's space to the advertising of the won-
derful undeveloped resources of the great west,
and it was Greeley's advice, "Go west, young
man," that caused Mr. Hiller to turn his steps
toward the setting sun. Thus it was that he
left the home and associations of his boyhood,
joined an uncle and in i860 settled in Mendota,
111. He found employment as salesman in a
general store and carefully saved his earnings,
with which later he took a complete course of
study in a commercial school in Chicago. After-
ward, returning to Mendota, he became chief ac-
countant in the store of a brother-in-law, who
was the leading merchant of that city.

As soon as Mr. Hiller had reached the age
necessary to military enlistment he offered his
services to the country in the Civil war. He
was mustered into the One Hundred and Thirty-
second Illinois Infantry under Colonel Pickett.

382

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

With the exception of a lew weeks spent in a
hospital, he reported every daj- for dutj- until the
fall of Richmond and the close of the war, when
he was mustered out in Chicago. Returning to
Mendota, he resumed the pursuits Qf civic life,
and afterward, until 1869, he was manager of a
grain elevator and warehouse at Franklin Grove,
Lee county, 111. On resigning that position he
came to California, the reason for this change
being two-fold, in part for the benefit of his
health and in part in search of business openings.
For a short time he had charge of a small ranch
at what is now Pico Heights. His next employ-
ment was as accountant with the W. H. Perry
Lumber Company of Los Angeles, which he con-
tinued to fill until ill health resulting from con-
finement to indoor work necessitated a change.
He then went to San Pedro and for a year was
in charge of the business of the Humboldt Lum-
ber Company, after which he returned to Los
Angeles and established the Los Angeles Storage
and Commi.ssion Lumber Company. For fifteen
years he was connected with this concern as
president and manager. In 1891 the business
was merged into that of the Los Angeles Lumber
Company, of which he was elected president.
Under his able direction the busine.ss prospered
and continued to be a factor in the lumber deal-
ing circles of Southern California. He was a
close observer of the general trend of business
affairs and quick to discern the demands of a
growing community. He was a promoter of the
California Sewer Pipe Company, an institution
that owes its phenomenal and substantial pros-
perity to his keen foresight and energy and of it
he was president for several years. He was a
member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Com-
merce and the Merchants and Manufacturers As-
.sociation.

Though not a politician, as that word is com-
monly used, Mr. Hiller was interested in public
affairs. In 1887 he was chosen to serve in the
city council. His services in that body are a
matter of official record, an open book, and his
official acts were always in the interests of the
people, without any tinge of .self-interest. His
first vote was cast for U. S Grant for president
and he ever afterward affiliated with the Repub-
lican party. He was an honored member of the
Society of Los Angeles Pioneers, in which he

held the office of treasurer, and his death was a
serious loss to that body, as well as to the city of
which he had so long been an honored citizen.
Through his personal application, his judicious
enterprise and rational economy, he became the
possessor of abundant means.

Mr. Hiller married Miss Abbie A. Pierce,
daughter of Willett and Anna M. (Smith) Pierce,
who removed from New York City to Illinois when
she was a child and settled in Mendota, where
she was educated and married. She is a lady of
Christian spirit and many domestic accomplish-
ments. Of her children Henrietta is the wife of
A. E. Little, of Los Angeles; Henry W. is a
rancher in Ventura county; and Willett H. is
with the Los Angeles Lumber Company.

Concerning the death of Mr. Hiller, we quote
as follows from the Los Angeles Times of May
21, 1898: "For the past two or three days work-
men have been making alterations in the Henne
block near the entrance on Third street. Yester-
day morning about ten o'clock they were putting
in place a heavy oak window casing and, while
lifting it into place, it slipped from the carpenter's
hands and fell to the sidewalk, striking Mr.
Horace Hiller, president of the Los Angeles
Lumber Company, who chanced at the time to
be passing. Mr. Hiller heard the cry of warning
and in his haste to escape danger slipped and fell
heavily to the sidewalk, striking his left temple
on the curbing. Bystanders rushed to assist him
and found him unconscious. The patrol wagon
was summoned. Dr. A. M. F. McCuUough soon
arrived and Mr. Hiller was taken to his home,
No. 147 West Twenty-third street. On his way
home the injured man regained consciousness,
but was never able to relate how the accident oc-
curred. After reaching home Mr. Hiller ap-
peared to rally for a short time, but afterward
relapsed into unconsciousne.ss, sinking rapidly
and passing away between three and four in the
afternoon.

"Mr. Hiller had lived in Los Angeles for thirty
years. For fourteen years he was engaged as
confidential clerk for the lumber firms of Perry
Woodworth & Co., and Perry Mott & Co.,
of which houses the Perry Lumber Company
is successor. Mr. Hiller subsequently went to
San Pedro as manager- for the Los Angeles
& Humboldt Lumber Company. He afterwards,

y%v:?

yyl,4c^Mt-yt^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

385

in conjunction with W. H. Perry, organized
the Los Angeles Lumber Company, of which
Mr. Hiller was president and general mana-
ger at the time of his death. Mr. Hiller
leaves a widow and three children. He was
fifty-four years of age. He was a member of the
Masonic fraternity, and the funeral, which is to
be held at the family residence at two o'clock
Sunday afternoon, will be under Masonic auspices.
During his entire residence in Los Angeles, Mr.
Hiller had the respect of all who knew him. His
unswerving integrity, his manly character and
his genial disposition, won for him the confidence
and warm regard of all who came in contact with
him. His business associates and a host of per-
sonal friends mourn his untimely death."

EHARLES M. JENKINS, of Los Angeles,
is one of the honored veterans of the Civil
war, whose devotion to his country was
tested not only by service on the field of battle,
but in the still more deadly dangers of southern
prisons. This gallant soldier was born in Circle-
ville, Ohio, June 2, 1839, while his ancestors
originally came from Wales and Germany, settled
in Maryland, and afterward moved to Ohio. In
1 85 1, at the age of eleven years, he came to
California, via the Isthmus of Panama, in com-
pany with his step-father, George Dalton, Sr. He
grew to manhood amid pioneer scenes. In early
life he learned the printer's trade, and worked on
the first newspaper published in Los Angeles, the
Star, while later he was connected with the Soul/i-
crn Califontia, the Southern Vineyard, El Clamor
Publieo and the News.

When the Civil war broke out the government
did not call for volunteers from the Pacific .states
to serve in the east, for two reasons: the expense
of transportation was so great, and it was thought
there might be need of them here, as there was
much talk of a "Pacific rebellion." Nevertheless,
a California cavalry battalion of five hundred ad-
venturous spirits voluntarily organized them-
selves in October, 1862, and offered their services
to the government, amoug the number being Mr.
Jenkins. In order to be accepted they had to
smuggle themselves into the service as a part of
the quota of the state of Massachusetts. They
actually paid their own fare from San Francisco

to New York, and Governor Andrews paid it from
there to Boston, where they were mustered in for
three years, or the war, as the Second Massachu-
setts Cavalry, with Col. Charles R. Lowell as
commander. This battalion participated in about
fifty battles. Mr. Jenkins took part in twenty of
these, but at Coyle's Tavern, Va., he was cap-
tured and taken to Libby prison, then to Belle
Island, and from there to Andersonville. Event-
ually he was taken to Savannah and later to
Millen, Ga., where he was exchanged after fifteen
months' captivity, during which time he suffered
a thousand deaths from sickness, cold and starva-
tion. Of the one hundred and fifty men captured,
only three survived their imprisonment: Mr. Jen-
kins, Dr. Dempsey, now a resident of Ventura
county, and William Manker,who died soon after
his release by over-eating at Parole Camp. Mr.
Jenkins finally recovered somewhat from the ef-
fects of his prison life; but it was nearly twenty
years after the close of the war before he fully
recovered. After being exchanged he rejoined
his regiment at Winchester in December, 1864;
was twenty-six days with Sheridan in his raid,
and was present at the final surrender at Appo-
mattox. At times he could only do the lightest
service, but his comrades relieved him whenever
they could, and he remained with his command
until mustered out at Fairfax Court House, July
20, 1865. During his service he acted as private,
corporal and sergeant. Immediately after his
discharge Mr. Jenkins returned to Los Angeles,
where he has since made his home.

On the 13th of July, 1869, he was married to
Miss Phoebe Sprague. April i, 1889, he was
appointed special aide-decamp on the staff of the
department commander, John E. Gard, of the
Grand Army of the Republic, with the rank of
lieutenant-colonel. He was "zanjero," or over-
seer of water or irrigation of the city of Los An-
geles for about seven years. During the big strike
he was deputy United States marshal. He took
charge of the first three trains which left the city
of Los Angeles for the Needles, Santa Barbara
and Bakersfield, and safely returned the passen-
gers to the city. His loyalty as a citizen and his
devotion to the country's interests have ever been
among his marked characteristics, and the com-
munity is fortunate that numbers him among its
citizens.

386

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

BENJAMIN S. LAUDER. Prominent in the
councils of the Republicans of Los Angeles
stands Benjamin S. Lauder, who is devoted
to the best interests of this beautiful city, and is
in favor of progress along all lines of improve-
ment and enterprise. He is a native of Canada,
in which country his paternal and maternal
grandfathers were early and leading settlers.
The former, William Lauder, whose ancestors
were strong supporters of John Knox, was exten-
sively engaged in building and contracting in
Montreal for many years during the first half of
this century. Robert Waller, the maternal
grandfather of our subject, was of English de-
scent but was born in northern Ireland, whence
he removed to Canada in 1826, and there made a
home at a place subsequently called Aimes' Cor-
ners. He was an Episcopalian in his religious
belief, and was a strong supporter of that church.

Benjamin S. Lauder, who was born May 15,
1859, some fifty miles from Montreal, Canada, is
a son of Andrew and EHza (Waller) Lauder, the
former a native of Montreal and the latter born in
the northern part of the Emerald Isle. Andrew
Lauder was a carpenter by trade, and, coming to
California in 1868, was engaged in railroading
for three years, after which he established a
wagon manufactory and carried it on successfully
until about ten years prior to his death.

During the first fifteen years of his life Benja-
min S. Lauder lived at his birthplace, and then
came to the Pacific coast, finishing his education
in the public schools of Plainsberg, Merced
county, Cal. He then learned the blacksmith's
trade, which he followed until a few years ago,
having a shop on East Second street, Los An-
geles, for some time; this business later passed
into the hands of his brother, who is still located
there. It was in 1891 that he cast in his lot with
the inhabitants of this place, and he never has
regretted bis decision.

The first presidential vote of Mr. Lauder was
cast in favor of James A. Garfield, and since that
time he has been actively concerned in the wel-
fare of the Republican party. In 189S he was
elected as a member of the Los Angeles city
council, where his voice is often heard on behalf
of the tax payers, and their interests are defended
by him at all times. He is associated with the

Odd Fellows, the Masons and the Woodmen of
the World, in all of which organizations he ranks
high.

The pleasant and commodious home of Mr.
Lauder and his family is located at No. 8 15 East
Sixth street. His wife, whose maiden name was
Kate Johnson, and whom he married in 1881, is a
daughter of Pleasanton Johnson, who settled in
Los Angeles about thirty years ago, and was en-
gaged in the truck or dray business. The eldest
child of our subject and wife, Archie, a manly
and promising lad in his fourteenth year, has
passed to the better land. Ethel, Leonard and
Freddie are bright children, of whom their
parents may well be proud.

I OUIS F. VETTER. In the commercial life
It of Los Angeles Mr. Vetter wields an im-
U portant influence. His interests are manj-
and important, particularly in the line of in-
surance and fidelity bond business. He is also
clo.sely identified with the public and political life
of the city, taking an interest in the same and
holding a leading position among members of the
Republican party here. In 1898 he was elected
a member of the city council and has since acted
in that capacity. In social circles he also stands
high and is a member of the leading clubs of the
city.

Mr. Vetter was born near Peoria, 111., March
22, 1857. When he was three years of age his
father, Anthony, died. He was educated in the
public schools and a business college in Peoria.
After having served an apprenticeship to the up-
holstering business he started out for himself,
working at his trade in different cities and being
employed as foreman for a time in the large
establi-shment of Dewey & Stone, of Omaha,
Neb. From there he went to Denver, Colo.,
where he was with Kilpatrick & Brown for a few
months. After this he worked for Wirts ■&
Scholle, of Chicago, 111. Next he became con-
nected with Barrett Brothers, furniture dealers in
Salt Lake City, Utah. There, in 18S1, he en-
tered the employ of R. G. Dun & Co., taking the
position of assistant manager of their mercantile
agency for Utah, Idaho and Montana. Two
years later he came to the coast in the agency's

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

387

interests, iu connection with the San Francisco
office, and later was at the Portland, Ore., office
for three years. In 1886 he assisted in the estab-
lishment of a branch office of the agencj' in Los
Angeles. Subsequent!}' he had charge of open-
ing offices in Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane,
Wash., and at San Diego, Cal. In 1888 he
assumed the management of the Los Angeles
office, which position he held for three years, and
then resigned in order to engage in his present
business.

Among the valuable services rendered by Mr.
Vetter to his home town may be mentioned that
of membership on the board of fire commissioners,
which position he held for two years. Later he
was reappointed to the office, but, owing to the
press of private business affairs, he resigned. His
connection with the board was characterized by
marked improvements in that important branch
of public service. In addition to his service on
that board, for four terms he has been a director
of the Chamber of Commerce, and in an official
way is connected with other useful organizations.
In the city with whose progress he has been iden-
tified he is recognized as a man of character and
ability, possessing the traits that win and retain
the regard of business, social and political asso-
ciates.

<r||HARLES G. KEYES. Having for many
ll years held various public positions, both
vj federal and local, Mr. Keyes has become
well known throughout Southern California and
particularly in Los Angeles county. He was born
in Brattleboro.Vt., January 31, 1848. His father,
the late George B. Keyes, was a California pio-
neer of 1849, who settled with his family in
Tuolumne county, where he pursued mining. As
the landlord of the leading pioneer hotel of Jack-
sonville and later as superior judge of Tuolumne
county, he became known throughout his section
of the state. He was a man of splendid abilities
and on the bench served the people with wisdom
and fidelity. Disabilities incident to advancing
years demanded for his better health a change of
climate and he accordingly removed to Los An-
geles county in 186S and settled at Wilmington,
where he engaged in merchandising until his
deaith, in 1876. A man of social and genial na-
ture, he was loved by his friends and commanded

the respect of all acquaintances. He made three
trips to California, the first being, as before stated,
in 1849. This was a tour of inspection for the
purpose of seeing the country and he therefore
left his wife and son at home, returning for them
in 1852. His second journey was via Panama,
when he crossed the isthmus with pack mules.

When the family came to California the only
child, Charles G., was four years of age. He was
consigned to the care of a native in the crossing
of the isthmus and by him was carried on his
back from ocean to ocean, being absent from his
parents from four in the afternoon until ten the
following morning. He remembers the halts his
Indian transport made at various camps along
the route and the rebukes administered to him by
the side of the Indian camp fire, when he became
uneasy and wanted to continue the journey. The
mother suffered much anxiety, fearing that her
boy might not be delivered, according to under-
.standing, at the port of embarkation, but the
father reasoned that the native would deliver his
freight in order to get his money, which proved to
be the case.

In old Tuolumne county our subject grew to
manhood, coming to Los Angeles county when
about twenty years of age. For a time he worked
in his father's store at Wilmington. Soon, how-
ever, he received an appointment as deputy col-
lector of customs under W. W. Bowers. When
John R. Breirly became collector of the district,
Mr. Keyes was made boarding officer, which, in
consequence of the boom of 1869-77 occasioned
by the opening of the Southern Pacific Railroad
between Los Angeles and San Francisco, became
a .somewhat arduous and responsible position.
The arrivals in port often numbered as high as
fourteen deep water vessels in one day. The
hatches of these had to be sealed, manifests ex-
amined and cargoes inspected.

In 1876 Mr. Keyes married Mrs. Annis Cole,
nee Taylor, daughter of John C. Taylor, a Cali-
fornia pioneer. Mrs. Keyes is a native of St.
Lawrence county,- N. Y., and is the mother of
two children, Asa and Ethel Keyes. For years
the family lived at San Pedro, where Mr. Keyes
built the first house in what is now the most at-
tractive portion of the town. In 1887 he took
up his residence in Los Angeles and was appointed
clerk of the superior court of Los Angeles County

388

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Departiueut3, uuder Judge H. K. S. O'Melveney,
which position he held continuously, under
Judges Wade and York, for eight years. In 1895
he was appointed register clerk and this office he
still holds. He is the senior employe in continu-
ous service in the court house. As an official he
has had no superior here. His long and varied
e.Kperience in the public service has given him a
thorough knowledge of the affairs of office,
which, with his uniform courtesy, has rendered
him a valuable and popular official. His resi-
dence is at No. 155 North Workman street. He
is a member of the Society of Los Angeles Coun-
ty Pioneers.

ITDWIN COMLY HODGMAN. Coming
1^ from a long and honorable line of patriotic
L_ Americans, Edwin Comly Hodgman, of
Los Angeles, is true to the principles and tradi-
tions of his ancestors and has the interests of his
country and fellow-citizens deeply at heart.

One Thomas Hodgeman, having been a de-
voted adherent of Cromwell, was forced to leave
England at the Restoration and settled in Hol-
land. In 1640 he, with his wife and an adopted
son, emigrated to New England and located in
Mason, N. H., with which place his descendants
were long and closely connected. Among these
was Joseph Hodgman, great-grandfather of our
subject. During the war of the Revolution he
enlisted in Captain Mann's company and served
as a non-commissioned officer, two other members
of his family, Abel and Zaccheus, also being in
the ranks of the colonial patriots, and all three
were engaged in the battle of Bunker Hill and
fought for their country throughout the war.
Their names frequently occur in the records of
the state-house of New Hampshire. Stephen,
son of this Joseph Hodgman, joined the great
-Stream of New Englanders which poured forth
into the Ohio valley at the beginning of the
present century, and in 18 10 took up his abode in
Marietta, Ohio, which was the oldest settlement
in the state and for many years the home of Gen.
Rufus Putnam. Joseph, .son of Stephen Hodg-
man and father of the subject of this sketch, was
not content until he had penetrated further into
the great west, and, taking his family first to Cin
cinnati, he eventually located in St. Louis. In
Marietta he married Mary Ann, daughter of John

C. McCoy, who became well known throughout
the state for his connection with the underground
railway, by means of which many negro slaves
reached freedom. He was a strong Abolitionist,
and in consequence made innumerable sincere
friends and bitter enemies. In St. Louis Mr.
Hodgman was very successful in his business
undertakings and amassed a large fortune. He
was greatly interested in local enterprises and
served long and faithfully on the city board of
education.

Edwin Comly Hodgman was born in Marietta,
Ohio, August 29, 1838, and was educated in the
excellent public schools of St. Louis. In 1859
he received a first class certificate as an engineer
from the United States inspectors of steamboats,
and in 1862 was appointed captain of the E. O.
Stannard, a steamer which was employed in the
government transportation service during the
Civil war. At the close of the war Mr. Hodg-
man engaged in the manufacture of doors, sash
and blinds in St. Louis, being a member of the
firm of Ferguson & Hodgman, sub.sequently
Hodgman, Duross & Co. Finally, disposing of
his interest in this extensive concern, Mr. Hodg-
man turned his attention to other enterprises,
and in 1883 became a citizen of Los Angeles.
Here he has engaged in building and selling
houses and real estate and has prospered, as else-
where.

November 8, i860, the marriage of Mr. Hodg-
man and Laura, daughter of William B. Fergu-
son, of Ferguson, St. Louis county, Mo., was
solemnized. Mr. Ferguson's family was from
Ohio, and his wife was a direct descendant of
John Lewis, the first settler of Augusta county,
Va. One of his descendants, John Lewis, mar-
ried Bettie, the only sister of Gen. George
Washington, and all of the Lewis family were
very prominent actors in the early history of the
Old Dominion and in the war of the Revolution.
Gen. Andrew Lewis, another son of John Lewis,
Sr., and a great-uncle of Mrs. Hodgman, was in
command of the American forces at the battle of
Point Pleasant (now Wheeling, W. \'a.), where
the noted Indian chief. Cornstalk, was killed.

To the union of our subject and wife four
daughters were born, namely: Mrs. Jessie W.
Atkinson, of St. Louis, Mo.; Mrs. Josefa A. Tol-
hurst, of Los Angeles; Mrs. Laura M. Harnden,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

391

of San Francisco; and Mrs. Marietta E. Staples,
formerly the superintendent of the public kinder-
gartens of Los Angeles.

Politicall}' Mr. Hodgman has been an ardent
advocate of the principles of the Republican party
since becoming a voter. He was chosen recorder
of Los Angeles county, and discharged his mani-
fold duties with zeal and thoroughness, meriting
the encomiums which have been freely bestowed
upon him. The business of the county was never
more carefully conducted than during his admin-
istration, and he honored his constituents by his
faithfulness. Mrs. Hodgman is a charter mem-
ber of the Los Angeles Immanuel Presbyterian
Church and is actively interested in church work.

pCJlLLIAM A. WHITE, the city tax col-
\ A / lector of Los Angeles, is a sterling repre-
YY sentative of a family which has borne a
very prominent and patriotic part in the history
of this country, materially assisting in over-
coming the enormous difficulties under which
the colonist labored in New England subsequent
to their landing at Plymouth in 1620, and all
through the ensuing centuries being noted for
loyalty to the land of their love and devotion,
and for the high stand they have taken in all
matters relating to the rights and freedom of
their fellow-men.

William A. White is a direct descendant of the
Peregrine White who was born on the first trip of
the Mayflower from England to Plymouth, Mass. ,
and who consequently is called the first child
(aside from those of the Indian race) born in
New England. The history of Colonial days in
Massachusetts contains numerous interesting ac-
counts of the White family, and in later genera-
tions the same spirit of enterprise and integrity,
patriotism and justice have been observed in
those bearing the name.

Hon. David White, grandfather of our subject,
was the editor of the Pittsburg fPa.) Despatch
about half a century ago, and his influence at that
stormy period of slavery agitation was incalcula-
ble. He was one of the first to take steps towards
the organization of the Republican party, strongly
urging the need for such a party in the columns
of his paper. He helped to form the constitution
of the Keystone state, and for a number of years

served as a member of the state legislature, his
voice and influence being used for the benefit of
the majority. Some of his forefathers were sea
captains, but for several generations the family
has dwelt in the inland states, and its members
have been identified with other callings.

Capt. Ebenezer White, the father of our
subject, was born in Portage county, Ohio, and
learned the trade of an architect and builder-
Going to Illinois about 1854, he pursued his vo-
cation until Fort Sumter was fired upon. Re-
sponding to the first call of President Lincoln,
which was for seventy-five thousand men, good
and true, to quell the rebellion, he was elected
captain of Company A, Sixteenth Illinois Infan-
try, and served faithfully for four years, his life
finally being given to his country on the field of
battle at Averysboro, N. C. He left two chil-
dren, one of whom, Mrs. Emma A. Goodwin,
resides in Ohio. The mother, whose maiden
name was Ruhania Hall, and whose birthplace
was in Pennsylvania, was of Scotch extraction.
She died in 1862, and thus, in 1864, her two little
children were orphaned, and left to the tender
mercies of the world.

The birth of William A. White occurred in
Illinois, April 9, i860, but he early became an
inmate of his grandfather White's home in Ohio.
His education was obtained in the district schools
and at the school for soldiers' orphans at Xenia,
Ohio. When he was fifteen years old he appren-
ticed himself to the marble business, and, having
thoroughly mastered its details, he followed that
line of enterprise for the ensuing fourteen years
with success. In 1887 he went to Denver, Colo.,
where he devoted two years to the lumber busi-
ness, at the end of which period he came to Los
Angeles, and for a couple of years worked at his
trade.

He organized and was the manager of the first
free labor bureau of this city, conducting the
same for two years. He then became deputy to
Sheriff Burr, serving as such for some four years,
and in 1898 was elected to the office of city tax
collector. He has met the responsibilities of his
positions in a highly satisfactory manner, and en-
joys the commendation of the public.

Politically he is a .stalwart Republican, and
fraternally he is a member of the Fraternal
Brotherhood, Knights of the Maccabees, Order

392

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of the United American Mechanics, American
P'oresters, Independent Foresters, Elks, Sons of
Veterans and Masons.

Mr. White has a prettj-, attractive home at No.
609 Ceres avenue, Los Angeles, and richly de-
serves the success and happiness which he has
won. His marriage to Miss Maude Maxwell, of
Lima, Ohio, was solemnized in Garden Citj-,
Kans., in 1897. Thej- have many sincere friends,
both here and in the east, and, needless to say,
they have but one regret in regard to making
their home in this beautiful locality, this being
that so many of their dear old friends and rela-
tives are so faraway.

(S\ SA HALL. As a result of his close identifi-
LJ cation with a number of important local
/ I industries appertaining to horticulture, Mr.
Hall has gained a wide acquaintance among fruit-
growers. As the pioneers fifty years ago were
led to the coast in the hope of discovering gold,
so he came here many years afterward, with the
hope of securing from the earth a golden tribute
of citrus fruits, and it is needless to state to those
who know him that he is meeting with deserved
success. He has an orchard of ten acres planted
to oranges and lemons, and each year makes
large shipments of fruits that for quality are de-
clared to be unsurpassed.

In the organization of the Glendora Citrus
Association Mr. Hall took an active part and he
has the honor of having served as the first secre-
tary of the first citrus association in the Azusa
valley. The principal offices that he holds at
this writing are those of secretary of the Azusa
Valley Lemon Curing Company, and vice-presi-
dent and a director of the Glendora Citrus Asso-
ciation, with which he has been continaously
connected from its inception. Both of these or-
ganizations have received his steadfast aid and
encouragement and have been profited by his
official connection with them.

The parents of Mr. Hall were Zalmon and
Sarah (House) Hall, the former a native of Con-
necticut, but for years a resident of Ontario,
Canada, and it was there, in Peel county, that
Asa was born, November 6, 1844, and there he
received his education in public schools, later
graduating from the provincial normal school in

Toronto, Canada. Immediately after his gradua-
tion, in 1863, he turned his attention to teaching,
for which his gifts and education qualified him
admirably. For a number of years afterward he
was employed as a bookkeeper, first in Ontario,
but later in Chicago, 111., to which latter city he
had come in the '80s. In 1889 he came to Cali-
fornia, and moved to his present ranch in 1892.
Since then he has been one of the enterprising
horticulturists of the Azusa valley.

While Mr. Hall has not cared to identify him-
•self with politics, he has not refused to study the
problems confronting our country nor endeavored
to shirk any duty as a citizen. In fact, he has
proved himself decidedly public-spirited and pro-
gressive. His political views are in accord with
the principles of the Republican party. In relig-
ious views he is a Presbyterian, holding member-
ship with the congregation at Azusa. By his
marriage to Miss Matilda Irwin, of Streetsville,
Ontario, he has two sons, Irwin R., of Chicago,
111., and Alraon A., who served in the Philippines
under General Lawton for more than a year, being
a member of the Fourth United States Cavalrv.

ISAAC N. MOORE, an honored pioneer of
Los Angeles, who is now practically living a '
retired life, is a native of the town of Water-
loo, Monroe county, 111., and a son of McKen-
dree Moore, a Virginian by birth, who was one
of the early settlers of southern Illinois and was
for many years engaged in merchandising in
Waterloo. Our subject received a good common-
school education in his native town and on start-
ing out in life for himself took up farming as a
pursuit. Later he went to Cairo, 111., where he
engaged in merchandising for a short time with
indifferent success, and also held a clerkship in
the United States postoffice at that place during
the exciting days of the Civil war. On leaving
Cairo he went to Salem, 111., the county-seat of
Marion county, and served as deputy clerk of the
circuit court under his brother, who held the
superior office.

In 1869 Mr. Moore came to California, travel-
ing by rail to San Francisco, and from there by
steamer to Los Angeles, accompanyitig the late
Judge H. K. S. O'Melveny. For a time our
subject engaged in ranching near Compton, and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

393

later embarked iu the liverj' business in Los An-
geles. After his retirement from the latter occu-
pation he turned his attention to the real-estate
business, and in a quiet way transacted for him-
self and incidentally for others quite a volume of
business. Of late 3 ears he has practically lived
retired at his comfortable home in East Los An-
geles. The success that he has achieved in life
is justly merited, as it is due entirely to his own
well-directed and energetic efforts, and his busi-
ness interests have been so managed as to win
him the confidence of the public and the respect
and esteem of all with whom he has come in
contact.

HON. WILLIAM P. JAMES. A noticeable
feature of life in Los Angeles is the number
of young men connected with its various
activities. They hold responsible positions in
its banks and stores; they fill civic offices with
dignity and legislate for the welfare of the cit}'.
It is to them the municipality owes its rapid
progress. As aldermen, they have built our
beautiful streets; as architects, they have de-
signed the hundreds of attractive residences; as
merchants, they have opened great commercial
emporiums. It is to this class of stirring, ener-
getic and sagacious young men that Judge James
belongs. He is well known, especially in legal
circles. Both at the bar and on the bench he
has shown himself to be the possessor of a wide
and varied knowledge of the law and an impartial
spirit that seeks to promote the interests of right
and justice. By a previous experience as deputy
district attorney he was prepared for his present
position as township judge of Los Angeles coun-
ty, in which he has served wisely and well, show-
ing a thorough knowledge of the law governing
the cases in hand and at the same time giving
his decisions in an impartial manner, unbiased by
personal opinions.

Judge James was born in Buffalo, N. Y., in
1868, and was three years of age when, in 187 1,
his parents, David and Jane (Perry) James,
-settled in Los Angeles. He was an only son
and had two sisters. His education was com-
menced in the schools of Los Angeles, where he
qualified himself to enter the University of Cali-
fornia. He gained his initiatory experience in
the business world by an experience of several

years as court reporter. During his leisure
hours he engaged in the study of law. He was
admitted to the bar in 1894 and for a time en-
gaged in private practice, but in 1895 entered
the office of the district attorney, remaining
there for a number of years. In the fall of 1898
he was elected township judge for a tferm of four
years. He is a strong Republican, giving his
influence to that party, but in an official capacity
rises above mere partisanship. His mental pow-
ers are of an unusually strong and vigorous
order. He received a thorough education and
his habits of close and comprehensive reading
have enabled him to supplement his collegiate
acquirements with a fund of professionally valu-
able knowledge, so that he justly occupies a high
position in the law fraternity. By merit and
through his unaided efforts he has gained a po-
sition of which an older man might well be proud,
and it may safely be predicted that the future
years will bring to him, in an increasing meas-
ure, the laurels of success.

In fraternal connections Judge James is a
Mason and also belongs to the Orders of Forest-
ers and Maccabees. In 1896 he was united in
marriage with Miss Ella V. Haas, of Los An-
geles, where they have since made their home at
No. 1 142 South Flower street.

(lOHN H. DRAIN, the efficient superintend-
I ent of streets in Los Angeles, is "the right
C2) man in the right place," as he thoroughly
understands his business, and is watchful and
attentive to the people's interests. His systematic
methods, and his genial, approachable manner,
make him a general favorite with the public and
all with whom he is a.ssociated in business, and we
take pleasure in presenting to them the following
outline of his busy and useful career.

Though born in the Queen's dominions, in
Canada, John H. Drain became a resident of
Genesee county, N.Y., at an early age, and is a
thoroughly patriotic American. He is in the
prime of manhood, as his birth took place October
13, 1852. His father, William Drain, was en-
gaged in railroading for a number of years, and
during the Civil war he volunteered his services
to the Union cause and enlisted in the Eighth
New York Artillery. He continued to perform

394

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his duty manfully, until he was so uufortunate as
to be taken prisoner by the Confederates, after
which he spent some time in Salisbury prison.
One of his sous also enlisted in the Union army,
and his young life was offered a sacrifice to his
devotion to his country. The mother of our sub-
ject bore the maiden name of Margaret Hamil-
ton, and was a native of New York state, and of
Scotch ancestry.

John H. Drain obtained a liberal education in
the public schools of the Empire state, and when
he reached his sixteenth year he started out to
fight the battle of life independently. At first he
worked for neighboring farmers, and subsequent-
ly he drove a stage for three years. At last he
drifted into the oil business, aud in 1872, having
learned of the promising developments along that
liue in Ventura county, Cal., he came to this
state in the interest of a company of eastern cap-
italists, and for several years was actively asso-
ciated with this enterprise, which has grown to
enormous proportions within the past three dec-
ades. Later he was employed by the Wells-
Fargo Express Company for thirteen years on
the Pacific slope, after which he turned his atten-
tion to the business of street-paving. In this
line he has been very successful, for he has spared
no effort to become so, and since 1887 he has
made his home in Los Angeles. Few cities have
progressed so rapidly, and hundreds of miles of
street paving have been done here within a dec-
ade. Thus, Mr. Drain has had a large field for
his work, and under his supervision many of our
best thoroughfares have been placed in their pres-
ent fine condition. In 1896 he was elected to
the responsible office of superintendent of streets,
and gave such satisfaction to the public that they
re-elected him to the position in 1898.

In his political standing Mr. Drain is a loyal
Republican, and fraternally he is identified with
the Masonic order, the Knights of the Maccabees,
and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
He richly deser\-es the prosperity which he now
enjoys, for he has made a brave fight against the
innumerable obstacles which stand in the path-
way of almost every young man who has neither
influential friends nor pecuniary assistance when
starling out in life. The marriage of Mr. Drain
and Lizzie H. Harris was solemnized in San Ben-
ito county, Cal., in 1S77. -^'^^ was born and

reared in this state, and by her marriage is the
mother of two daughters, namely: Lilian and
Florence, who have been afforded excellent edu-
cational advantages, and are well worthy of au
honored place in society.

HENRY D. ENGELHARDT. There is no
region of California in which the business
of horticulture has been brought to such a
science as in that favored spot where Glendora
lies, and among the prosperous fruit-growers of
the vicinity mention belongs to Mr. Engelhardt,
who came to Glendora in 1883, and has since
made this place his home. He is the owner of
twenty acres, a large part of which is planted to
oranges, although there is also a noticeable num-
ber of lemon aud apricot trees.

As the name shows, Mr. Engelhardt is of Ger-
man stock. He himself is a native of Germany,
born near the beautiful river Rhine, in Decem-
ber, 1847, a son of Henry D. Engelhardt, Sr.
When he was three years of age his mother
brought him to America via New Orleans, thence
journeying up the Mississippi aud Ohio rivers to
Ohio county, Ind., where his father had settled
two years before. In that county he grew to
manhood. Although his educational advantages
where limited, he acquired a broad fund of valua-
ble information, for he has always been a man of
habits of close observation and keen insight. In
June, 1862, he enlisted in Company C, Eighty-
third Indiana Infantry, which was assigned to
the Fifteenth Army Corps, Army of the Cumber-
land. Among the battles in which he took part
were those of Black Bayou, Arkansas Post, siege
of Vicksburg aud battle of Dallas. Wounded in
the last-named engagement, he was taken to a
hospital and there obliged to remain for two
months. As soon as able to travel he was sent
home on a furlough. After three months he re-
turned to his regiment; but, as he proved not
strong enough for active duty, he was assigned
as a nurse in a hospital of the Fifteenth Army
Corps in North Carolina, and thus continued
until he was honorably discharged in June, 1865.
On his return to Ohio county Mr. Engelhardt
engaged in cultivating a farm. Later he removed
to Platte county, Mo., and conducted a farm
there until i88,v when he came to California.

CI c^, y-y^peT^

' \ f

^n-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

397

While he was living in Missouri he married
Catherine Kampefhner, of Platte countj-. Five
children were born of their union, four of these
now living, nanielj^: Mrs. Allen Storr, of Glen-
dora; Mrs. Jean Rickzy, of East Liverpool, Ohio;
Nellie M. and Augustus, who reside with their
parents. The family are connected with the
Christian Church and are respected in the best
circles of local society. Mr. Engelhardt is iden-
tified with the Fraternal Brotherhood of Glen-
dora, in whose work he maintains a constant
interest.

piLFRED AUGUSTUS PROCTOR, a pioneer
LA of Los Angeles, was born in Westville, Jef-
/ I ferson county, N. Y., November 29, 1831.
His father, Dan, and grandfather, Joseph Proctor,
were blacksmiths by trade. The latter, a native
of Lincolnshire, England, became an expert
mechanical blacksmith in his native land. In
those days the commercial policy of England
forebade the emigration of her mechanics to
America, with a view to obstructing the tendency
in the new world to enter upon and build up
competitive manufacturing industries. However,
he was determined to seek his fortune in Amer-
ica, so left home in 1818 for Nova Scotia, where
he took up crown lands, with a view to deceiving
the authorities as to his true purposes and plans
for the future. After a short time in Nova Scotia
he made his way to Boston, thence to New
Hampshire. He installed the machinery for two
of the first cotton spinning mills in New England.
Later he settled at Craftsburg, Orleans county,
Vt., where he followed blacksmithing during the
remainder of his days. Of his three daughters
and two sons, Dan was the second in order of
birth. He was born in Manchester, England, in
1807. When thirteen j-ears of age he came to
America. He grew to manhood in Vermont and
there married Augusta,* daughter of Daniel
Mason, the first Baptist preacher of Craftsburg.
She was a direct descendant of the Masons and
Howards, both of whom were Pilgrim families.
In the house where she was born her girlhood
days were passed and from it she left to go with
her husband to their new home. They became
the parents of six children, of whom four are liv-
ing, namely: Alfred Augustus, who was the
second; Cynthia M., who is the wife of William

Wood and lives near San Francisco; Joseph F. ,
of Herse}', Mich.; and Benjamin F., of Ionia
count}', Mich.

When our subject was almost seventeen years
of age, in 1849, he accompanied the family to
Ionia, Mich., where he learned the trade of his
father. He married Margaret Chrysler, who
bore him three children: Estella, wife of F.
Richards, of Los Angeles; Eelon C, of San
Jacinto, Cal.; and James B., of Compton, Cal.
In 1888 his wife died and later he was united in
marriage with Mrs. Nettie Stephenson, of this
city.

In 1872 Mr. Proctor brought his family to
California. In December of that year he opened
the first blacksmith shop at Compton. Later he
followed his trade at San Jacinto. In 1886 he
came to Los Angeles, where he has since made
his home. He is an industrious and respected
citizen and a member of the Society of Los An-
geles County Pioneers. Politically he was a Dem-
ocrat for many years, but is now independent in
politics. In religion he is a member of the
Broadway Christian Church.

<^HOMAS PASCOE. Though yet in the
[ C prime of life, Thomas Pascoe has had an
VS/ unusually varied and interesting career, and
his history will be perused with pleasure by his
hosts of friends. In the first place it is hardly nec-
essary to say that he was actively engaged in the
hotel business in Los Angeles for sixteen years,
so well is he known throughout this section, and
so kindly remembered by the hundreds of guests
from all parts of the Union who have partaken ot
his hospitality and been cheered by his genial,
courteous manner.

Forty-eight years ago Thomas Pascoe was
born in England and for about eighteen years he
lived a quiet life, attending school and learning
the lessons of industry and integrity which he
has since put into daily practice. He then obtained
a position as steward in the British navy and for
seven years was the head of his department on
some of the largest English men-of-war. In the
meantime he visited many of the important ports
of the world and had numerous experiences of an
extremely interesting nature. During the Fenian
troubles in Ireland the vessel on which he was

398

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RFXORD.

employed was stationed at various points along
the Irish coast and for some time he cruised in the
Mediterranean. In 1870, when the clash be-
tween the monarchical and papal powers in Ital}-
reached a climax, the man-of-war on which he
was stationed waited at Naples, read}- to extend
the protection of the British government to the
pope; in case he should decide to seek safetj- else-
where a castle on the island of Malta would have
been placed at his disposal. Mr. Pascoe then
went to Athens, Greece, where he witnessed the
execution of twelve notorious brigands, and in
1871 he was present When the great Suez canal
was opened bj' no less person than Napoleon III.
of France. In the course of his service as chief
steward Mr. Pascoe was called upon to cater to
many distinguished statesmen , military ofiGcials,
ambassadors, and frequently royalty itself, and
thus his training was exceptional. At the close
of seven years spent in her majesty's service he
returned to England and embarked upon an in-
dependent career.

In company with a brother, George Pascoe,
our subject came to the United States when he
was twenty-five years of age, and, after passing
a short time in New York City, he went to Mon-
tana, where he and his brother were appointed
deputy marshals and assigned to duty in the
penitentiary at Deer Lodge. He resigned this
office and in partnership with his brother, George,
engaged in the raising of sheep. In 1875 he
went to Colorado Springs, where he opened the
well-known Pascoe' s Hotel and Restaurant, which
he conducted successfully for several years, there
making the excellent reputation as a hotel keeper
that he has since maintained.

In the spring of 1881 Mr. Pascoe came to Cal-
ifornia and became the proprietor of the Grand
Hotel at Ukiah, and subsequently he managed
the Rose Hotel at Pleasanton. In 1884 he com-
menced his long and successful career as a hotel
man at Los Angeles. The Clifton House, which
was built especially for him, was the first family
hotel, in the modern sense, of any doing business
in this city. At the end of three years Mr. Pas-
coe leased the Lincoln, which he carried on to
the entire satisfaction of the general public, con-
tinuing until he retired from the hotel business,
in May, 1900. Meantime he refitted the house,
making many notable improvements which his

long experience suggested would be appreciated
bj' his guests. In all his undertakings for the
past tweuty-three years he has been ably assisted
by his wife, formerly Miss Janie Retallick, also
of English birth. The worthy couple have one
child, a son, Elmer Rose by name.

As might be expected of so enterprising a busi-
ness man and loyal a citizen, Mr. Pa.scoe takes
genuine interest in whatever tends to advance
the welfare of his community and adopted coun-
try. He has been a member of the police com-
mission, a director of the Chamber of Commerce
and for the past two years has been president of
the Southern California Hotel Association. He
uses his franchi.se in favor of the Republican
party.

qOHN F. HOLBROOK. The prosperity of
I any community depends upon its business
(2/ activity, and the enterprise manifest in com-
mercial circles is the foundation upon which is
builded the material welfare of town, state and
nation. The most important factors in public
life at the present day are therefore the men who
are in control of successful business interests, and
such a one is Mr. Holbrook, a prominent manu-
facturer of Los Angeles.

A native of Indiana, he was born on a farm in
Adams county, near Decatur, and is a son of
Nicholas Holbrook, a native of Germany and a
farmer by occupation. On leaving home at the
age of thirteen years our subject apprenticed him-
self to the tinner's and sheet iron trade at Fort
Wayne, Ind., where he remained until 1865, and
then went to Pittsburg, Pa., where he spent three
years. The year 186S was passed in Cleveland,
Chicago and Denver, and during a portion of
1869 he was in Colorado prospecting for gold in
the Rocky Mountain regions at Central City and
Black Hawk.

In the fall of 1869 Mr. Holbrook came to San
Francisco, where he found employment at his
trade, and manufactured sheet iron piping for
hydraulic mining purposes, which at that time
was in great demand and the business was con-
ducted on an extensive scale. In 1873 he came
to Los Angeles and continued in the same line of
business, constructing fourteen miles of four-inch
pipe for F. P. F. Temple for use in the Cerro
Gordo mine in Inyo county. After the comple-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RFXORD.

y)9-

tiou of that work Mr. Holbrook engaged in busi-
ness on his own account, and has from that time
been a large and successful manufacturer in his
line. He also deals in standard water pipe, oil
well casing and patent corrugated tanks. He
has made from two hundred and fifty to three
hundred miles of piping for various men and con-
cerns using large quantities, and made the pipe
for the Indiana colonj' to bring the water out of
the Arr03'o Seco caiion. He is essentially a busi-
ness man and has confined himself strictly to his
line, in which he excels.

In Los Angeles Mr. Holbrook was married in
January, 1874, to Miss Laura M. Commons, a
daughter of Dr. George W. Commons, now living
in Drummond, Mont. They have two children
living, Frederick W. and Bessie. One son,
Charles Edwin, died in 1895, at the age of fifteen
years.

In the fall of 1884 Mr. Holbrook was elected
to represent what was then the old second ward
in the city council, and served with ability and
credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of
his constituents. The second ward was then
quite large, stretching from east to west, and
comprising Boyle Heights and the western hills.
Mr. Holbrook has never taken a very active part
in public affairs, preferring to devote his time
and energies to his business interests, but always
faithfully discharges his duties of citizenship, and
has been found true to every trust reposed in
him, whether public or private.

qOSEPH H. SMITH. Twenty-seven years
I ago Joseph H. Smith, the present county
(2/ surveyor of Los Angeles county, came to
this locality, and from that time on he retained his
genuine interest in Southern California. He has
been associated with various public interests on
the Pacific slope, and is a truly patriotic citizen,
believing thoroughly in the great future opening
before us, and imbued with the spirit of progress,
nowhere seen to better advantage than in this
state.

From his father, Capt. Christopher Henry
Smith, a native of Germany, he inherited many
strong, upright traits of character, and a love for
country overpowering all other tendencies. The
captain emigrated to the United States and settled

in Milwaukee when he was a young man, passing
the remainder of his life in that city, where he
was very highly esteemed. When the Civil war
came on he enlisted for three months in the Thir-
ty-fourth Wisconsin Infantry, and later he joined
the Thirty-fifth Wisconsin Volunteers fora year's
service. When it was found that more troops
would be needed to put down the Rebellion, he
again offered himself to the land of his adoption,
and was chosen as captain of Company E, Forty-
fifth Wisconsin Infantry, in which capacity he
acted until there was no longer need of his serv-
ices, the war having been brought to a close.
His patriotism and fidelity to duty during the
dreadful days of the war led to his being honored
later with numerous public positions, as a recog-
nition of his ability. For twenty-three years he
was continually in office in Milwaukee, and when
death called him to his reward his loss was
deemed a public one.

Joseph H. Smith was born in the Cream City
in 1852, and as he lost his mother when he was
a mere child, he remembers but little of her. He
had three sisters, but, being an only son, his
father was quite determined to have him complete
his education in Munich, Germany. The youth
had pursued a thorough course in the grammar
and high schools of Milwaukee, and at that time
was anxious to see something of the world and to
begin carving out his fortune. He ran away
from home before attaining his majority, and, as
previously stated, came to Los Angeles in 1873,
when the city was a straggling, unpromising
town. Taking up surveying as a business he
mastered it in all its details, and has given his at-
tention to this line of work ever since. For a
period he was employed in the state engineer's
office, and when the railroad was projected be-
tween Needles and Bakersfield, he was retained
as civil engineer by the Atlantic & Pacific Rail-
road Company. His long and valuable services
as a surveyor and civil engineer were taken into
account when candidates for the office of surveyor
of Los Angeles county were under consideration,
and his personal worth and popularity led to his
being the fortunate man. He was elected in the
fall of 1898, and is discharging his manifold
duties in a systematic and thoroughly acceptable
manner.

Politically Mr. Smith is an earnest Republican,

400

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI/ RKCORD

and in his fraternal relations he is a member of
the Order of Foresters and the Knights of the
Maccabees. His marriage to Miss Annie Molchin,
of Cincinnati, Ohio, took place in 1880, and three
daughters bless their happ}- home, Gladys, Irene
and Rhoda.

P QlLLIAM AUGUSTUS HAMMEL, sheriff
\ A / of Los Angeles county, is an official of
V V high standing in the estimation of the
public, whom he has ably and honorably served
for several years. As he is one of the native sons
of the city of Los Angeles, his birth having oc-
curred here March 13, 1865, he always has taken
an especial interest in its wonderful growth and
improvement, favoring progress along all lines
and doing his full share as a patriotic citizen.

The parents of Sheriff Hammel were Dr. Will-
iam A. and Barbara A. Hammel, the former a
native of Germany and one of the comparatively
early settlers of Los Angeles. He was engaged
in the practice of medicine here for a number of
years, and was admired and respected by all who
knew him. Twelve children were born to him-
self and wife, but only three of the number are
now living. He was summoned to his reward
October 13, 1889, and was survived by his wife,
whose death took place in this city September
17, 1899.

William Augustus Hammel passed his boy-
hood days in Los Angeles and received his edu-
cation in its excellent public schools. Having
made a study of the two great political parties in
the United States, he determined to cast in his lot
with the Republicans, to whose judicious policy
he believed this thriving republic owes its pros-
perity in large measure. Taking a leading part
in the deliberations of local politicians, he became
well and favorably known, and at length his nu-
merous friends brought forward his name as a
candidate for official honors. In the meantime,
however, he had proved his ability and general
trustworthiness as a public officer during his
service as deputy sheriflfand deputy county clerk.
In 1898 he was elected sheriff of Los Angeles
county, and is meeting the responsibilities of the
position in a very satisfactory manner. Frater-
nally he is associated with the Masons and many
other of the leading organizations of the country.

The marriage of Mr. Hammel and Mary Lil-

ian Phillips took place in Los Angeles June 22,
1892. She is the daughter of Oliver B. and
Anna C. Phillips, the former of whom was a well-
known lawyer of this city. A daughter, Phyllis
Cline, blesses the home of our subject and his es-
timable wife. Their residence is in one of the
lovely homes of this semi-tropical city, where
palms and roses and all kinds of beautiful flowers
reach the perfection of bloom and luxuriance.

(JOHN P. ENGELHARDT. The occupation
I which Mr. Engelhardt has followed for years
v2/ is that of horticulture, in which so many
residents of Southern California have gained
prosperitj' and success. During 1882 he came
to the upper San Gabriel valley and settled on
the ranch which is still his home. Under his
energetic supervision thirty acres have been
placed under cultivation and planted to various
fruits, and, in addition to this tract, he has one
hundred and twenty acres of mountain land. His
original purchase was only fourteen acres, but he
subsequently homesteaded one hundred and sixty
acres of land in a primitive condition, from which
he has, by constant and judicious labors, evolved
a fine horticultural ranch. His place is known
as "Engelwile. "

During the '40s Henry D. and Emma (Diel)
Engelhardt emigrated from Germany, their na-
tive land, to America and settled in Ohio county,
Ind., where their son, John P., was born Sep-
tember 29, 1849. The latter was reared in his
native county and attended private and public
schools, acquiring at an early age a good knowl-
edge of both German and English. When nine-
teen years old he left home to make his own waj^
in the world. At fir.st he was interested in fruit-
growing in Trimble county, Ky. From there he
went to Platte county. Mo., and embarked in
agricultural pursuits. The year 1879 found him
in California, where he made a sojourn of three
years in Compton, and then came to the ranch
he now owns. Besides the oversight of this place
he was for several years interested in the drug
and grocery business in Glendora, as a partner
of his brother. Dr. A. E. Engelhardt, under the
firm name of Engelhardt Brothers; and it was
this firm that built the first business house in
Glendora.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

4-^':^

By his marriage to Rose Hess, of Columbus,
Ohio, Mr. Engelhardt has one son, Ortou H.
The famil}^ holds membership in tlie Methodist
Episcopal Church of Glendora, in which he has
officiated as deacon for a number of j-ears. Long
experience with life in its various phases and a
knowledge of the temptations that appeal to the
young, Mr. Engelhardt has been brought to re-
gard the sale of intoxicating liquors as an evil
'that is a menace to our nation, bringing sorrow
and disgrace upon thousands of homes and hearts.
Hence he is a prohibitionist not only in principle,
but also in politics, and gives that party his
faithful and unwavering support.

Gj UGUST BROSSMER, deceased, was one of
LI the active and highly esteemed members of
/ I the quite numerous German colony in Los
Angeles. A son of Michael Brossmer, he was
born in Ettenheim, province of Baden, Germany,
June 4, 1841. He grew to manhood in his na-
tive town and attended its parish schools, later
learning the cabinet-maker's trade. He and his
brother, Sigmund, also of Los Angeles, and Mrs.
Stephen Frey, of Germany, were the only chil-
dren of their father's first marriage; both sons
were trained from an early age to useful and hon-
orable occupations.

While working at his trade in and about Etten-
heim, August Brossmer married Euphrosine,
daughter of Joseph Hennenger, a mill owner in
Ettenheim. In 1867 Mr. and Mrs. Brossmer
and Sigmund Brossmer came to America on the
steamship Hansa, of the North German Lloyd
line. Upon their arrival at Hoboken, N. J.,
they proceeded west to Montana via St. Louis,
up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to Fort
Bend, by team to Helena, and thence to the Pipe-
stone mine in Montana, where they remained for
two months. From there Mr. and Mrs. Bross-
mer and Alexander Hennenger, her brother,
started via Salt Lake and the southern route to
California, arriving in San Bernardino in Decem-
ber, 1867. In May, 1868, they came to Los An-
geles. Here Mr. Brossmer worked at his trade
for a time, later taking up the occupation of a
contractor and builder, in which he successfully
continued until his death, December 28, 1889.
He was an energetic and thrifty man and pro-

vided his family with every comfort. Fraternall\-
he was connected with the Independent Order of
Red Men and the Turner Society.

Mrs. Brossmer survives her husband and re-
sides in her comfortable home at No. 171 2
Brooklyn avenue. She is a woman of great
strength of character and executive ability, and is
admired for these qualities and for her kindness
of disposition. Mr. and Mrs. Brossmer adopted
into their home and reared to womanhood one
child, who is now the wife of J. E. Sills and re-
sides at No. 1033 South Hope street. Mr. Sills
is secretary and treasurer of the Baker iron
works, having filled this responsible position for
many years.

WILLIAM DRYDEN, who has long been
known as "Uncle Billy" to scores of
pioneers and their children in Los Angeles
and vicinity, has a history full of interest, and it
is not strange that his grandchildren and friends
and occasional visitors at his home delight in
listening to his reminiscences of frontier days.
His influence in the early development of this
section and in the management of its affairs is
still felt, and in public and political matters his
judgment continues to have weight.

The eldest of four children born to William
and Margaret (McPherson) Dryden, our subject
was born in Lewis county, N. Y., September 16,
1835. His father was born in Kelsey, Scotland,
and passed his whole life there, dying when in
his eighty-fourth year; the mother was a native
of Invernesshire, Scotland, a daughter of John
Donald McPherson, a well-known and wealthy
Scotchman, a typical Highlander and of the
old McPherson clan who spoke the Gaelic lan-
guage in the home circle. He moved to Canada,
where he died. Mrs. Dryden died at the old
homestead in New York when about sixty-three
years of age.

Until he was twenty years of age William Dry-
den remained at home, where he laid the foun-
dations of physical and mental strength in the
wholesome life of the country. He found employ-
ment in the construction of railroad bridges for
about a year, and then, returning home, en-
gaged in agriculture for a similar period. He

404

HISTDRICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RliCORD.

next luok a position as a brake-man on a
southern railroad, and soon became a train con-
ductor. While serving in that capacitj- he saw
the first Confederate flag raised in Mobile, Ala.,
and, in pursuance of his duties, on one occasion,
took his train through a district which was a
perfect hot-bed of danger -a place where the
bravest man might have been excused from going.
On his return trip a southern planter tried his
best to obtain the j'oung man as overseer upon
his plantation, and when he modesth' pleaded
that he could not take such a position, as he had
had no experience whatever in managing slaves,
the old gentleman replied, "No matter, anj' man
who is brave enough to conduct a train where
you have, and not get shot, is competent for
my purpose."

Having no desire to remain in the south in
that stormy period , Mr. Dryden returned to his
old home, and in September, 1861, put into effect
a long cherished plan, that of going to the Pacific
coast. His father had made the trip in 1852,
on the ill-fated ship Emily, and ere she had
reached her destination twenty-two of her pas-
sengers died and were buried at sea, Mr. Dryden,
who had been an officer in the Presbyterian
churce at home, holding funeral services over
each one of the unfortunates. Later he had
prospected and mined considerably, and the
stories that he had told his eldest son of this
beautiful land fired his youthful imagination.
Upon arriving in San Francisco our subject pro-
ceeded to Santa Crux county, where he found a
position with the father of Hon. Stephen M.
White, with whom he remained about one year.
In May, 1868, he came to Los Angeles county
and located upon a quarter section of land, situated
near the southwestern corner of the city limits.
Later he bought one hundred and twenty-seven
acres of one of the old Spanish land-holders, but
subsequently gave up eighty acres on account of
litigation concerning it. He nevertheless con-
tinued to invest in more property until he owned
several hundred acres, which, under his admira-
ble system of cultivation and improvement,
yielded abundant harvests and made him com-
paratively a rich man. Retiring from active
business a few years ago he purchased a beauti-
ful home in the southwestern part of the city,
and is enjoying a quiet, restful life. He still retains

some valuable local real estate and is financially
interested in the development of some oil lands
and mines.

The marriage of Mr. Dryden and Mary Ander-
son, a native of Iowa, took place September 18,
1861 . Their six children have received excellent
educational advantages and stand high in the
several walks of life to which they have been
called. Two of the number are known far and
near throughout this portion of the county as
model agriculturists. They take special interest
in the breeding of fine cattle, and one of them is
the owner of a kennel where may be found sev-
eral varieties of thoroughbred dogs.

In his political convictions William Dryden al-
ways has stood firmly for the principles of the old
Democratic party. He cast his first presidential
ballot for Stephen A. Douglas, and never since
that time has failed to use his vote and influence
for his party. While he has occupied no offices
of note himself, he has been an important factor
in local politics. He is careful and conservative
in the formative period of his views, but once
having made up his mind in regard to the merits
of any question is not slow to express his ideas,
and has the courage of his convictions.

WILLIAM FREEMAN BURBANK. The
object of the following sketch is, in large
part, to preserve some biographical history
of Revolutionary days. It therefore begins with
an extract from the History of Lexington, Mass.,
by Charles Hudson, member of the Massachu-
setts Historical Society, referring to Rev. Jonas
Clarke, from whom Mr. Burbank is descended
in a direct line:

"Among those who animated and encouraged
the people and thus kindled the fires of patriot-
ism upon the altars of religion, none was more
active or successful than the di.stinguished and
pious priest who ministered to the people of Lex-
ington. His intimacy with Adams and Hancock
made him minutely acquainted with the affairs of
the colony; his clear and far-reaching perception
enabled him to judge with great accuracy, and
his noble and manly independence gave him a
controlling influence over the minds of men."
The following, from Edward Everett's address

HLSTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

at Lexington in 1835, adds to the historian's
tribute these words: "Mr. Clarke was a man of
high rank in his profession, a man of practical
piety, a learned theologian, a person of general
reading, a writer perspicuous, correct and pointed
beyond the standard of the day, and a most
intelligent, resolute and ardent champion of the
popular cause. He was connected by marriage
with the family of John Hancock. To this cir-
cumstance, no doubt, may properly be ascribed
some portion of his interest in the political move-
ments of the day, while on the mind of Hancock
an intimacy with Mr. Clarke was calculated to
have a strong and salutary influence."

It may now be of interest to give a brief .sketch
of the family. Hugh Clarke, ancestor of Rev.
Jonas Clarke, came early to this country; was
admitted a freeman May 30, 1660; member of
the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company ;
died July 20, 1693. Jonas Clarke, born Decem-
ber 25, 1730, was the fifth generation from Hugh
Clarke. He graduated from Harvard in 1752;
was ordained and installed at Lexington, Mass.,
November 5, 1755. He married, September 25,
1757, Lucy Hancock Bowes, a granddaughter of
Rev. John Hancock, who was the grandfather
of the first signer of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. Mr. Clarke was the immediate suc-
cessor, as pastor, of Rev. John Hancock. He
died November 15, 1805, at the age of seventy-
five, and in the fifty-first year of his ministry.
He had twelve children.

His son, Thomas Clarke, who was born Sep-
tember 27, 1759, and engaged in trade in Boston,
married Sallie Conant, daughter of Col. William
Conant, a descendant of Roger Conant, the first
governor of Massachusetts, appointed by the
king in colonial times. It was this Colonel Co-
nant who arranged with others that the signal
light should be placed on the old North Church,
and that Paul Revere should be sent on his
famous mission. Mr. Clarke was town clerk of
Boston for twelve years. When, in 1822, Boston
was made a city, he became clerk of the common
council, which office he held until his death in
1832.

Mention may here be made of the other chil-
dren of Rev. Jonas Clarke. His son, Jonas, was
collector of the port and judge of probate at Ken-
nebunk. Me.; Mary was married to Rev. Henry

Ware, Hollis professor of divinity in Harvard
College: Elizabeth died, unmarried, aged eighty;
William was consul to Embden, Hanover; Lucy
became Mrs. Thaddeus Fiske; Lydia was the wife
of Rev. William Harris; Henry, a bank cashier
at Kennebunk, was almost ninet}' at the time of
his death.

Fanny Clarke, daughter of Thomas Clarke,
was married to William Freeman, lawyer, and
son of Judge Freeman, of Cherryfield, Me. Char-
lotte Freeman, their daughter, became the wife
of Judge Caleb Burbank, and their son, William
Freeman Burbank, forms the subject of this
article.

The house where the Rev. Jonas Clarke lived
is historic because of its association with John
Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
John Hancock and Jonas Clarke were classmates
and the latter married the former's cousin. It
was in this house that Hancock, Adams and
Clarke consulted together. It was here that
Hancock and Adams took up their abode when
General Gage meditated their seizure, and they
were visiting at Mr. Clarke's when Paul Revere
ended his famous ride with a message of warn-
ing. The authorities for these historical facts
are: History of Lexington, by Charles Hudson,
published by Wiggin & Hunt, Boston, 1868;
Record of the Descendants of Hugh Clarke, by
John Clarke, A. B., Boston, 1866; Harper's
Magazine, May, 1875, article "The Concord
Fight;" and the Magazine of American History,
January, 1886, article "Paul Revere."

Of the Burbank family the records are not so
readily obtainable. The earliest ancestors in
this country were John Burbank, of Rawley,
Mass., and Silas Burbank, of Scarboro, near
Portland, Me. Capt. Silas Burbank served for
seven years in the Revolutionary war and was
one of the subaltern officers who led Major Andr6
out to execution. He died at Parsonsfield, Me.,
in September, 18 14, aged seventy-six. His son,
Eleazer, was born in Scarboro, October 14, 1764.
When only eleven years old he went with his
father and served in the Revolutionary army. He
married Mary Brackett, of Scarboro, who be-
longed to the family with which Hon. Thomas
Brackett Reed is connected. The father of Mary
Brackett, Capt. John Brackett, was an educated
man and by profession a land surveyor. He laid

4ofi

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

nut the greater part of the cit)- of Pwrthiiid as it
was in his day, and he died while with the Revo-
lutionary army at Cambridge.

Of the children of Silas Burbank one came to
California. He had represented Hancock and
Washington counties in the state senate of Maine,
and had not been long in the state of his adoption
when he was elected to the legislature, serving
first in the assembly and afterward in the senate.
He took part in the Fremont campaign, was the
law partner of Henry Edgerton, the orator, and
of Judge M. C. Blake, once mayor of San Fran-
cisco. He was elected to the bench in San
Francisco and afterward in Virginia City, Nev.
Judge Burbank died in 1888.

William Freeman Burbank, 30ungest son of
Judge Burbank, was born in San Francisco and
educated in the public schools of that city and
Oakland. He was selected as one of the class
speakers on his graduation from the Oakland
high school in 1879 and was likewi.se one of the
commencement speakers when graduating from
the University of California with the degree of
LL.B. He became associated with Hon. Frank
A. Leach (now superintendent of the United
States mint at San Francisco), in the establish-
ment of the Oakland Evening Enquirer, and was
secretarj' of the Enquirer Publishing Company.
Selling out his interest in 1891, he traveled in the
east, made an excursion into the south, and for
two years lived in North Carolina, becoming
president of the North Carolina Press A.ssociation
and a delegate to the National Editorial Associa-
tion in July, 1894, on which occasion he was one
of the appointed .speakers. In 1893, -it Boston,
he married Mrs. Walkerley, of Oakland, Cal.,
formerly Miss Blanche M. Buswell, of Tro>-,
N. Y. The following year he returned to Cali-
fornia, and, removing to Los Angeles some
months later, founded the Los Angeles Record
March 4, 1895. Two years later he was ap-
pointed a director of the public library. He is
also a director of the Southern California Academy
of Sciences, the University Club, the Provident-
Mutual Building and Loan Association, etc. He
was a delegate to the Fifth National Irrigation
Congress at its session at Phoenix, Ariz., in De-
cember, 1897, and was selected to respond to the
addresses of welcome. At one time he was presi-
dent of Oakland Parlor, Native Sons of the Golden

West, is a memlier of the .Sons of the Revolution,
and of University Lodge, I. O. O. F. His home
is at No. 744 Beacon street, and his family
includes two .sons and two daughters.

ni'DGE HENRY C. AUSTIN. One of the
I most honored pioneers of Los Angeles is
G) Judge H. C. Austin, a worthy representative
of stanch old New England families, several of
the old lines, descended from English ancestors,
having been united in him. His father, Isaac
Austin, was a native of Philadelphia, but settled
in Boston, which city had been the center of his
forefathers' world, and there he established large
and flourishing iron works. In 1836 his son,
our subject, was born, and the same year the
father was summoned to the silent land. He left
a widow, whose maiden surname had been John-
son, and of their seven children, five sons and two
daughters, only the judge survives.

The early years of Henry C. Austin were
passed at his birthplace near Boston, and his ed-
ucation was gained in the common schools. When
he was about nineteen years of age he com-
menced learning the printer's trade, which he
followed for several years, a portion of this time
being connected with some of the Boston daily
newspapers. In 1859 he went to Chicago, wherehe
was at first a compositor in the office of the
Tribune, and later served in higher positions
until 1863. He then went to Washington, D. C;,
and for the ensuing six years was employed in
the United States land office department.

At the close of the '60s Mr. Austin was sent to
Los Angeles to act as register in the local land
office of the government, Matthew Keller being
receiver. After .spending about four years in
this work, thus completing the decade of his con-
nection therewith in one capacity or another, he
turned his attention to the law, and from that
time until the present he has devoted his energy
to practice in his cho.sen field of labor, save when
he has been acting in an official position. In
1884 lie was honored by being elected to the
office of city judge and judge of the police court,
and it was not until eleven years had elapsed,
without interruption or rest from his arduous

^Ji^tyiA^ ^y^a,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

409

duties, that he found it expedient to resign for
the sake of his health. The next three years he
took hfe easier, giving a portion of his time to
his practice. In the autumn of 1898 he was
again elected to the public offices he had for-
merly filled so efficiently, and is still serving
to the complete satisfaction of all concerned.

Judge Austin has been a life-long Republican,
and was one of the organizers of the party in
1856. He is highly esteemed in the Pioneer
Society of Los Angeles, with which he has been
identified for many years, and is a charter mem-
ber of Lodge No. 2,925, Knights of Honor. With
earnest hope and confidence he has followed the
changes which have taken place in this city dur-
ing his residence here, and has eagerly watched
its transformation from a straggling village of
adobe houses to its present proud pre-eminence
among the cities of the great southwest.

The home of the judge, No. 31 18 Figueroa
street, is a fine old place, which has been the
scene of many a pleasant gathering of friends.
In 1859 occurred the marriage of our subject and
Miss Sarah E. Myers, an early friend and school-
mate, and a native of the same locality as him-
self. They have had two sons and two daughters,
namely: Mrs. Elizabeth A. Hamilton, who died
July 21, 1897; Mrs. Anna D. Sinsabaugh, of Los
Angeles; Charles R., who is in the employ of
the Sunset Telephone and Telegraph Company;
and Harry R., who is studying law in a local
office.

HENRY C. MACE, a pioneer of the upper
San Gabriel valley, resides at Charter Oak,
where he owns a one-half interest in a ranch
of twenty acres, planted to citrus and deciduous
fruits. In 1888 he crossed the continent from
New Hampshire to California and established his
home in the beautiful valley and on the ranch
were he has since resided. At the time of coming
to this place it was in nature's primeval condi-
tion, destitute of any improvement and presenting
to the observer merely a dismal stretch of cacti
and sage brush. Undiscouraged by this un-
attractive outlook he began the task of clearing
a homestead for himself, and with W. E. Kent

as a partner he has developed and improved a
ranch that to- day stands as one of the finest in
the valley.

Hartland, Vt. , is Mr. Mace's native village,
and May 3, 1843, the date of his birth, his parents
being Samuel and Susan L. (Vinton) Mace, na-
tives respectively of Massachusetts and New
Hampshire. His father died July 12, 1900, and
his mother is also deceased. An uncle of his
mother, Aaron Smith, was a soldier in the war
of 181 2. His mother'sgrandfather, John Vinton,
fought in the Revolutionary war when a mere
youth; and in 1824, when General Lafayette
visited America, he forded a river, carrying the
general on his back. At the time of his death
he weighed three hundred and sixty-five pounds.

When Henry C. Mace was one year old his
parents moved to Cornish, N. H., and there he
was reared until thirteen years of age. The
family then settled in Plainfield, N. H. When
the Civil war began he was fired with a desire to
.serve his country at the front. August 23, 1862,
he enlisted in Company I, Fourteenth New
Hampshire Infantry, and served under Generals
Butler and Sheridan; took part in the battle of
Winchester, September 19, 1864; Fisher's Hill,
September 22, 1864; Cedar Creek, October 19,
1864; and in about eight engagements of minor
importance. After a service of almost three
years he was honorably discharged July 26, 1865.

The hardships of life at the front, with its
forced marches, important battles and exposure
to weather of all kinds, materially effected Mr.
Mace's robust constitution, and for some two
years after his return to Plainfield he was un-
able to engage in any heavy work. However,
at the end of that time he had so far regained his
strength that he was able to enter upon the battle
of life actively and take his own place in the
busy work-a-day world. For a number of years
he made his home in Claremout, N. H., and from
that place, in 1888, he came to California, settling
on his present homestead. He is a member of
the Glendora Citrus Association and has done his
share toward developing the fruit interests of the
valley. His first vote was cast in 1S64 at Cedar
Creek, Va. , and was in support of Abraham Lin-
coln for the presidency. Since then he has never
failed to cast a straight Republican ticket at every
election. At this writing he is surgeon of Vicks-

4IO

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

burg Post No. 6i, G. A. R., of Pomona, Cal.,
in which he has previously served as junior and
senior vice-commander. By his marriage to Miss
Sarah 0. Ellis, a nativeofTheadford, Vt., which
was solemnized in December, 1866, he is the
father of two sons, Fred E. and Henry O.

(Tames M. fryer, a pioneer of California
I and present postmaster of Spadra, came to
(2/ this state in 1852 and has ever since made
his home in Los Angeles county. He was born
in Conway county, Ark., June 25, 1847, a son of
Rev. Richard C. and Caroline (Veazey) Fryer,
natives of Alabama. In 1852 the family came
from Arkansas to California and settled at El
Monte, continuing to make it their home until
1868, when they came to Spadra. Both at El
Monte and Spadra the father was frequently
called upon to conduct religious services, but he
made agriculture his principal occupation, and
devoted his attention to it principally. Attaining
a position of influence among his fellow-citizens
by reason of his superior ability and intellectual
qualities, he was honored by frequent selection
to occupy positions of honor. He was elected to
the office of county supervisor, which he filled
with efficiency. Early in the '70s he served one
term as a member of the lower house of the Cali-
fornia legislature, to which office he was elected
on the Democratic ticket, he being stanch in his
adherence to that party. Of his children the
following survive: John W., living at Alhambra,
Cal.; James M., of this sketch; Jeremiah, who is
in Arizona; Henry F., a resident of Pomona;
Mrs. Charles Weile, of Santa Barbara; Mrs. J. C.
Shepherd, of Fullerton; and Mrs. A. H. Tufts, of
Pomona.

The public schools of El Monte gave our sub-
ject such educational advantages as were afforded
by the pioneer schools of the day. In 1867 he
began for himself, taking up agriculture as his
chosen occupation. After a short time in El
Monte he began to cultivate a farm at Spadra,
where he also became interested in horticulture.
He is the owner of twenty acres set out to fruit
and eighty acres devoted to general farming, his
entire farm comprising one hundred acres. He
married Belle Arnett, of Spadra, Cal., and they
have three children, Roy, Bertha and Norman,

For a quarter of a century he has served continu-
ously as a trustee of the San Jose district, during
all of which time he has been president of the
board of trustees. Politically he is a Democrat,
with independent proclivities. Under the first
administration of President Cleveland he was
appointed postmaster at Spadra, and from that
time to this he has held the office, being exceed-
ingly popular as an official with all classes of
people, irrespective of political ties. He was
several times a member of the Democratic central
committee of Los Angeles county, and took a
very active part in the politics of his community.
He has at different times been offered positions
of trust by his party and friends, but so far has
steadfastly refused to accept the emoluments and
the burdens incident to official life.

In religious views Mr. Fryer adheres to the
Baptist doctrines, in which he was reared and
trained. He is a member of the First Baptist
Church of Pomona, and ever since the congrega-
tion was started he has officiated as chairman of
the board of trustees. It is said that his father
was the first minister ordained in the Baptist
Church in California after its admission as a
state. He was probably the most influential
man of his day in that denomination in Southern
California, and did much to give a permanent
start to the cause in this region.

The older son of Mr. Fryer is a young man of
exceptional ability. He took the complete course
of study in the California State University at Berk-
eley and graduated from that institution with a
high standing. At this writing he is assistant
principal of the high school at Oroville, this
state.

0EXTER SAMSON, who since 1889 has
been a resident of Los Angeles, and is
highly esteemed by everj' one who knows
him, is an honored veteran of the Civil war, and
deserves special mention for the faithful part
which he took in the preservation of the Union.
Born in Pulaski, N. Y., March 19, 1844, he was
but seventeen years of age when he offered him-
self to his country, and for four years, or until
the close of the dreadful conflict between the
north and the south, he was ever found at his
post of duty, ready to lay down his life as a

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

patroit, if uecessarj-, and doing all within his
power to bring about that true peace and union
which our beloved land now enjoys.

November i, 1861, Dexter Samson enlisted in
Company K, Eighty-first New York Infantry, as
a private. He served through the Potomac
campaign, and later, with the Fourth Army
Corps, was stationed at Yorktown, Va. Leaving
that point at the close of 1862 he was sent to
Morehead City, N. C, after which he partici-
pated in raids and other operations of the military
in the vicinity of Trenton. With his regiment
he went on the Fo.ster expedition to Charleston,
in command of General Hunt, and later his
brigade was stationed at Norfolk, Va. Then he
passed through the James river campaign, was
next sent to Pittsburg, and finally was present at
the fall of Richmond, and with the Twenty-
fourth Army Corps did garrison duty there. Re-
turning to Williamsburg, he was mustered out of
the service, August 30, 1865. Thus briefly and
incompletely can be summed up four of the most
eventful and anxious years of his life, but only
those who shared with him the exposure and
privations and dangers of that trying period in
our country's history can form the faintest idea of
what it really meant. He won the friendship
and high regard of his comrades and superior of-
ficers, and made a record of which he has reason
to be proud.

After spending a few months in recuperating
at home Mr. Samson went to Pittsburg, Pa.,
where he found employment, and in May, 1870,
he went to Quincy, 111., where he was success-
fully engaged in business for seven years. In
1877 he disposed of his commercial interests in
the east and came to California, for a year mak-
ing his home upon a ranch at Healdsburg. He
then returned to Burlington, Iowa, where for a
year he conducted an undertaking business, after
which he was similarly occupied at Pittsburg for
about the same length of time. Later he trav-
eled for a period and then was connected with a
large firm at Burlington, Iowa, after which he
was associated with Mills & Lacy, of Grand
Rapids, Mich., for six years.

In 1889 Mr. Samson came to Los Angeles, and
iu partnership with Robert L. Garrett conducted
an undertaking business here for five years.
Later he became a member of the firm of Sharp

& Samson, and at the end of three years em-
barked in business upon his own account. He
is well and favorably known as a funeral director,
as he thoroughly understands his business and is
kind and just in his dealings with rich and poor.

In fraternal circles Mr. Samson is deservedly
popular. He retains a warm place in his heart
for the boys who wore the blue in the Civil war,
and is an honored member of Stanton Post No.
55, G. A. R. He also belongs to Marathon
Lodge No. 182, K. of P.; Good Will Lodge No.
323, I. O. O. F.; Enterprise Encampment No. 12,
I. O. O. F. ; Los Angeles Court No. 422, 1. O. F. ;
the Royal Foresters; and Union Council No. 5,
Junior Order of American Mechanics. In politi-
cal matters he is a stalwart Republican.

The marriage of Mr. Samson and Miss Susie
Howells, of Pittsburg, Pa., was solemnized in
1S67, and two children were born to their union.
Some time after the death of his first wife he
married Mrs. Cora Farrar, a native of the vicinity
of Baltimore, Md. She was reared chiefly in the
District of Columbia, and received an excellent
education and social advantages. Both she and
her husband have hosts of friends, both in this
city and in the east, and are eminently worthy of
respect.

I EWIS E. GRIGSBY, of Pomona, prominent
It as a citizen, horticulturist and president of
t2 the Kingsley Tract Water Company, resides
on his fine orchard of fourteen acres on Orange
street. His land is chiefly devoted to orange
culture, and bears every evidence of the owner's
progressive spirit and thrift.

Mr. Grigsby, who became a resident of Pomo-
na in November, 1898, was born near Winches-
ter, Clark county, Ky., June 22, 1867. His
parents were Dr. James L. and Loui.sa (Cravens)
Grigsby, his father (now deceased) being a
surgeon of note and a graduate of the medical
department of the Pennsylvania University.
The Grigsby family were of French extraction,
while the Cravens family came from England, the
great-uncle of Mr. Grigsby's mother being Lord
Cravens. Lewis was educated in the public
schools of Clark county and at the Winchester
high school, and in earlj' manhood began the
study of medicine with his father. Subsequent
events, however, induced him to devote himself

412

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to agricultural and horticultural pursuits in his
native countr}'. When he settled in Pomona,
therefore, in 1898 he was practical!}' equipped
for the work in hand, which accounts for his
marked success in the culture of oranges.

A marked indication of Mr. Grigsby's stand-
ing was given in January, 1900, when he was
chosen president of the Kingsley Tract Water
Company. This position he now fills with effi-
ciency and success. In addition to his property
here he owns real estate in San Diego and is also
a member of the Claremont Poraological Society.
From a business standpoint he is recognized for
his enterprise and public spirit. Politically he
is a stanch Democrat. He is an influential
member of the Christian Church. He has re-
tained the confidence and esteem of those with
whom he comes in contact, both in business and
social circles. His views of life are broad, as is
natural to one who is familiar with nearly every
state in the Union and who has extended his
travels to Mexico and Canada. His wife, nee
Emma Miller, is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio,
and a daughter of Ewald and Louise (Palm)
Miller, natives of Germany. Mrs. Grigsby was
educated in the best schools of America and
Europe, and in the latter country received much
of her musical education. She has traveled ex-
tensively both in Europe and America.

KEY. CHARLES B. SHELDON. No one
can bequeath to posterity a richer heritage
than the memory of a noble life, devoted,
with unselfish affection, to the uplifting of the
human race. Such a man will wield an influence
that will not cease with his departure from earth
scenes; nor will death, while it may change, be
able to lessen his activities. It is true that the
earth life of Charles B. Sheldon has ended. The
place that once knew him shall know him no
more. But in the deeds of kindness he per-
formed, in the self-sacrificing acts of helpless-
ness and in the ceaseless ministration to others,
his influence still lives. Through his work as a
clergyman and in the less conspicuous, but not
less useful, routine of his private life he proved
himself to be, indeed, one of God's "noblemen. "
The life which this narrative sketches began in
Massachu.'^etts, December 18, 1821, and closed in

California, September 21, 1895. Between those
two dates a lifetime of activity was crowded.
For twenty-nine years he was a minister in the
Congregational Church, with his home in Excel-
sior, Minn., and previous to this, for a number of
years, he preached in Republic, Ohio. Posses-
sing versatile talents, he gained a knowledge of
much not connected with his profession. He was
versed in the science of medicine. He was a
genius in mathematics and as a surveyor had few
superiors. Nothing delighted him more than the
study of languages. He acquired a knowledge
of several, being a master of the dead languages
and also familiar with some that are more
modern. He was a student all his life, fond of
adding to his repertoire of knowledge by the ac-
quisition of important truths in the domains of
science, art and literature.

Mr. Sheldon married Miss Mary Prentice, who
was born in Connecticut, October 10, 1825.
They became the parents of eleven children, of
whom the following survive: Henry S., of Los
Angeles countj', Cal.; Charles H., who lives in
Minnewaukon, N. Dak.; Frank S. and Chauncey
S., of Los Angeles county; Mrs. G. W. Pitts, of
Alton, Iowa; Mrs. E. E. St. Clair, of Los Ange-
les county; and Dr. Martha A. Sheldon, who
graduated from the Minnesota State University
and the medical department of the University of
Boston, Mass., and is now a medical missionary
in Bhot, North India. The mother of this fam-
ily died in February, 1899, having survived her
husband but a little more than three years.

In December, 1884, Rev. Mr. Sheldon, accom-
panied by his son, Chauncey S., came to the
vicinity of Pomona and settled where the latter
now resides, about one mile from Lordsburg.
This region was at that time almost a wilderness.
The most sanguine could not have anticipated its
present development. Howe\ er, he had a firm
faith in its future and this faith he substantiated
by the purchase of fifty-six and one- half acres of
land, which he proceeded to develop into a fruit
ranch. He had come to Los Angeles the pre-
ceding year and had preached for a short time,
and it was during that period he became en-
raptured with the possibilities of the state as a
fruit region. He lived to enjoy the fruition of his
hopes and to see the locality where he settled
take its place among the finest fruit-growing por-

/ ' ^ /

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

415

tions of the state. He never mingled much in
public affairs, cared nothing for ofiScial distinc-
tion, and voted for principle, favoring the Prohi-
bition party during the later years of his life.
Since his death his son, Chauncey S., has main-
tained the supervision of the ranch and taken up
his work in the community, where, like his
father, he is respected for his worth of character
and his unwavering integrity.

NB. EAKINS. One of the most certain
sources of wealth for this great southwest
, is hidden in the depths of its mountain
ranges, and, perchance, along some of its river
beds, and one of the most significant facts con-
nected with the truly marvelous development
of this portion of the Union is the vast amount
of mineral riches which are annually being con-
verted into money here. The northern part of
the Pacific slope has so long borne the palm that
it has been practically overlooked that Southern
California and Arizona possess treasures untold,
and that with the same amount of energy and
capital invested here that other portions of this
continent have received, nature's vast storehouses
would yield abundantly.

H. B. Eakins, secretary and general manager
of the Wallapai Mining & Development Compa-
ny of Los Angeles, is a native of Philadelphia,
and his early life was spent in the Quaker city.
He gained a liberal education in the schools of
his native place, and when he was .sixteen years
of age he commenced his business career. Evi-
dently he made an enviable record for fidelity and
aptitude, for he was not eighteen when he was
called upon to take charge of the government
work connected with the geological and weather
bureau at Washington, D. C. At the end of
some eighteen months, during which period he
gave perfect satisfaction to his superiors, he went
to the Black Hills, where he became actively in-
terested in mining operations. This was in 1887,
and for the following four years he was connected
with the Homestake Mining Company there. In
1891 he came to Los Angeles, and for the past
nine years has been engaged in mining enter-
prises in the southwest. For several years he
has been an official in the Wallapai Mining &
Development Company, whose mines are located
22

in Arizona, in what is known as the Chloride dis-
trict, about twenty-two miles north of Kingman.
Within less than a decade the.se mines have been
developed, until they are worth from a half to
three-quarters of a million dollars, and give rich
promise for much greater things in the future.
Mr. Eakins stands high in the judgment and
esteem of all with whom he has dealings, and
especially among the railroad men and mining
operators, who know him well and who are united
in their admiration of his thorough business abil-
ity, pluck and energy.

Politically he uses his franchise in favor of the
Republican party. Fraternally he is identified
with the Masonic order. His pretty home in Los
Angeles is presided over by his charming wife,
whose maiden name was Gertrude E. Beemer.
She was born in Racine, Wis. , and became the
wife of Mr. Eakins in the Black Hills, in June,
1892. They have one child, a boy, Walter B.
by name.

I^LI W. KELLER, who resides about two
1^ miles north of Lordsburg, is one of the
L, pioneer horticulturists of this locality, hav-
ing made his home here since 1S83. A native of
Erie county, Ohio, he was born December 18,
1858, and is a son of Jacob and Clefa (Green-
wald) Keller, natives respectively of Switzerland
and France, and both now deceased. Nothing
of unusual moment marked the boyhood years of
our subject, which were passed in alternating
farm work with attendance at the public school
and seminary at Milan, Ohio. When he was
seventeen years of age he began to learn the
trade of the carriage maker in Clyde, Ohio,
where for several years he was a member of the
firm of Keller Brothers.

Leaving Ohio in search of a more desirable lo-
cation, Mr. Keller came to California in 1883 and
settled on the land which he still occupies. The
place was then in it primitive condition, without
any improvements of value. Practically its en-
tire development has been made by him. His
ranch of fourteen acres is planted to fruit trees,
the most of which are deciduous. In addition to
managing his fruit farm he is also engaged in
well-boring, which he makes a special business.
Since he came here he has seen the development
of the region from a wilderness to one of the gar-

4i6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

deu spots of the world. The progress made in
every industry, and particularly that of horticul-
ture, is most gratifying to him and he may well
take pride in the fact that he has been one of the
men to develop the industry here.

In a quiet way Mr. Keller is interested in poli-
tics and public affairs, but his interest is not that
of a partisan. Politically he votes with the Re-
publicans. Before he came to California he mar-
ried Belle Rogers, who was one of his childhood
friends in Clyde. Fraternally he is identified
with the Fraternal Brotherhood of Pomona, in
whose work he takes an interest. Both he and
his wife are Roman Catholics and belong to the
church of that denomination in Pomona.

0TEPHEN WARREN LaDOW. A native
2\ of Milton, Saratoga county, N. Y., Stephen
CyJ Warren LaDow was born seventy-six years
ago, and, as his surname implies, he was of French
extraction on the paternal side, though his
mother's people were from England. His grand-
father was married twice and had twentj'-three
children. Daniel and Laura (St. John) LaDow,
the parents of S. W. LaDow, were natives of the
Empire state, and he was the fifth in order of
birth in their family of seven. The mother was
a cousin of the world-renowned P. T. Barnum,
and one of her brothers. Rev. Taylor St. John,
was a widely known and loved minister of the
Gospel in New York state. Four of his sons won
distinction in educational circles of Albany, N. Y.

In his youth our subject obtained a common
school education and laid the foundations of his
future practical and successful business career.
When he was twenty-two years old he married
Margaret McWilliams, of Galway, N. Y., and
two sons were born to them, Charles, now a resi-
dent of Albany, N. Y. , and John, who makes his
home in Los Angeles. When the California
gold fever raged throughout the land Mr. LaDow
became eager to try his fortunes in the far west,
and bidding what was destined to be a last fare-
well to his devoted wife, he left his family in New
York and sailed on one of the .steamers crowded
with ambitious adventurers, bound for the Lsth-
mus of Panama and the famed gold fields of
the Pacific coast.

Arriving in Los Angeles in May, 1852, Mr.

LaDow stayed in that locality for a short period,
and in July learned of the death of his wife. He
went to the northern part of California then and
engaged in mining and prospecting. In i860 he
was married to Miss Harriett Dorman, a native
of Sanford, Me. To them two children were
born, one dying in infancy; the other, Hattie M.,
now Mrs. C. H. Nance, lives in Los Angeles.
In 1863 they returned to Los Angeles, which
city, without a tithe of its present beauty and at-
tractiveness, nevertheless appeared so promising
to him that he desired to make it his permanent
home. With his hard-won gold he bought
twenty-five acres of choice land near the city, and
there he dwelt until 1868, when he pre empted a
quarter section of land near the southwestern
limits of Los Angeles. He made his home on
this property until death, and took just pride in
the innumerable improvements which he made
upon the place.

In all public enterprises of this locality Mr.
LaDow took a leading part. He was a pioneer
in the task of piping water to this section for
irrigation purposes, and thus set an example
which was extensively followed. He gave one
acre of land to the public for the cause of educa-
tion, and thereon has been erected what is called
the LaDow school.

Mr. LaDow departed this life January 6, 1899.

pGjiLLIAM H. HEPNER was during his
\ A / lifetime a prominent factor in the develop-
V Y nient of Covina. Born in the Shenandoah
valley in Virginia, July 22, 1847, he there re-
ceived his education in the public schools, and
laid the foundation for his useful andenterpri.sing
life. His father, George W. Hepner, is now a
resident of Covina.

When a young man of twenty-one he moved
with his parents from Virginia to Tennessee,
where he resided for a short time, subsequently
returning to his native state, where, believing
that he possessed mechanical ability, he began to
learn the carpenter's trade, which he followed for
a number of years. Later he went to Colorado,
from which state he moved in 1887 to his perma-
nent home in Covina, where he died April 8, 1900.
After taking uj) his residence in Covina he en-
gaged in the fruit-raising business, culti\'ating

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

417

his ground and setting out trees on a ten- acre
orange lot. In his special line of work he was
very successful, .seeming to have a particular
aptitude for encouraging the growth of these
luscious friends of man.

Mr. Hepner was married January 29, 1885, to
Mary M. Jones, of Henderson county, N.C., and
a daughter of Robert and Martha (Pittillo) Jones,
of North Carolina, the former deceased, the lat-
ter residing in Covina. Of this union there were
fivecliildren, four of whom are now living: Rosa
v., Minnie A., Walter R. and Martha M.

Mr. Hepner was an active and helpful member
of the German Baptist Brethren Church. He was
not particularly interested in politics, nor was he
fraternally associated with the different orders
represented in his town. His widow and children
live on the old homestead orange tract, and mourn
with sincere sorrow the loss of more than an or-
dinarily kind husband and indulgent father.

Among his fellow residents in the town of his
adoption Mr. Hepner is remembered with mingled
feelings of respect and admiration for his many
sterling cjualities of mind and heart. He kept in
touch with the various means of progress and
enlightenment, and was ever ready to lend a
helping hand to the oppressed and unfortunate.

^HOMAS J. CUNNINGHAM. Little does
I C it matter in what business or enterprise a
V2/ citizen of this great republic is engaged so
long as he faithfully performs his duties and
honestly looks out for the interests of others,
considering them to be paramount to his own,
for in this case success is certain to be his reward,
sooner or later. Animated by these principles,
Thomas J. Cunningham, a member of the firm
of Cunningham & O'Connor, undertakers, of
Los Angeles, has risen to a place of prominence
and prosperity, and a review of his past life will
prove of interest to his numerous friends.

The energy and business-like methods which
characterize Mr. Cunningham may be partially
accounted for by the fact that he is a New Eng-
land Yankee, born at Randolph, Mass., about
fourteen miles from the "Hub," September 28,
1859. He resided in that locality until he reached
his majority, receiving a liberal education in the
common schools.

In 1880 Mr. Cunningham came west to San
Francisco, where for two years he was in the em-
ploy of the United Workingmen Boot & Shoe
Company. He then returned to his old home for
a visit, and in the fall of 1884 went to Tombstone,
Ariz., where he engaged in mining and prospect-
ing for about four years. The next year he
carried on a grocery business in San Francisco
and then came to Los Angeles. For the ensuing
eight and a half years he conducted an undertak-
ing business in partnership with Mr. Cussen, and
won an enviable reputation with the general pub-
lic and all with whom he had financial dealings.
The present firm of Cunningham & O'Connor
was formed in 1898, and the partners are pros-
pering, it is almost needless to say, for all enter-
prises with which our subject is associated are
sure to prosper. They are located at Nos. 456-
58 South Main street, near the post-office.

In 1893 Mr. Cunningham married Miss Mary
Maloney, whose father, Richard Maloney,wasone
of the pioneers of California. Her brother is
now acting in the capacity of secretary to Bishop
Montgomery. The union of our subject and wife
has been blessed with three children: Vincent
R., "^Villiam C. and Kathleen, whose presence
brightens the pleasant home of the family at No.
126 East Eleventh street.

In his political convictions Mr. Cuiniingham
is a Democrat. He takes great interest in na-
tional and local affairs, and endeavors to keep
posted upon all subjects worthy of engrossing the
attention of the public.

gYRON E. STREET, who resides on South
Hamilton avenue, Pomona, came to this
city in February, 1883, and has since be-
come a leading grower of and dealer in alfalfa.
He was born in Ohio, August 27, 1853, a son of
Charles L. and Emily A. (Walker) Street, the
former a native of New York state. When he
was about two years of age his parents moved to
Eaton county, Mich., and settled fourteen miles
from Lansing, where he passed the years of boy-
hood. He was eighteen when the family moved
to Franklin countj', Kans. , and there he started
out for himself as a farmer. For some years he
carried on agricultural pursuits.

From Kansas Mr. Street came to California

4i8

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and settled in Pomona, where he first followed
the trade of a carpenter and then engaged in the
milk business, having a milk route in this citj-.
Next he turned his attention to raising alfalfa, in
the sale of which he has since built up a valuable
business. He owns some twelve acres of alfalfa
land nearSpadra, and besides the property that
he owns he leases about two hundred and fifty
acres, on which he raises alfalfa. He is an
energetic, practical man, and conducts his affairs
with discretion and ability.

The first wife of Mr. Street, who was Miss
Laura Martin, of Pomona, died four months
after their marriage. In April, 1894, he was
united in marriage with Mrs. Mary Harding, the
widow of Stanley Harding, of Rockford, 111.,
who, by her former marriage, became the mother
of two daughters, Josephine and Ruth, and
by her union with Mr. Street has a daughter,
Lillian F. G. She is the owner of fifteen acres of
orange land north of Pomona, the same being
considered valuable property.

During his residence in Franklin county,
Kans., Mr. Street held office as justice of the
peace in the Princeton precinct. He is a mem-
ber of the Fraternal Brotherhood of Pomona.
With his wife and family he holds membership
in the Baptist Church of Pomona, and has the
official position of deacon in the same. In the
work against the liquor traffic no one has been
more interested than he. In principle and in
precept he is a believer in prohibition, and he
has been an active worker in the task of making
Pomona a prohibition town.

I EVI R. MATTHEWS, who has resided in
It Pomona since 1890, is the owner of nine
|2f acres planted to oranges and twenty-six
acres in alfalfa, all of which is located in this city.
A native of Vermont, he was born in Windsor
county, February 10, 1830, a son of Josiah and
Marietta (Waters) Matthews, also natives of
Windsor county. His grandfather, William
Matthews, was born at Cape Cod, of English
descent, and in early life settled in the Green
Mountain .state. The Waters family is of Scotch
extraction.

Accompanied by his family, Josiah Matthews

removed to Tazewell county. 111., in 1834, and
settled on a farm , where he engaged in agricultural
pursuits until his death. His son, Levi R.,was
reared in Tazewell county, and from an earl\- age
was familiar with farm work, both the raising of
cereals and of stock. For years he continued to
cultivate the same farm, having chosen agriculture
for his life work. As a boy he had attended local
schools, which were at that time conducted on
the subscription plan. He had also received the
advantages derived from attendance at Knox Col-
lege, a famous institution of pioneer days, located
at Galesburg, III. After he took up his life
calling of agriculture he devoted himself closely
to that work. At the same time he did not
neglect the duties of citizenship. He served in
various offices in Tremont township, where he
was a man of great influence. In 1S86 he retired
from farm work and moved to Colorado Springs,
Colo., but after a few years, in September, 1890,
became to Pomona, which he has found to be
a more enjoyable climate than that of Colorado
Springs. For six years after he came here he
resided on his ranch, but since then he has made
his home at No. 659 North Gordon street.

April 20, 1852, Mr. Matthews married Marie
Antoinette Sill, a native of Cuyahoga county,
Ohio, and a daughter of Horace L. and Mary
(Pettibone) Sill, natives of New York state, the
former being of English extraction. Seven
children were born to the union of Mr. and Mrs.
Matthews, namely: Mary L., wife of Raphael
Leonard, of Woodford county, 111.: Nellie, wife
of C. E. Major, also of Woodford county, 111.;
Katie, who married C. S. Stubblefield, of McLean
county. 111.; Anna May, Mrs. C. J. Buckley, of
Tazewell county. 111.; Lee R., who lives in
Pomona; Gracie, wife of J. H. Payne, of Denver,
Colo. ; and Winifred G. The family are con-
nected with the Christian Church and Mr. Mat-
thews is now officiating as deacon of the con-
gregation at Pomona. In politics he is a stanch
Republican.

Through a life that has covered three .score
years and ten Mr. Matthews has maintained a
reputation for integrity and honor. Laborious
in his earlier years, he won by determined in-
dustry the competency he now enjoys, and at the
same time he gained a high standing among the
influential farmers of his home township and

/; r7#^^ Jh^/^

XJ^^C-^Cje-^l^y

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

42t

countj' in Illinois, where for years he was identi-
fied with movements for the advancement of
general farming and stock-raising interests.

qOHN SCHEERER. A history of Los An-
I geles would be sadl}' incomplete were the
Q) record omitted of the late John Scheerer, one
of its prominent and highlj- honored citizens.
For more than a decade, the most important
period, perhaps, in its marvelous growth, he was
actively associated with its upbuilding and im-
provement, and his name became well and favor-
ably known throughout this section of the state.
There is much in the life annals of John Scheerer
that is an inspiration to those who knew him,
and the young people of to-day could do no better
than emulate his example. Born in Wurtemberg,
Germany, April 3, 1838, he was bereft of his
parents when he was quite young, and early was
forced to rely upon himself. Arrived at maturity,
he wisely decided to come to America, and in
Springfield, Ohio, he learned the cabinet-maker's
trade, which he followed in that state until about
1858. Then he removed to Platte county, Mo.,
and established a furniture and undertaking busi-
ness, in which venture he met with marked suc-
cess. Industrious and diligent, upright and just,
he won the esteem, as well as the custom of
people throughout that section of the county,
and, in the course of time, commenced accumulat-
ing a small fortune. He owned a valuable farm
in Platte county, and made a specialty of raising
bees and selling honey. Various other invest-
ments and enterprises were successfully carried
on by him, among them the short-horn cattle
business. In everything pertaining to the wel-
fare of his town and community he took a patri-
otic interest.

When the war of the Rebellion broke out Mr.
vScheerer volunteered his services in the defense
of Missouri, which was torn with the two factions
and was one of the worst battle-grounds of public
feeling in the country at that time. He served
with the rank of second lieutenant in the Missouri
state militia, and aided in preserving order and
preventing lawlessness from infringing upon the
rights of the law-abiding citizens. He was
brave and unflinching at his post of duty, and

participated in numerous skirmishes. Politicalh-
he was a loyal Republican, but never was an as-
pirant to official distinction.

One of the most important events in the career
of Mr. Scheerer was his marriage to Miss Anga
Blankenship, in Platte county. Mo., October 20,
1861. She was born in Kentucky and was
educated in the schools of Platte county. She,
too, had been orphaned when a child, and both
she and her husband deeply appreciated even the
very humble home in which they began their
hou.se-keeping. They had struggled with cir-
cumstances and poverty from their early recol-
lections, and together they carefully set about the
accumulation of a competence. Long years of
economy and industry brought their sure reward,
and when, in 1882, they sold out their Missouri
possessions and located in beautiful Los Angeles,
they had a goodly fortune. Wisely investing a
portion of their capital in real estate and other
enterprises in this locality, they soon were on the
highway to wealth. The old Bryson building,
one of the finest office buildings in the west,
was owned by Mr. Scheerer and is still in the
possession of his widow. Her income from
various sources is quite large, and she has the
satisfaction of knowing that her present wealth
is the direct outcome of the wisdom and industry
of herself and husband in past years.

Though never blessed with children of his own
Mr. Scheerer's heart was warm with love and
sympathy toward childhood. Remembering his
own lonely youth and that of his wife, without
the loving care and watchfulness of kind parents,
he delighted to aid orphaned children, and it was
one of his cherished plans to erect a comfortable
home for helpless little ones, who might thus be
preserved from the innumerable dangers and
sorrows which beset them, especially in a large
city. He was a great worker in the Christian
Church, and was a liberal giver to religious
enterprises, as well as to the poor and needy.
For years he was an official member of the First
Christian Church of Los Angeles. Honesty and
kindliness were stamped upon his features, and
rarely was he appealed to in vain for material
assistance in any worthy cause. His earthly
career came to a close March 27, 1893, and he
was placed to rest in the beautiful mausoleum
erected to his memory by his wife, in Evergreen

422

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Cemetery. For over thirty years their lives had
flowed ou, happily and peacefully together, ami
their home was an ideal Christian one, where
their numerous friends loved to come.

Mrs. Scheerer became the wife of John J.
Orchard, in Kansas City, Mo., September i6,
1896. For many years he had been successfully
engaged in merchandising, and enjoyed the good
opinion of all who knew him. He was a native
of England, but was reared in New York state,
chiefly. He was a kind and affectionate husband
and possessed the love of a host of friends. He
lived only four months after his marriage, his
death taking place in this city, and thus, once
more, the widow is left alone in her beautiful
home. Her residence, a modern one, furnished
elegantly and in excellent taste, is located at No.
1403 Santee street. Like Mr. Scheerer, she has
been a great worker iu the Christian Church, and
quietly and unostentatiously lends a helping
hand to many a poor and unfortunate one. It is
her chief pleasure to carry out the many plans
for doing good which they made together, and
when she is called upon to render an account of
her earthly stewardship there will undoubtedly
sound in her ears the welcome verdict, "Well
done, good and faithful, enter into the joy of thy
Lord."

[^EORGE W. COOLMAN, the leading con-
1^ tractor and builder of Covina, has been
\^ closely identified with the fortunes of the
town since he took up his residence here in 1895.
A native of Allen county, Ind., he was born
March 6, 1859, and is a son of William and Leah
Coolman, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio re-
spectively, and of German descent. William
Coolman achieved considerable importance as a
builder and contractor in and around Fort
Wayne, Ind., subsequently meeting his death
through injuries contracted by a fall from a
building that he was con.structiiig. George W.
was at this time three years old. He continued
to live in his native county and state, where he
received his education in the district .schools.
About the age of fifteen he commenced to learn
the carpenter's trade, and he has continued to
follow mechanical pur.suits to the pre.sent time.
Previous to coming to Covina in 1895 he gained
considerable reputation as a builder and con-

tractor, and a number of the finest buildings of
the town of Fort Wayne were constructed by him.
Mr. Coolman married Catherine Colvin, of
Allen county, Ind. Of this union there are four
children: Lola, Edna, Earl and Ralpli. Mr.
Coolman has no political aspirations, nor is he
prominently connected with the fraternal societies
of his adopted city. He is public spirited and en-
terprising, entering with enthusiasm into all the
projects for the betterment of the community.

ROBERT J. POLLARD, agriculturist and
early pioneer of the Azusa valley, was born
in Greene county, Ala., May i, 1842. Of
Scotch extraction, he is a .son of Richard and
Susan E. (Bell) Pollard, of South Carolina and
Alabama respectively. Richard Pollard was a
farmer, and fought with valor and distinction in
the war of 1812. Susan Pollard died when her
son Robert was two years old, and the lad was
reared in the midst of vicissitudes. When twelve
years old he moved with his father and the other
members of the family to Caddo parish, La ,
where they lived for but a short time. Their
next dwelling place was in Lamar county, Tex.,
and here Robert J. outgrew his boyhood and em-
barked upon the more responsible activities of
life. He had in the meantime learned every de-
partment of a farmer's work and availed himself
of the opportunities offered by private schools.
In addition, he had fitted himself for the future
by learning the wagon and repair business.

With the call to arms in 1S61 he was one of
the first among his associates to respond to the
demand for his services, enlisting in Company
C, Ninth Texas Infantry, C. S. A., under Gen.
Joseph E. Johnston. His service was east of the
Mississippi river. His war record is an interest-
ing one, and includes participation in the battles
of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Jack.son
and many minor battles and skirmishes. He
was captured below Helena, Ark., on the Missis-
sippi river, after the retreat from Jackson, and
confined for eight months as a prisoner of war
at Alton, 111.

At the termination of the war Mr. Pollard re-
turned to Lamar county, Tex., and engaged in
agriculture until 1868, when he came to Downey,
Cal., ami opened a wagon !ind repair .shop. In

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

423

1S74 he criscuiitiiiued Ihis business and touk up
his permanent residence in Azusa, purchasing a
forty- six acre tract from the government. This
land would have been a discouraging proposition
for a man with less determination and patience,
but its owner knew no such word as fail, and the
wild, scraggN' growths disappeared through his
unfailing iiidustr}- and an orange grove stood re-
vealed in its proper time and season. He now
owns twent)' acres of the finest orange land in
the vallej-.

Mr. Pollard married Susan A. Re3'nolds, of
Downey, Cal., and of this union there are three
children: Richard C. and William R., of Covina,
Cal., and Mrs. John O'Bert, of Downey, Cal.

Holding liberal views regarding politics, Mr.
Pollard is nevertheless inclined toward the Dem-
ocratic party. He is an active worker and dea-
con of the Christian Church, contributing gener-
ously to its support and also serving on its board.
Fraternally he is associated with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows at Covina. For many
years he has been a large stockholder in the
Azusa Irrigating Company. He is esteemed for
his many admirable and exemplary traits of char-
acter, his unfailing good nature and general
interest in all that tends to benefit the town of
his adoption.

j AMBERT L. RATEKIN. The greater
jiL number of California's successful men were
U born and reared east of the Rockies, but
have developed their able business qualities in
the Pacific states, the salubrious climate and
fruitful region of Southern California especially
seeming to stimulate and enthuse their every
faculty. Noteworthy among these people is Mr.
Ratekin, the secretary and manager and a
director of the Covina Orange Growers' Associa-
tion, of which he was one of the organizers and
incorporators in 1899. He was born March 15,
i860, in Warren county. 111., which was likewise
the birthplace of his parents, Joseph and Haney
(Lester) Ratekin. His father is still a resident
of that county, being a farmer of experience and
success, but his mother has passed to the life
beyond, her death having occurred in December,
1872.

Mr. Ratekin was brought up on the home
farm, in Warren county, where he obtained a

good knowledge of the many branches of agricul-
ture, and received excellent educational advan-
tages. After leaving the district school he
attended Whipple Academy, in Jacksonville, 111.,
being there as a pupil when Hon. W.J. Bryan
was a member of that institution. He subse-
quently spent a year at Galesburg, 111., as a stu-
dent in Lombard University, after which he was
for a short time manager for a shingle manufac-
turing company in southern Idaho. Returning
from there to Warren county. 111., he established
himself in the mercantile business at Swan
creek, where he continued two years. He was
thereafter engaged in agricultural pursuits in
Illinois until the fall of 1893, when he decided to
make a complete change of location, and came to
California. In 1894 he settled in Covina, where
he now owns a well-improved orange ranch of
twenty acres, to the care of which he devotes
much of his time, although he has many outside
interests and duties. Besides his official con-
nection with the Covina Orange Growers' Asso-
ciation, he is also a director of the A. C. G.
Deciduous Association, which he assisted in
organizing. Politically he is an active worker for
the Democratic party, and does much for further-
ing the interests of that party when he considers
those interests to be also for the general good of
Covina. At present he is a member of the local
school board, and its clerk. Fraternally he is an
Odd Fellow, belonging to the Covina lodge.

September 13, 1887, Mr. Ratekin married
Clara Dean, of Warren county, 111., and they
have one child, Gladys H. Ratekin.

(TjTEPHEN C. HEADLEY is one of the most
Nk extensive growers of oranges in the Azusa
Q) valley. Of English-Scotch ancestry, he
was born in Essex county, N. J., April 12, 1833.
His parents, Caleb B. and Mary A. (Wilkinson)
Headley, were natives of New Jersey. His
paternal grandfather, after migrating from Scot-
land, served with courage and fidelity in the war
of the Revolution.

Stephen C. Headley grew to man's estate in his
native county. The schools of his youth were
limited in extent and opportunity, and, having
much to occupy his time on his father's farm, his
chances for education were confined to the winter

424

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

terms. He was, however, an energetic and
faithful student, and, realizing his limitations,
adopted a course of general reading, supplemented
by various devices for gaining a thorough busi-
ness training.

Settling in Dakota county, Minn., he became
a stock-raiser and agriculturist, in which he con-
tinued for a quarter of a century. In 1887 he
came to Los Angeles county, Cal., and settled in
the Azusa valley, which has since been his home.
His property consists of thirty-five acres, which
is highly cultivated, and largely given over to
orange growing. His efforts in this particular
line have been attended by the most pronounced
success, and he is regarded as an authority on
the subject.

Mr. Headley married Jennie Wiggins, a native
of Maine, who died in 1883. He is prominent in
many lines of general activity, including that of
director and incorporator of the A. C. G. Decid-
uous Association, and the A. C. G. Citrus
Association. He is a member of the Masonic
order of Hastings, Minn. , and was for .several
years supervisor of Empire township, Dakota
county, Minn.

With the most advanced movements of his
town and county Mr. Headley has been identified.
He is regarded as an enterprising and reliable
citizen. In common with the other dwellers of
the valley he has witnessed many changes and
experienced many hardships and failures, which,
turned to good account and followed by success,
render him eligible for the high estimation in
which he is held.

rjEUBEN A. MEREDITH. As a pioneer
1^ settler of Los Angeles county, and one of
r\ its leading horticulturists, Mr. Meredith
is worthy of mention in this work. He has been
a resident of this section of Southern California
for more than thirty years, and has been per-
manently located in Covina since 1894. He was
born April 30, 1840, in Sumter county, Ala., a
son of Reuben A. and Ann E. (Harwood) Mere-
dith, both Virginians by birth and breeding.
The Harwood family originated in Scotland,
whence the founder of the American family of
that name emigrated in colonial times, settling
in Virginia. On the paternal side Mr. Meredith

is uf Welsh ancestry, and of a distinguished
faunly, his grandfather. Dr. Reuben A. Meredith,
having been a noted physician, and a soldier in
the war of 1812.

Mr. Meredith was reared to manhood in Ala-
bama, where he served an apprenticeship of five
years at the blacksmith's trade, which he followed
a number of years as a journeyman. In April,
1861, he enlisted in Company G, Fifth Alabama
Infantry, C. S. A., and served under Generals
Beauregard, Joseph E. Johnston and Lee, and
when Stonewall Jackson was killed in the battle
of Chancellorsville, he was under his command.
He participated in many engagements, including
the battles of Seven Pines, the seven days' fight
before Richmond and the battle of Gettysburg.
He was in both of the P'redericksburg campaigns,
the battles of Cold Harbor, the Wilderness and
Spottsylvania Court-House. He was with Early
in the Shenandoah valley, was in the Petersburg
campaign and surrendered at Appomattox. At
Chancellorsville he was captured in the second
days' fight, and for ten days was held a prisoner
in Washington, D. C. Entering the army as a
private he was promoted to the rank of sergeant
soon after, and served in that capacity during
the war.

On returning to Alabama Mr. Meredith settled
in Gainesville as a blacksmith, in which occupa-
tion he continued until 1868. Going from there
to Corpus Christi, Tex., he joined a company
going westward with a wagon train and a drove
of cattle, accompanying the party as far as EI
Paso, Tex., where the cattle were sold. From
there he and three of his companions came on
horseback to California, arriving at El Monte,
Los Angeles county, six months after leaving
Corpus Christi, Tex. He engaged in horti-
cultural pursuits as a fruit grower, and in 1894
located near Covina, on his present ranch; here he
has twenty acres of land, the larger part being
devoted to oranges, with which he has had
much success. During his residence here he has
become actively identified with some of the lead-
ing interests of this vicinity, being a director of
the Covina \'alley Orange Growers' Association,
of which he was one of the promoters, and a
director in the Columbia Land and Water Com-
pany, p-raternally he is a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Ancient

)^aiA^/>u^.

<iAn

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

427

Order United Workmen of Covina. Politically
he is a consistent member of the Democratic
party.

Mr. Meredith's sister, Mrs. Mary K. Harris,
resides with him. She, too, is an old settler of
Los Angeles county, having come here in Febru-
ary, 1884, and since taking up her residence in
Covina has won the respect of the community.

city and county. He is held in the highest es-
teem by all of his acquaintances in the town
where for so many years he has made his home.

|7 RANK LECOUVREUR is a native of Ortels-
r^ burg, East Prussia, and was born June 7,
I * 1829. He came to California via Cape
Horn in 1851. Possessing clerical ability and a
good education, he readily found employment
suited to his tastes and his ability. The qualities
of mind and heart which he possessed brought
him popularity with the people. In public af-
fairs he took a warm interest, keeping in touch
with movements for the benefit of his community.
Under John W. Shore he received an appoint-
ment as deputy county clerk and while acting in
that capacity, for a period of about three years,
he was an efficient officer and rendered valuable
services to the county.

Later Mr. Lecouvreur entered the office of
Captain Hancock, then county surveyor. Soon
he became familiar with every detail connected
with that office. In fact his fitness for the posi-
tion was so evident that he was elected county
surveyor, which office he filled with the greatest
efficiency for two terms of two years each. Dur-
ing these two terras he made some important
surveys for the county. Later he also partitioned
the Verdugo rancho of about forty thousand
acres into smaller tracts. The office of county
surveyor was tendered him for the third term,
but he declined the proffered honor, and accepted
the position of cashier of the Farmers & Mer-
chants' Bank.

June 14, 1877, Mr. Lecouvreur was married
in San Francisco, Cal., and after a visit to
Europe returned to Los Angeles. About 1888
he suffered a serious sickness and general decline
in health, since which time he has lived in re-
tirement. He is a man of great patience and
fortitude, as well as education and culture. In
former years he was a very active and u.seful citi-
zen, doing much to promote the welfare of his

pCJlLLIAM Q. CUSTER, who conducts an

\ A / undertaking business at Covina, resides
Y V one and a quarter miles west of this place,
on a finely improved ranch that has been his
home since 1893. The property comprises ten
acres, of which six acres are under orange culti-
vation and the balance in lemons. Mr. Custer
was born in Highland county, Ohio, October 31,
i860, a son of Joseph B. and Martha J. (Purdy)
Custer, the former a native of Pennsylvania and
now deceased; the latter born in Ohio and now re-
siding in Latah county, Idaho. The Custer famil}'
is said to be of German extraction.

On the home farm in Highland county Mr.
Custer lived until he was fourteen years of age,
meantime, under his father's instruction, gaining
a knowledge of agriculture and of carpentering.
He then accompanied his parents to Andrew ,
county, Mo., where he completed his education
in common schools. For a number of years he
engaged in teaching school in Missouri and Ari-
zona. In the spring of 1887 he went to Garfield,
in the then territory of Washington, where he
opened an undertaking establishment and also
carried on a furniture business for some years.
During his residence in that town he served as
city treasurer and police judge and for several
years held of^ce as clerk of the school board. His
interest in educational matters has continued with
his change of residence, and he is now president
of the board of trustees of Lower Azusa schools,
in which responsible position he has proved a
most efficient and satisfactory official. His po-
litical views are Democratic in the main, although
his tendencies are toward independence of thought
and vote.

Coming to Southern California in 1893, Mr.
Custer embarked in horticultural pursuits, in
which he has since engaged. In May, 1899, he
opened an undertaking business in Covina, and
this he now conducts, in addition to the manage
ment of his ranch. In the Baptist Church of Co-
vina he is a deacon and a member of the board of
trustees, and for four years has acted as Sunday-
school superintendent. He is a man of integrity

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

uiid iiilcUigeiice and justly stands liiyh as a citi-
zen. By his marriage to Miss Lavina M. Hague,
who was born in Nebraska, and in girlhood re-
moved to Garfield, Wash., he has three children:
William P., Mark B. and Clyde C.

GlRTHUR D. HOWARD, one of the recent
r I acquisitions to the list of wide-awake busi-
l\ ness men in Los Angeles, has made his
home in this immediate locality for over eleven
years, and has been intimately associated with
the improvement of this section of the state dur-
ing that period. He is imbued with the spirit of
progress which marks the closing years of the
century, and is an ardent believer in the future of
Southern California.

Born in Milwaukee, Wis., October 15, 1854,
Arthur D. Howard is a son of James P. and
Sophronia (Porter) Howard. His father was
one of the pioneers of Wisconsin, where he settled
in 1836, and he owned and carried on a farm in
the vicinity of Milwaukee for many years, mean-
time winning the esteem of his neighbors and
acquaintances.

In the common schools of his district and in
Carroll College, Waukesha, A. D. Howard ob-
tained a liberal education. About the first prac-
tical application of his knowledge was when he
was asked to assist in the surveying of Milwaukee
township, which task he eflSciently performed.
Subsequently he mastered the carpenter's trade,
which he has followed as a calling ever since.
Coming westward, he found employment in
Nebraska, Colorado and other states, and in
January, 1889, he arrived in Los Angeles.
With the exception of five years, when he lived
upon his own ranch not far distant from the city
limits, he has worked at his trade here, with few
interruptions, and inevitably became thoroughly
posted in local building and real estate problems.
For a number of years he has been well ac-
quainted with Joseph A. Morlan, of this city,
and in 1900 they joined their interests and now
are engaged in the real-estate business under the
firm name of Joseph A. Morlan & Co., having
their office in the Laughlin building, on South
Broadway.

The marriage of Mr. Howard to Helen M.
Baker was solemnized December 26, iSSi. She

is a native uf Milwaukee, coming from one of the
respected old families of that state. The How-
ards have a pleasant home at No. 1606 West
Eleventh .street, Los Angeles, and the two sons
and two daughters of the family are young people
of much promise. They are named respectively,
in order of birth, as follows: George Porter,
Alfred Tyler, Sadie May and Helen Mary.

Mr. Howard is a Republican in his political
views, and fraternally he is a member of the In-
dependent Order of Foresters, belonging to the
local lodge. He enjoys the good will and respect
of a multitude of business men here and else-
where, and has made an enviable reputation for
integrit}' and square dealing.

IT DWIN R. SHRADER, president of the Los
1^ Angeles Business College, which occupies
1^ all of the fifth floor of the Currier building,
on Third street, between Broadway and Spring
street, was born in Wood county, Ohio, May 15, -
1841. His parents, John and Margaret (McNabb)
Shrader, were among the pioneer settlers of the
Western Reserve, and the thriving town of
Fostoria now occupies a part of their old home
farm.

Professor Shrader received his academic educa-
tion at Hedding Seminary, in Abingdon, Knox
county. 111. Subsequently he was a student at
Genesee College, Lima, N. Y., and finally was
graduated from the Northwestern University,
Evanston, 111., in 1871, receiving the degree of
A. B. and in due time that of A. M. He then
acted as assistant professor of physics and
chemistry in that institution until 1876, when he
was elected to the chair of natural science in
Chaddock College, Ouincy, 111. Subsequently
he was elected superintendent of schools at Mt.
Sterling, Brown county, 111., which position he
held for five years.

In 1885, on account of his wife's ill health,
Profes.sor Shrader came to California and imme-
diately became connected with the university at
Los Angeles, in which he held a prominent posi-
tion for a number of years, having been senior
professor. In June, 1888, he received the degree
of Doctor of Philo.sophy from Mallieu University
at Bartley, Neb. He is one of the most promi-
nent educators in that section of the state, and as

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

president of the Los Angeles Business College
has succeeded in making that institution one of
the best of the kind in the west.

In 1874 Professor Shrader was united in mar-
riage with Miss Eva Mattison, of Evanston, 111.,
a daughter of S. A. Mattison, now a prominent
citizen of Los Angeles, who for over a quarter of
a century was one of the most prominent in-
surance men in the United States. Our subject
and his wife have three children, namely: Edwin
Roscoe, Ada May and Sarah Ethel.

HENRY T. BINGHAM, a pioneer of Cali-
fornia, residing in Pomona, came to Califor-
nia as early as 1853 and settled at San Ber-
nardino, where for some twenty years he made his
home. Meantime he engaged in agricultural
and horticultural pursuits. From there he
moved to Compton, Cal., but remained in that
place for a short time only. Returning to San
Bernardino, he continued there for two years
more, and then settled in Artesia, this state,
where he took up agriculture and horticulture.
During the year 18S3 he removed thence to
Pomona, where he has since devoted his time to
fruit-raising.

Mr. Bingham was born in Nottinghamshire,
England, May 20, 1828, a son of Robert W. and
Martha (Lupton) Bingham. He was reared in
his native shire of Nottingham and received his
education in local schools. Under his father, who
was a general merchant, he early gained a
thorough knowledge of the mercantile business,
and this he followed as long as he remained in
England. In 1850 he took passage on a sailing
vessel from Liverpool to New Orleans, and after
a voyage of eight weeks landed in the latter city.
He spent two years in St. Louis, Mo., and
Lebanon, 111. April 5, 1852, he married Emma
Caudwell, a native of Lincolnshire, England.

Shortly after their marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Bingham started for California, joining a com-
pany that traveled across the plains with a train
of .six wagons. They drove from St. Louis via
Salt Lake City to San Bernardino, arriving in
the last-named town after a trip of almost six
months. Here he settled, as before stated.
While residing in San Bernardino he was a mem-
ber of the board of trustees of the Central school

district and during the entire term of his service,
four years, he served as clerk of the board. For
almost one. year he was a trustee of Pomona, and
he has also been a member of the board of health
of this city. Politically he is independent, voting
for principle and for the best men, regardless of
party.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Bingham consists
of ten children : Mrs. James E. Stones, of Artesia,
Cal.; Henry T. L-, living in Solomonsville,
Ariz.; Robert W., of Artesia; Walter J., who is
in Clifton, Ariz.; Martha, deceased; Mrs. L. O.
Matthews, whose home is at Long Beach, Cal.;
Mrs. E. W. Clark, of El Paso, Tex.; Mrs. G. F.
Vaughan, of Clifton, Ariz.; Mrs. G. H. Royer, of
Pomona; and Mrs. Byrd H. Schooley, also of
Pomona.

r"REDERICK W. SHERWOOD. Within the
rS limits of Covina valley there are few fruit-
I ^ packers and shippers so well known as the
Fay Fruit Company, with which Mr. Sherwood
has been identified since 1898, having had the
contract for the packing of their fruit at Covina.
This company, during the orange season of 1900,
shipped two hundred and ninety cars from Covi-
na to the eastern markets, making the largest
shipment of oranges from this point during the
season, with the exception of the shipment made
by the Covina Citrus Association. Besides his
work in this connection, Mr. Sherwood has for
ten years engaged in horticulture in Covina, own-
ing an orange orchard of eight acres, which is in
a high state of cultivation. He is also a director
of the Covina Mutual Building Association and a
member of the loan committee of the same.

Of English birth and parentage Mr. Sherwood
was born in Yorkshire, June 14, 1861. His ed-
ucation was received mainly at Gainford Acade-
my and Cleveland College, Darlington, England.
After leaving college he was for five years em-
ployed in a clerical capacity in a bank in Darling-
ton, being first junior clerk and later promoted to
senior clerk. In 18S3 he came to America, fir.st
settling in Napa City, Cal., where he engaged in
fruit growing for a number of years. In 1888 he
settled in Southern California, and since 1890
has been a permanent resident of Covina.

Like so many Englishmen, Mr. Sherwood is
fond of outdoor sports. He is a charter member

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of the Coviiia Country Club, the Coviiia Tenuis
Club and the Covina Golf Club. At an early age
he became identified with the Church of England
and now holds his membership in the Episcopal
Church of Covina. By his marriage to Miss
Alice K. Wilkins, of Yorkshire, England, he has
four children, namely: Harold R. L., Cyril V. S.,
Muriel E. and Gvvendolin A.

Very probably few are more familiar with the
fruit-packing business, in every phase and depart-
ment, than is Mr. Sherwood, whose successful ex-
perience makes his advice valuable upon every
subject connected therewith.

rr A. BEARDSLEE. One of the pioneers in
j^ the telegraphic service in the United States
L_ • isE. A. Beardslee, who has spent his entire
mature life in the employ of the Western Union
Telegraph Company. For the past twelve years
he has been located in Los Angeles, where he is
one of the best-known citizens, and his numerous
friends will take pleasure in perusing his history,
which, could it be written in detail, would con-
stitute a large volume.

He is a son of William E. Beardslee, who was
connected with the Union Manufacturing Com-
pany of Norwalk, Conn., for several years. Prior
to the Civil war he joined the state militia, and
at all times he was relied upon to perform the
duties of a good and patriotic citizen. He died
at Norwalk in October, 1880, aged seventy-two
years. His wife, the mother of our subject, was
Lucretia Miner in her girlhood, and New York
.state was the place of her birth.

E. A. Beardslee was born in Newtown, Conn.,
December 2, 1845, and in that village received
his education, chiefly in Norwalk private schools.
When he was sixteen years old he started upon
his business career by securing employment as a
messenger boy in the Norwalk office of the Union
Telegraph Company, which was merged into the
American Telegraph Company, and later into the
Western Union Company. His strict attention
to his duties, and his unusually quick, keen
understanding, made him a mark for promotion,
and in September, 1862, he was stationed in the
company's ofiBce at Fall River, Mass. The fol-
lowing year he was transferred to New York City,
thence went to Boston, and later to Pittsburg,

where he remained until the close of the Civil
war. During that long struggle between the
north and the south his services were esteemed
almost invaluable, and he may justly be proud of
the fact that he held the record of being one of
the most rapid receivers and transmitters of mes-
sages in the employ of the company. In 1865 he
was again transferred to Boston, where he contin-
ued with the same corporation. At the close of
fifteen years in Boston he came to California,
reaching Sacramento, his new field of operations,
in April, 1880, and completing his career there in
September, 1887. Since the last-named date he has
been located in Los Angeles, where he now holds
the trustworthy position of manager of the
Western Union , and at the same time superintend-
ent of the Los Angeles District Messenger Com-
pany. He is thoroughly acquainted with every
detail of the telegraph .system and service, and
has simplified and improved the old order of
things, thus materially contributing to the safety
and reliability of modern telegraphy. Politically
he is a Republican, as was also his father. He is
a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

When he was in his nineteenth year Mr. Beards-
lee married MissVelena Babcock, of Rhode Island.
She died, leaving one son, W. E. M., who is su-
perintendent of a large hop and fruit ranch near
Sacramento. The second wife of our subject was
Miss Marv E.Cross, a native of Lawrence, Ma.ss.

AMES W. RUSSELL, who spent the last
years of his life in Covina, was a native of
Indiana, born March i, 1832. When a lad
of tender years he lost his mother, and was thus
deprived of an influence which he never ceased to
regret. He was soon afterward taken to Illinois
by his father, and there he grew to an intelligent
understanding of the various branches of farm
work. The schools of the time were crude and
limited in number, offering scant outlet for the
rising enthusiasm of an apt and ambitious boy.
He therefore availed himself of whatever came
under his observation, and reading was his favor-
ite pastime.

Before he left Illinois Mr. Russell married Mrs.
Jane Pete, a native of County Monaghan, Ire-
land, born November 2, 183 1. She was a daugh-
ter of Andrew and Elizabeth Breakey, natives of

XiULu^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

433

the north of Ireland, but of Scotch extraction.
Mrs. Russell has one adopted daughter, Annie,
widow of the late William L. Finch, of Covina,
who died September 15,1899.

For nianj' years Mr. and Mrs. Russell lived
upon their farm in Illinois, near St. Louis, but
subsequently moved to the vicinity of Edwards-
ville, the same state. Early in the '90s they
came to California and settled in Covina, where
Mr. Russell died July 31,1898. Since his death
Mrs. Russell has given her attention to the man-
agement of her orange orchard of five acres, and
also to the supervision of her other property in
Covina. . She is an active member of the Method-
ist Episcopal Church, and contributes to its
activities. Her first marriage was to George
Pete, a native of the north of Ireland. The}'
had one sou, William Andrew Pete, deceased.

Although his sojourn among the people of
Covina was of comparatively short duration, Mr.
Russell left behind him an impression of capabil-
ity and kindness and all-around good-will, which
will live long in the memory of his friends and
associates.

pCJlLLIAM D. ELLIS. The history of the
\ A / dwellers of the San Gabriel valley would be
YY incomplete without emphatic mention of
William D. Ellis, who, although not one of the
old residents of the locality, is one of the best-
known and most influential. He owns a ranch
one mile west of San Dimas, consisting of thirty
acres, devoted principally to orange culture. On
this place he has made his home since 1896,
meantime giving his attention closely to its im-
provement.

A native of Chemung county, N. Y., Mr. Ellis
was born June 30, 1848, a son of Ebenezer and
Abigail (Barnum) Ellis, also natives of New
York state. His paternal grandfather was a
soldier of the Revolution and served his country
with fidelity and courage. When William was
thirteen years of age his father died, and in a few
years his mother also passed away. He was
therefore thrown upon his own resources for a
livelihood. Looking around him for a means of
subsistence, he was led to select farming as his
occupation, having a fondness for tilling the soil,
together with some experience in the work. Going
west to Rock county. Wis., for several years he

was engaged in general farming. Subsequently,
for a number of years he varied his occupation
with travel in various states of the Union, and
later served as foreman of a coal company in
Newcastle, Wash., for three years. For several
years he also resided in Colorado and engaged in
the wood business.

The year 1883 found Mr. Ellis in Pomona,
Cal., which at that time was a mere hamlet, with
a few scattered houses here and there and with no
noticeable prospects for the future. He was one
of the pioneers to whom the city owed its first
start and the fact that it is now in so flourishing
a condition. In 1896 he moved to San Dimas
and settled on the ranch he now owns and culti-
vates. He was one of the prime movers in or-
ganizing the Artesian Belt Water Company, in
which he is now a director. Other local move-
ments have received the impetus of his encourage-
ment. At heart a Republican, he is, however,
liberal in his ideas regarding politics, and espe-
cially in local matters maintains an independent
attitude.

B3' his marriage, December 23, 1891, to Miss
Amelia S. Pratt, of Wayne county, N. Y., Mr.
Ellis has one son, J. Pratt Ellis.

(Joseph MOXLEY, who is a horticulturist
I of the Covina valley, and also a contractor
O and builder, is a native of Schoharie county,
N. Y., and was born February 26, 1849. The
Moxley family is an old English one and lays
claim to many ancestors who have rendered their
country distinguished service. The parents of
our subject were Amos and Lydia (Woodward)
Moxley, natives of New York. His great-great-
grandfather, Joseph Moxley, served with courage
and enthusiasm in the war of the Revolution,
and was killed at the battle of Fort Griswold.
His son, Joseph Moxley, fought beside him in
the same battle and was wounded, but subsequent-
ly recovered.

Joseph Moxley, the subject of this sketch, was
reared on his father's farm, where he learned
every phase of the work, and at the same time
availed himself of the educational advantages of-
fered by the district schools, and the high school
at Jefferson, N. Y. His father was a cooper by
trade, and the youth, under his father's tutelage,

434

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

became an expert in the same line, to which lie
devoted himself for several years after attaining
his majority.

In 1878 he changed the scene of his efforts to
British Cohnnbia, later going to San Francisco
for a time, and eventually settling in Los Angeles
county, where he has since lived. He owns
twenty acres of highly improved land, which he
has converted from practically a barley field into
a thriving orange grove. Upon his arrival in Los
Angeles county he worked as a contractor and
builder, having previously employed himself in
that capacity in Artesia, Cal., and he still follows
that business.

Mr. Moxley married Amanda Smith, of Jeffer-
son, N. Y., and of this union there are four
children: George L., Bertha E., Fred O. and
Mary A.

Prominently connected with the Methodist
Episcopal Church, Mr. Moxley is one of its most
generous contributors. He has for years served
as steward and trustee, and takes a vital interest
in all things pertaining to the church's welfare.
For four years he served as postmaster at Covi-
na, soon after his arrival in this part of the
countrj-. Among his friends and associates he
is regarded as a broad-minded, progressive, relia-
ble and enterprising man.

EHARLES E. BEMIS, who has made Covina
his home since 1886 and is a director of the
Covina Water Company, was born in Rock
count}-, Wis. , July 29, 1850, a son of Edmund
and Louisa (Hall) Bemis, natives respectively of
Massachusetts and New York, the former of
English extraction. The years of youth he
passed in his native county, receiving his educa-
tion ill local schools and in the Evansville (Wis. )
Seminary. In 1872, with his parents, he moved
to Colorado and settled near Colorado Springs,
where he followed agricultural pursuits for some
years. At a later date he was at the head of a
jewelry bu.sine.ss in Longmont, Colo., having as
a partner his brother, H. G. , under the firm name
of Bemis Brothers. After a partnership of several
years Charles sold his interest to his brother
and in 1S86 came to Covina, of which he was a
liioneer and in which place he has since engaged
in horticultural pursuits. He owns a ranch of

twenty acres, under oranges and lemons, and
also owns and conducts an orange stock nursery.

With the progress of his town and the ex-
tension of its interests Mr. Bemis has been closely
identified. For four years he held office as jus-
tice of the peace at Covina. The Covina Irri-
gating Company has received the impetus of his
aid; for three years he oflSciated as its president
and for seven years served as its secretary. He
assisted in the organization and incorporation of
the Covina Water Company, of which he was
elected the first president, and at this writing is
a director in the same. He is also a member of
the Covina Citrus Association, of which he was
the first president. He assisted in the organiza-
tion of the A. C. G. Lemon Association, and has
been honored with the oflSce of president in that
flourishing organization. In the organization of
the A. C. G. Deciduous Association he was a
prime factor, and he has since served on its board
of directors.

By his marriage to Miss Sarah M. Souther, a
native of Oakland, Cal., Mr. Bemis has four
children now living: Waldo E. , Harold W.,
Muriel W. and D. Mildred. Fraternally he is
connected with Covina Lodge No. 362, I. O. O. F.
In politics he is a believer in Republican prin-
ciples and he has served efficiently as a member
of the county central committee of his party .-

Mrs. Bemis is a daughter of William H. and
Maria (Huff) Souther, natives respectively ol
Kentucky and Michigan. Her father crossed the
plains to California with an ox-team in 1849,
being one of that famous band of '49ers to
whose enterprise so much of the subsequent
progress of the state was due. For a time he
made his home in Oakland, and for years he
served as justice of the peace in Alameda county,
of which he was an honored citizen and promi-
nent Republican. His wife came to California by
ox-team, during the '50s, in company with her
brothers, .settling in Alameda county, where she
met and married Mr. Souther. To Mr. Souther
belongs the distinction of having planted the first
deciduous fruit trees on what is known as the
Phillips tract, a strip of land comprising two
thousand acres and covering what is now the site
of Covina. It was during the '80s that the.se
trees were planted, and for years they were
among the finest bearing trees in this valley. He

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

435

did much other work of a pioneer nature, and
proved himself in every respect a typical pioneer,
interested in everj' enterprise for the advancement
of the state. Especially did he do much to assist
in the reclamation of a large tract of land in the
Bakersfield district, constructing the first irri-
gating canal from Kern river to Kern lake.
During the first years of his residence in this state
he was prominently identified with placer mining
in Northern California, and this industry he fol-
lowed successfully for some years.

0EORGE A. STEFFA. With the progress
|_l of Los Angeles county, and more especially
vU with the history of Pomona, Mr. StefFa has
been identified for years, having contributed to
the development of its business resources and to
the upbuilding of its educational interests. His
progressive spirit being known, he was deemed a
wise choice for the position of school director, and
in April, 1897, he was elected for a term of four
years. Soon after his election he was made
president of the board of education, a responsible
office, which he has filled with the greatest
efficiency for three years.

Mr. StefFa was born in Ogle county, 111., Au-
gust 5, 1859. When he was eleven years of age
his parents moved to Poweshiek county, Iowa,
and settled upon a farm, where he grew to man-
hood. His education was such as country
schools afforded, but from an early age he realized
the benefits of a thorough schooling, and hence
he has been solicitous that children of the present
and future generations should have every advan-
tage possible. At twenty-three years of age he
became a clerk in a drug store at Cedar Falls,
Iowa, where he remained for almost two years,
and afterward clerked for a similar period in a
drug store at Belle Plaine, that state. Meantime
he had acquired a thorough knowledge of the
drug business and felt justified in undertaking a
business of his own. He began in Belle Plaine,
where he continued for some time.

Leaving Iowa, Mr. Steffa came to Ontario,
Cal., in November, 1887, and in March, 1888,
settled in Pomona, where he has since resided.
During the first two years here he carried on a
drug business. Next he spent two years in horti-
culture. Afterward he embarked in the clothing

business, and, in 189S, added to his original busi-
ness a shoe department, which is now an im-
portant part of the business. He is one of the
leading clothiers and haberdashers of this part of
the county, and is accredited with a thorough
knowledge of every detail of his business.
Besides his store, he owns a ranch of twenty-five
acres, of which twenty acres are planted in oranges
and the balance in deciduous fruits. This orchard
is near Pomona, in San Bernardino county.

Through attendance at the Pilgrim Congrega-
tional Church and through his membership in the
lodges of Odd Fellows and Ma.sons, Mr. Steffa
keeps in touch with leading religious and philan-
thropic movements of Pomona. Local enter-
prises for the benefit of the people receive his
encouragement and help. In his views he is
progressive, but not radical. Liberal in the sup-
port of every worthy object, the community finds
in him a valued citizen. His public spirit causes
him to take a warm interest in the affairs of his
immediate neighborhood, well illustrating that
better quality in men that delights first of all in
the upbuilding of communities. By industry he
has attained success. He had little help when a
boy. His parents, John and Mary Steffa, being
in moderate circumstances financially, he was
forced to become self-reliant at an early age.
His father is still living and is now in his eighty-
second year.

Mr. Steffa was married in Iowa to Mrs. Mar}-
(Schlichting) Paulicek, a native of Iowa. She
is the mother of two children, Emil and Julia.

(John H. COOLMAN, horticulturist, builder
I and contractor, is known as a promoter of
(2/ many of the vast enterprises which the pe-
culiar soil and climatic conditions of California
have made indispensable, in order to effect the
development and utility of her boundless re-
sources.

Born in Medina county, Ohio, October 22,
1852, he is a .son of William and Leah (Hyde)
Coolman, the former a native of Pennsylvania
and the latter of Ohio, both of German descent.
During the infancy of John H., his parents moved
to Allen county, Ind., and cast their lot among
the early settlers of Fort Wayne and vicinity.
In addition to the pursuit of agriculture his father

436

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

was a contractor and builder, his excellent work
and public-spirited efforts gaining him consider-
able prominence, which was abruptly terminated
by his death in 1862, from the effects of a fall re-
ceived while constructing a building.

In 1889 Mr. Coolman came to California, and
for a number of years was engaged in building
and contracting. In the meantime he purchased
an interest in the Villinger nursery, with which
he was identified for a short time. Subsequently
he purchased a ranch and combined his horticul-
ture with nursery interests, but relinquished the
latter in 189S. Previous to 1899 he owned a fif-
ty-acre ranch, forty acres of which he himself
improved from wild and uncultivated land. Ten
acres of the property became known as a model
orange ranch, the fruit being considered the best
in Southern California.

Mr. Coolman has been foremost in all enter-
prises for the advancement of Covina. He was
the prime mover in organizing the Covina Land
and Water Company, and has, since its incorpo-
ration in 1895, been president thereof, as well as
director and general manager. He sustains about
the same relation to the Covina Water Company,
of which he is now vice-president. One of his
most pronounced successes toward the upbuilding
of Covina was in securing the right of way of the
Southern Pacific Railroad through the town, and
inducing the officials of the road to take advan-
tage of the franchise. The wisdom of this move
has been increasingly demonstrated, and largely
augmented by his further zeal in securing the
right of way between Bassett and Pomona. Mr.
Coolman' s relations with the railroad company
have been of a particularly harmonious nature,
thus promoting the interests of Covina.

In politics Mr. Coolman is a Democrat. He is
a member of the Masonic order at Covina, and
also of the Covina Country Club, which he was
largely instrumental in organizing and establish-
ing. He was married at Fort Wayne, Ind., to
Mary J. Cordway, of tliat town. Two of the
brothers Coolman were soldiers in the Civil war;
Alfred received injuries in the .service which re-
sulted in his death, and Adam, having .survived,
is now residing in Decatur, 111. Another brother,
George W., is now the leading contractor and
builder of Covina, Cal.

Mr. Coolman represents that rare and admira-

ble type who, surrounded by opportunities out
of the general order of things, have known how
to take advantage of them. He has thus made
himself an indisputable force in the town of his
adoption, and enjoys the appreciation and respect
of a grateful community.

^^HOMAS E. FINCH. Among the citizens
f C of Los Angeles county conspicuous for
\^ their ability and worth is Mr. Finch, who
is an important factor in the industrial interests
of Covina, where he is a prosperous horticul-
turist. He was born June 12, 1853, i" Mont-
gomery county, Va., a son of the late William
and America (Bradford) Finch, the former of
whom was of English ancestry and the latter of
Scotch descent.

When about twelve years old he moved with
his parents to Claiborne county, Tenn. , where, on
the farm which his father had purchased, he
grew to manhood. He attended the private
.schools of the neighborhood, the knowledge
there gleaned being afterwards supplemented by
good reading and by lessons obtained through
experience. In 1873 he began the battle of life,
starting for himself as a farmer in East Tennessee,
and here he remained until 1876, when, accom-
panied by his wife and one brother, he migrated
to California, the great El Dorado of the west.
Arriving in Los Angeles county in December,
1S76, he located first in the town of Artesia,
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits, an oc-
cupation which he afterwards followed in various
localities in California, including the San Joaquin
valley, Alameda and Ventura counties. Return-
ing from the last-named county to Los Angeles,
he was engaged in general farming in Puente for
seven years, coming from there to Covina in
1898. Having here erected a brick block, he
embarked in mercantile business wifi his son,
William L., now deceased, and under the firm
name of T. E. Finch & Son carried on an exten-
sive trade in groceries until the death of the junior
partner, in September, 1899. Mr. Finch gave up
mercantile pursuits at that time, and has since
devoted his attention to horticulture, a branch
of industry in which he is meeting with deserved
success.

Mr. Finch takes an intelligent interest in local

^/" 7

'O/U^^CiT^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

439

affairs, endeavoring by all means within his
power to promote the welfare of the town and
county. He was one of the organizers of the
Covina Valley Orange Growers' Association,
which has been a financial success from its in-
ception, and in which he is a director. As a
citizen and as a man he is held in high esteem,
and is a valued member of the German Baptist
Church.

While living in Tennessee Mr. Finch married
Melissa Bird Hepner, who was born in West
Virginia. Six children have been born to Mr.
and Mrs. Finch, namely: Cora Ellen, now Mrs.
George Chamberlain, of Pnente, Cal. ; William
L., deceased; Hattie, George W., Thomas L.
and Raymond R.

ITdMOND H. BARMORE. Our beautiful
j^ city by the sunset sea has attracted to it
L_ hundreds of men of enterprise and abilitj',
who have had the keen foresight to discern the
possibilities of the future. Among this number
is the president and general manager of the Los
Angeles Transfer Company, which is one of the
largest organizations of its kind in Southern Cal-
ifornia, its .steady growth being in a large meas-
ure due to the wise judgment and business
acumen of its principal officer. Organized in
1886, shortly after the arrival of Mr. Barmore in
Los Angeles, it was made a corporation in 1889,
and has since brought its stockholders excellent
returns on their investment. It furnishes em-
ployment to fifty hands and has twenty-seven
teams constantly employed. From the first it
has proved a financial success for its projectors.
It controls the right of transfers on all railroads
running into the city and is the only transfer
company here that has agents on the road.

In the life of Mr. Barmore are illustrated the
results of perseverance, judicious management
and determination. The people of his city, fully
appreciating his worth, accord him a place in
the foremost ranks of prosperous business men.
From a very early period in his life he has been
familiar with business, hence has gained a wide
and helpful experience. Born in Jeifersouville,
Ind. , the only son of a successful business man,
be was in youth given every advantage which
the best institutions of learning afforded. In
1882 he graduated from the University of Michi-
23

gau at Ann Arbor. He then returned home and
became interested with his father in the ship-
building business, the title of the firm becoming
Barmore & Son. Four years later, however, he
left the east and established his home in Los An-
geles, where he owns and occupies a residence at
No. 1027 Burlington avenue. Besides the enter-
prise with which his name is most closely asso-
ciated he is connected with a number of other
financial enterprises in this city. He is also a
member of the Chamber of Commerce and the
Merchants' and Manufacturers' Association.

In politics a Republican, Mr, Barmore advo-
cates with earnestness the principles of that party
and supports its candidates with his ballot. He
is liberal in the support of every worthy enter-
prise which is brought to his attention, and the
city has in him a valued citizen, one who takes a
commendable pride in Los Angeles and its ad-
vantages, and gives his encouragement to move-
ments looking to the material advancement of the
town. While living in Indiana he was married,
in 1884, to Miss Mary G. Downham, a native of
Delaware. They are the parents of two sons,
David S. and Edmond H.

rgEORGE H. WATERS. While much of the
|_ fruit raised in California is shipped to the
\^ market in its fresh state, it has been found
impossible to get the entire product to the distant
points of shipment before the process of decay be-
gins. Hence, the canning and drying of fruit
has become one of the most important industries
of the state. It is this occupation which Mr.
Waters successfully follows. He is the princi-
pal member of the firm of G. H. Waters &
Co., of Pomona, who have made a specialty of
the following brands of canned goods: Orange
Blossom, Mocking Bird, Chrysanthemum and
California Poppy. In addition to these brands,
which are their leaders, they have nine other
brands on the market, most of their product be-
ing sold in eastern cities. During the busy can-
ning season they furnish employment to about
four hundred hands, which makes their industry
one of the largest of its kind in all of this fruit-
growing region.

In Hendricks county, Ind., Mr. Waters was
born July 12, 1846, a son of Joseph and Julia

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

(Hocker) Waters, both natives of Kentuck}- and
of Welsh extraction. He grew to manhood upon
his father's farm and earlj- acquired a knowledge
of agriculture, at which he was occupied until
1876, with the exception of one j-ear in the mer-
cantile business. During 1876 he moved to Den-
ver, Colo. , and engaged there in the wholesale
fruit business, remaining there until 1890, when
he sold out his Denver interests and came to
Pomona, Cal. The following j'ear he embarked
in the drying and canning of fruit, under the
firm name of G. H. Waters & Co., and this has
been the title of the firm ever since, his two part-
ners being the Pitzer brothers.

While his attention has been principally' con-
centrated upon his business affairs, Mr. Waters
has neglected no duty of citizenship. Local en-
terprises receive his encouragement. For four
years he was a member of the board of city trus-
tees of Pomona. He has also been interested in
the advancement of the public schools. He is an
elder in the Christian Church of Pomona and one
of the largest contributors to its maintenance.
He is married, his wife having been Miss Harriet
Fleece, of North Salem, Ind.

pGjESLEY WILBUR BECKETT, M. D. It
lAl ascertain that skilled physicians and sur-
Y Y geons, like the subject of this article, are
in great demand wherever they elect to make
their place of abode, and it is only the mediocre
who are left behind in the race towards success
and prominence. Dr. Beckett was born on the
Pacific slope, and dearly loves this portion of the
country. His father, Lemuel D. Beckett, a na-
tive of New Jersey, born in 1 818, and by occu-
pation a farmer and merchant, grew to manhood
in the east, and there married Miss Sarah S.
Chew, who survives him, he having died April
27, 1885. For many years they dwelt in Oregon,
whither they came in 1852, and later they re-
moved into the adjoining state, California.

The date of the birth of Dr. Wesley W. Beckett
is May 31 , 1857, 3"<^ the place of his nativity was
Forest Grove, Washington county, Oregon. His
boyhood was chiefly spent in California, and his
elementary education was exclusively acquired
here. Having determined to devote his life to
the medical profession, he took up studies along

that line and attended Cooper Medical College
and the University of Southern California, in
which institution he was graduated April 11,
1888. In the meantime he went to New York
City and pursued a complete course of special
studies in the New York Post-Graduate School
and Hospital, receiving there the practical ex-
perience, under the supervision of old and trained
physicians, which he felt that he needed ere en-
tering upon his actual professional career.

Returning to California and later receiving his
diploma as related above, he opened an office in
Los Angeles in February, 1889, and from that
time to the present has faithfully discharged the
duties devolving upon him. He has met with
richly deserved success, and enjoys the friend-
ship and sincere regard of a host of patients and
acquaintances. In surgical cases he takes spe-
cial interest, and has performed a number of ex-
ceedingly delicate and difficult operations which
have brought him fame. Thoroughly imbued
with the progressive spirit of the times he neg-
lects no opportunity for advancement and im-
provement, and by taking the leading medical
journals and attending all of the various medical
meetings of this part of the state he keeps posted
in modern methods and discoveries in the science
and treatment of disea.se. From time to time he
has contributed valuable articles to the Southern
California Medical Journal and to eastern publi-
cations, and his opinion is highly esteemed in the
Los Angeles County, the California State and the
Southern California Medical Associations, to all
of which he belongs.

From his youth to the present time Dr. Beckett
has been an earnest friend of education. Prior
to his entering upon his professional career he
taught schools successfully for six years in San
Luis Obispo county, Cal., and for two years held
the important office of deputy superintendent of
schools in that county. In his political faith he
is a Republican; fraternally he is a Mason. Act-
ive in the work of the Methodist Epi.scopal
Church, he now holds the office of trustee and is
one of the enthusiastic and liberal contributors to
the cause of Christianity.

On New Year's Day, 1882, Dr. Beckett mar-
ried Iowa Archer, daughter of William C. and
Mary M. Archer, who came to California when
Mrs. Beckett was only tour years old. She is a

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

441

native of Iowa, and received her education in the
public schools of this state and in the State
Normal at San Jos6, Cal. Two sons, Wilbur
Archer and Francis H., bless the home of our
subject and his estimable wife.

^RAT MIRANDE, a pioneer of Pomona and
I— proprietor of the well-known Mirande vine-
^J yard, was born in Olorin, department of
Passes-Pyrenees, France, September 15, 1849.
His father, F. P. Mirande, was also a native
Frenchman. Until he was eighteen years of age
our subject passed his life in agricultural pur-
suits, chiefly in connection with viticulture. He
received a fair education in his native tongue and
since coming to America has gained proficiency
in English and Spanish.

Mr. Mirande emigrated to this country in 1867,
his route being from Havre to San Francisco, via
New York, Aspinwall and Colon. He left his
home September 14 of that year and reached his
destination November 23. After remaining in
' Frisco for ten months (during which period he
engaged in business on Pine street) he removed
to Los Angeles and embarked in sheep-raising,
then the chief industry of the county. In ten
years his flock numbered ninety-five hundred,
and in 1877 he sold four thousand head at one
sale. He had visited the present site of Pomona
as early as 1869, purchased ten acres here in
1879 for $750, and the next year located on the
land where he now resides and where he has
since been engaged in the manufacture of wines-
In 1882-83 he dispo.sed of his sheep business,
at which time his large flock included one thous-
and wethers.

At various times Mr. Mirande has added to his
original vineyard until the tract devoted to viti-
culture now embraces forty-three and one-half
acres. In 1884 and 1885 he was offered $20,000
for the ten acres which he had purchased five
years before for $750. This offer he declined, but
he consented to sell for $10,000 a piece of real
estate for which he had paid $750 and on which
the People's Bank now stands. His judgment
of values, whether of live stock or land, has been
remarkable. The same success has attended his
wine interests and the demand for the products of
his vineyard has been .so broad and incessant that

he has found it impossible to keep in stock wines
of greater age than ten years. Ports, sherries
and other light wines which have made California
so famous have their choicest representatives in
his cellars. Not a little of his land is also given
up to the raising of citrus and deciduous fruits.

Mr. Mirande is known for his public spirit, is,
in short, a representative man of California, en-
joying the full confidence of the business and so-
cial communities with which he has been identi-
fied through all the past years. He is a Demo-
crat, but with independent proclivities. His wife
was Sarah Martinez, a native of Los Angeles
county. They have five daughters and three
sons: Marceline N., John, Grace Lorine, Rob-
ert G., Stephen S., Caroline M., Hortense and
Annie.

n ENJAMIN F. EDWARDS. Such measures
fO as are calculated to promote the progress of
L^ horticulture in Southern California find in
Mr. Edwards a firm friend and champion. He
is himself a successful horticulturist, and his
orange orchard of ten acres at Covina is by no
means one of the least valuable in this fine valley.
On this place he has made his home since 1886,
meantime planting the orange trees, caring for
them season after season and watching their
growth and development with the keen interest
only an enthusiast can feel. His home has been
in this valley since 1884. Among the local or-
ganizations with which he is identified are the
Covina Water Company, of which he is president
and a director; the Covina Irrigating Company,
of which he is a director; the Covina Citrus As-
sociation, of which he is vice-president and a di-
rector; and the A. C. G. Deciduous Association.
Mr. Edwards was born March 31, 1849, in
Chester county. Pa., a son of Joshua and Rebecca
(Thompson) Edwards, both natives of Pennsyl-
vania and the former of Welsh and the latter of
English extraction. In his native county he
grew to manhood, meantime attending the Dick-
inson College at Carlisle, Pa , from which he
graduated in 1875. Having decided to enter the
ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he
began to study theology and soon entered upon
pulpit work, laboring in Indiana and Kansas for
a number of years. Subsequently he engaged
in ministerial work in Phoenix, Ariz. In 188-;

442

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

lie came to California and for a short time
preached at Artesia and later at Azusa. In 1886
he turned his attention from preaching to the
fruit business, in which he has since been inter-
ested. However, he is still active in religious
work, and is now treasurer of the Methodist
Episcopal Church at Covina and a steward in the
same. Politically he has for years voted with
the Republicans in national issues, while at the
same time he has also given the Prohibition party
his support where it has been practicable. By
his marriage to Catherine Fuss, of Emmitsburg,
Md , he had three children, but Maude E- is the
only one now living.

EALVIN B. OLI^f. Through an active busi-
ness life of many years, passed in various
states, Mr. OUn established and maintained
a reputation as a conservative, honorable busi-
ness man, whose standard of business integrity
was the highest and his own transactions irre-
proachable. While he has been retired from
business cares since coming to Pomona in 18S6,
yet his life is by no means an idle or aimless one:
in the management of his seven-acre orange or-
chard he finds sufficient to engross his attention.
It has been his aim to make his place one of the
best in the neighborhood and he has spared no
pains in introducing such improvements as will
increase the profits from the land.

The ancestors of Mr. Olin came to this coun-
try from Wales in a very early day. He was
born in Wyoming county, N. Y., March 22,
1828, a son of John and Maria (Smith) Olin, na-
tives respectively of Shaftsbury, Vt., and Che-
nango county, N. Y. His mother was ninety-
nine years of age at the time of her death and
his father died at the age of eighty. The latter
was a son of Ezra Olin, a native of Vermont. In
early life John Olin was a tanner and currier,
but subsequently he became a farmer of
Wyoming county, N. Y.. where he remained un-
til his death.

The boyhood days of Calvin B. Olin were
passed quietly and uneventfully on a farm. His
education was commenced in public .schools and
completed in Middlebury, N.Y. , at the Wyoming
Academy. After leaving the academy he taught
one term of .school. When twenty-seven years

of age he left New York and settled in Wiscon-
sin, opening a grocery at Baraboo, where he con-
tinued in business for six years. Going from
there to Michigan, he began to farm in Kalama-
zoo county. A number of years later he returned
to Wisconsin, where he embarked in the milling
business in Rock county.

After several years he again changed his loca-
tion, this time settling in Ottawa, Kans., where
he carried on a book and stationery .store for
fifteen years. Finally he selected Pomona as his
permanent location and established his home in
this place. He has witnessed much of the growth
of the city and has been a factor in the develop-
ment of its material resources. His support is
given to measures for the benefit of the com-
munity. Worthy enterprises he supports, both
moralh- and financially. He contributes to the
aid of religious work, but is not a member of any
church. Having been convinced of the harm
done by the liquor traffic and believing that by
its license our country compromises with a
great evil, he has allied himself with the Prohi-
bition party and supports all its efforts in the
line of temperance reform. He and his wife
(who was formerly Sylvia Burbank, of Lowell,
Mass.) have the esteem of their associates and
hold a high place in the best social circles of
their town.

ROBERT N. MARTIN took up his residence
in the Covina valley in 1875, purchasing a
squatter's claim of forty acres which he de-
veloped and rendered fertile, and planted twenty
acres with citrus and deciduous fruits. Of the
original forty acres he now owns ten, which tract
is used for the cultivation of oranges.

A native of Livingston county, Ky.,hewas
born May 20, 1850. His parents were Robert
and Elizabeth (Stringer) Martin, natives of
Kentucky. His father had an enviable reputa-
tion as an agriculturist and an all-around, reliable
citizen. He came from \'irginia when a boy and
spent the remainder of his life in Kentucky.
Greatly interested in the cause of education, he
was for a number of years a successful teacher in
the public schools, later serving for .several terms
as assessor of Livingston county, Ky. He came
of English ancestry.

Robert N. Martin spent his box hood days in

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his native county and obtained his education in
the private schools. Later he profited by oppor-
tunities.of a practical business nature, when at
the age of eighteen he assumed charge of his
father's business, remaining in that capacity until
his twenty-third year. In 1873 he began a series
of changes in location, living for .short intervals
in San Luis Obispo county, Ca!., Los Angeles
and El Monte, his wanderings permanently end-
ing in 1875 upon the ranch where he now lives.

The marriage of Mr. Martin united him with
Ella Shelton, of Los Angeles, Cal, who died in
1888. Of this union there are four children, of
whom only one, Murray Martin, is living.

A typical pioneer of the Covina valley, Mr.
Martin has shown unswerving patience and en-
terprise in reaching his present position in the
community. His original tract of land was wild
and unpromising, but under intelligent manage-
ment has become a source of pride and gratifica-
tion to its owner and a credit to its surroundings.

HON. ROBERT NELSON BULLA. In re-
viewing the history of a community there
are always a few names that stand out pre-
eminently among others because their owners pos-
sess superior business, literary or professional abil-
ity. Such names and such men increase the im-
portance of a city or state and add to its prosperity.
Their intelligence is a power for good in local
affairs and their keen intellectual faculties pro-
mote not only their individual success, but that
of their fellow- citizens as well. Among the men
of Los Angeles who have become eminent at the
bar and in public affairs, and who are known in
the halls of legislature, especial mention belongs
to Mr. Bulla. He was born near the city of
Richmond, Wayne county, Ind., September 8,
1850, a son of Hiram and Elizabeth (Staley)
Bulla. His parents were born in Wayne county,
Ind., and now reside in Kansas, near Fort Scott.
Hiram Bulla's father moved from North Carolina
to Indiana in 1806 and settled in Wayne county.
He and his wife lived to be ver)- old, he dying
in 1886, and she some years before. They were
the parents of eighteen children. Of the other
ancestors little is known, except that most of
them were of Quaker descent.

After completing common school studies, Rob-

ert N. Bulla entered the National University at
Lebanon, Ohio, taking the regular scientific and
classical courses and graduating with the first
honors of his class. His abilities were recognized
by his alma mater, which retained him as a
tutor. A year later he entered upon the study of
law in Cincinnati. After two years of study, as
required by the laws of Ohio, he was admitted to
practice and pursued his calling in that city for
two years. During his residence in Cincinnati
he married Consuelo, daughter of Elias Longley,
a well-known author of a system of stenogiaphy
and a newspaper man connected for many years
with the journals of that city. Mrs. Bulla died
in 1889, leaving no children. In August, 1890,
Mr. Bulla married Evangeline Sutton, a niece of
Dr. W. H. Venable, one of Ohio's prominent
educators and a poet and author of local note.
She is the daughter of C. Z. and Hannah
(Venable) Sutton, who were born in Ohio and
now reside in Los Angeles. Four children have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bulla: Vivian Olive
and Loris Evangeline, and two who died in
infancy.

In 1882 Mr. Bulla moved from Cincinnati to
New York City, but the climate not agreeing
with his wife, he came to Southern California,
arriving in Los Angeles December 26, 1883.
For the next four years he was connected with
the oflSces of Bicknell & White, after which he
practiced alone. In the campaign of 1892 he
was induced to accept the nomination, by the
Republican party, for the assembly in the
seventy fifth district, comprising the second and
third wards of Los Angeles city. His opponent
was Hon. M. P. Snyder, afterward mayor of
Los Angeles. Mr. Bulla was elected by a hand-
some majority. In the legislature he soon gave
evidence of breadth of mind. He took an active
part in the session of 1893, although his party
was in the minority in that branch of the legisla-
ture. It was during this session that he intro-
duced an entirely original idea in legislation, a
bill which provided for the -purchase, by the
state, of all land sold for the non-payment o
state and county taxes. No other state has ever
grappled with this question in this manner.
Owing to its novelty it met with strenuous op-
position on the part of some of the state officials,
but its excellent features commended themselves

446

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

strongly to the members of the two houses and
it passed and went to the governor for his signa-
ture. Representations were made to Governor
Markham that in its operation it would deprive
the state of its revenue. He therefore vetoed it,
much to the disappointment of its friends.

Two }-ears later Mr. Bulla was re-elected to the
assembly. He accepted the position chiefly to
re-introduce his now famous bill. At this election
his opponent was a fusionist, but he won the
election by a majority far greater than at his
former election. In the session of 1895 he again
introduced the delinquent tax bill. It passed
the legislature and was approved by Governor
Budd. The law has been in force for several
years, and has been found a measure wise and
beneficent toward those who are unfortunate in
having their realty sold for taxes, saving them
enormous sums in percentages upon redemption,
delivering them from the unjust exaction of
purchasers of tax titles. It has also proved to be
the means of increa.sed revenue to the state, be-
cause it receives the benefit of all the penalties
upon redemption. In this wise provision in the
interest of the people Mr. Bulla has filled one
station in life by raising true principles to the
platform of public good.

In 1893 Goverpor Markham appointed him a
member of the commission to inquire into and
report to the next legislature the practicability of
the so-called Torren's system of land transfers.
The majority of the commission reported favora-
bly, and Mr. Bulla drew a bill embodying the
substantial provisions of the act, modified so as to
conform to the constitution of the state. He
introduced this bill in 1895, but it failed to pass,
owing to the strenuous opposition of the ab.stract
companies of San Francisco and Los Angeles,
who thought their business would be injured by
the passage of the bill.

During the session of 1895 Mr. Bulla was chair-
man of the judiciary committee, di.scharging his
duties in a very satisfactory manner. He was also
a member of several other important committees.
His position practically made him the leader of
the Republicans in the assembly. At the clo.se of
the session Governor Budd tendered him the po.si-
tion of code commissioner, but it was declined
on account of ineligibility, as, having been a
member of the body that created the office, his

appointment was prohibited by the constitution
of the state. In the fallof 1898 he was a candidate
for the state senate from the thirty-seventh
district, comprising all but three wards of the
city of Los Angeles. His popularity was so
great that he was nominated by acclamation, and
was elected by the largest majority of any Repub-
lican on the ticket. Although Bryan carried the
city by seven hundred, Mr. Bulla had a majority
of about twelve hundred. During the session of
1897 he was chairman of the senate committee
on claims and as such passed on all claims again.st
the state which were presented to the legislature.
The position was a most difficult one, requiring
much courage to resist the pressure and impor-
tunities brought to bear in favor of many unjust
and unconstitutional claims. He was also a mem-
ber of the judiciary committee and the committee
on municipal corporations. During this session
his bill on Torren's land transfer, which had been
defeated in 1895, waspa.ssed, notwith.standing the
strenuous efforts of a paid lobby to defeat it. At
this session he introduced and had passed a bill
changing the laws governing the state normal
schools, the object being to remove them as far as
possible from political influence. He al.so intro-
duced a bill, which became a law, preventing
divorced persons from remarrying within a year
from the date the decreeof separation was pas.sed.
This bill has received severe criticism from some,
yet it is doing much to free the state of California
from the stigma of numerous divorces, which had
grown to be an evil of no small dimensions.

At the time of the retirement of Senator White
from office, Mr. Bulla was third in the list of
aspirants during the contest, which resulted in
no election. A special session of legislature was
called .some months subsequent, which resulted
in the election of a United States senator; none
of the candidates prominent during the regular
session, however, was chosen for the position,
the choice falling upon Hon. Thomas R. Bard.

For many years Mr. Bulla has been an advo-
cate of good roads, hence has championed the
good roads proposition of the last session, and
after a severe struggle .secured the passage of the
measures introduced by the bureau of highways,
which, however, were vetoed by the governor.
Fourteen other bills were introduced by him and
became laws, thus attesting his industry and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

447

ability as a meitiber of the legislature. At the
close of the last legislature he was again offered
the position of code commissioner by the gov-
ernor, the constitutional difficulty having been
eliminated. Though at first declining, he was
later induced to accept the appointment, and en-
gaged in this most important work. The object
of the commission is to carry into the codes the
numerous statutes enacted since the adoption of
the codes in 1873, to conform to the sections of
the code in the construction placed upon them
by the supreme court; to harmonize their pro-
visions and to suggest other amendments as may
seem in the interests of justice to all the people.
Mr. Bulla has always been more or less identi-
fied with religious work in his community and,
with his wife, holds membership in the Unitarian
Church. Formerly he was connected with the
Congregational Church. He is a member of
Pentapha Lodge, F. & A. M., and of the chapter,
council, commandery and shrine, being Illustri-
ous Potentate of the last-named body. He is
also a member of the Independent Order of For-
esters, the Maccabees and the Fraternal Brother-
hood, being supreme councillor in the latter
order. He is also a charter member of the Sun-
set Club and the Jonathan Club, also a member of
the California Club, the principal literary and
social organization of Los Angeles. He oc-
cupies an honored position among theliterateurs.

(] AMES BECKET, treasurer and superintend-
I ent of the Consolidated Water Company of
(2) Pomona and a resident of Pomona since
1884, is recognized as one of the most influential
men in the city. It was largely due to his efforts
that Pomona was incorporated as a city, and dur-
ing the entire period of his residence here he
has favored and assisted projects for the benefit
of the people and for the development of local
resources. Together with Peter Fleming, now
deceased, he prospected for water north of Clare-
mont, and organized the Consolidated Water
Company of Pomona, an incorporated concern,
of which A. C. Moorehead, now deceased, was
the first president. Mr. Fleming was chosen su-
perintendent and served in that capacity until
his death, which occurred in February, 1897.
July 26, 1896, the business was incorporated. At

the time of the incorporation Mr. Becket was
chosen secretary and treasurer, and since the death
of Mr. Fleming he has also acted as superintend-
ent. It will thus be seen that he is most in-
timately associated with the development and
growth of this important industry.

Mr. Becket was born in Peterboro county,
Ontario, March 25, 1843, a son of James and
Agnes Becket, natives of Scotland. His father
was seven and his mother five years of age at
the time of going to Canada. The former served
as a councilman in Asphodell township, Peter-
boro county, of which he was a well-known agri-
culturist. James Becket, Jr., was reared in his
native county on the home farm and received a
grammar-school education, which was afterward
supplemented by extensive reading and observa-
tion. His first business venture was at Hast-
ings, Ontario, where he engaged in the mercan-
tile business for a short time. Coming to the
States he settled at Traer, Tama county, Iowa,
where he combined agricultural pursuits witli
the proprietorship of a mercantile establishment
for a period of fourteen years. Later he carried
on merchandising at Lake View, Sac county,
Iowa, where he spent two years. In December,
1884, he became a resident of Pomona, where he
conducted a mercantile business for some years,
and since then he has been interested in the water
company. He is also engaged in fruit-raising,
having a fine orchard of ten acres on Holt ave-
nue, Pomona, all of which is planted to oranges.
Besides this property he owns a tract of seventy-
three acres of water-bearing land, at the head of
San Antonio avenue, and at the foot of the
mountain. His residence, which is one of the
most elegant in Pomona, stands at the corner of
Holt and Garey avenues, and is furnished in a
manner that indicates the refined tastes of the
family. All of this property he has accumulated
by his unaided efforts. On starting out for him-
self he had no one to assist him, but was forced
to depend iipon his own resources from the age
of thirteen years, when his mother died. Hence
his present prosperity is especially creditable to
himself. His attention having been engrossed
by his various private business interests, he has
had no leisure to participate in public affairs and,
aside from voting the Republican ticket at all
elections, takes no part whatever in politics.

448

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

lu 1868 Mr. Becket married Miss Christie S.
Slater, of Northumberland count}', Ontario. Their
home is brightened bj' the presence of two
daughters, Edith B. and Beatrice M. His two
sons are both deceased; Ethelbert Harold, died
aged twenty-six 3'ears, and Carl Clifford when
eighteen months old.

ELBOURNE P. DODGE. For nearly a
score of years this gentleman has been act-
ively connected with the great southwest,
its development and gradually increasing pros-
perity. He is known far and near, especially
among those who are interested in mining opera-
tions and property, and has succeeded in mate-
rially advancing the mineral enterprises of this
section of the United States. A self-made man,
he has risen by his own intrinsic worth and
ability, and enjoys the esteem of all who know
him.

The birth of Mr. Dodge occurred in Nova Sco-
tia, and there his early years were passed, his
education being such as the common schools af-
forded. When he was in his eighteenth year he
obtained a position as a clerk in a dry-goods
house at Halifax, and during the five years of his
employment there he laid the foundations of his
future prosperous business career. He then held
a similar place with a dry-goods firm in St. Johns,
New Brunswick, for two years. Returning then
to the old homestead, he gave his attention to
agriculture until 1881, when he concluded to try
his fortunes in the great southwest.

Going to Tucson, Ariz., Mr. Dodge became an
employe of A. D. Otis & Co., lumber merchants
of that place, remaining with them for about two
years. Later he established a business at the
Total Wreck Mining Camp in Arizona, and dealt
in general merchandise and supplies, as well as
carried on mining operations. At that time he
first became genuinely interested in mines and
mining and since then has devoted considerable
attention to the subject, in which he is now well
posted. After prospecting for a period in the
mountains he returned to Tucson, where he es-
tablished and conducted a grocery for several
years. He became deservedly prominent and in-
fluential and served as a memberof the city coun-
cil for vears.

In October, 1897, Mr. Dodge came to Los An-
geles, where he became connected with the local
branch of the Security Mining and Development
Company. He is the chief clerk of the company,
and as the president and general manager, Dr.
Comstock, is necessarily absent from the city much
of the time, the burden of responsibility largely
rests upon Mr. Dodge, who uses rare good judg-
ment in dealing with the extensive interests rest-
ing in his hands. He also is the chief clerk of
the Prescott Development Syndicate of Glasgow,
Scotland, the business of this company being
transacted in Los Angeles and Arizona. New
railroads are being con.structed and a large terri-
tory of vast mineral wealth in this section of the
Union is being yearly opened, and that American
citizens are not fully awake to their opportunities
is a fact that must be deplored, when it is seen
that even foreign capitalists are readier, in many
instances, to invest their wealth, than are our
rich men.

In 1877 Mr. Dodge was united in marriage with
Miss Christiana Smith, likewise a native of Nova
Scotia. She was reared to womanhood in that
locality, and received the benefits of a good edu-
cation. She has been a true helpmate to her
husband in his struggles to make a name and
place for himself, and now shares in his prosperity.

EORNELIUS STOUT, proprietor of the Po-
mona Planing Mill at No. 215 West Bertie
street, Pomona, and a resident ofthis city since
1887, was born in Fulton county. 111., September
23, 1849, a son of Michael and Ann M. (Suydam)
Stout, both now deceased. He was reared in De
Kalb county and received his education in its
common schools, the knowledge there acquired
having since been supplemented by practical busi-
ness experience and habits of close observation.
At the age of si.xteen years he began to learn
barn building and framing, being trained by his
father, who was a practical mechanic. While thus
engaged he also assisted his father in the manage-
ment of the home farm.

Leaving Illinois in 1875, Mr. Stout went to
Albany, Linn county, Ore., and for a short time
followed the carpenter's trade there. He then
went to Susanville, Lassen county, Cal., and for
some ten vears followed the builder's trade. Dur-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

451

iug hisresideuce iu that place lie married Jessie
E. Soule, who was born in Iowa, and by whom
he has one daughter, Frances E.

The year 1886 found Mr. Stout in Los Angeles,
where he engaged in building. A year later he
came to Pomona, which was then a mere village.
At first he followed building, but soon turned his
attention to wagon-making. The inception of
his present busine.ss dates back to 1891, when he
put in the first machinery of the planing-mill.
From that time he engaged in general jobbing,
doing all kinds of woodwork. He is the sole pro-
prietor of the business, and employs four hands
steadily in his mill.

Fraternally Mr. Stout is connected with the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Woodmen of the World at Pomona. In politics
he votes with the Republican party. From a
business standpoint he is recognized as one of
Pomona's industrious and intelligent men, hav-
ing built up one of the principal industries of the
city, and at the same time gained the confidence
of the business portion of the population.

p Washington hadley. whoever labors

\ A / for the advancement of his community,
V Y assisting in the development of its financial,
commercial, agricultural or educational interests,
promoting the welfare of his fellow-citizens and
aiding in the progress of the place, is entitled to
rank among its public-spirited, progressive citi-
zens. Such a man is Mr. Hadley, than whom
Whittier has no citizen more prominent or popu-
lar. His name has been identified with almost
every important measure for the benefit of the
town. His help has been relied upon in the de-
velopment of material interests. His generosity
has stimulated local progress, and his intelligence
has enabled him to devise means of enhancing the
common good. Since 1887 he has been inti-
mately associated with the Pickering Land and
Water Company, one of the most valuable agen-
cies in the development of this region, and he is
now president and also treasurer of the company.
This, however, by no means represents the limit
of his activities. In 1894 he was the principal
factor in the organization of the Bank of Whit-
tier and was chosen its first cashier; after a time
he was promoted from that position to the presi-

dency of the bank and continued at its head until
1900. During that year the institution was
merged into the First National Bank of Whittier,
of which he has since been the president. In
common with the majority of the residents of
Southern California he is interested in horticul-
ture. He has made a specialty of raising En-
glish walnuts, and has a large ranch near Rivera,
which is under culture to these trees.

The life of a man of such prominence is of
special interest to those who are familiar with his
name and work. He was born in Guilford county,
N. C, December 12, 1817, a son of Jonathan and
Ann (Long) Hadley. His paternal ancestors
were English Quakers, and were finst represented
in America during the seventeenth century.
Hon. John Long, a maternal uncle of Mr. Had-
ley, represented his district in North Carolina as
a member of the United States congress, and was
a man of wide influence in the south.

When Mr. Hadley was a child of seven years
his father died, and in 1831 he accompanied his
mother and the other members of the family to
Indiana, settling in Morgan county. His educa-
tion, although limited, was sufficient to enable
him to teach school, which occupation he fol-
lowed when less than eighteen years of age. At
the age of nineteen he went to Parke county,
Ind., and there engaged in a general mercantile
business for many years. During his residence
there he was for two terms (four years) treasurer
of the county. In 1866 he settled in Lawrence,
Kans., where he soon became known as a man of
superior ability. For a time he was a member
of the city council, where his work was so ac-
ceptable that he was recognized as a man fitted
for the highest office within the gift of the people
of Lawrence — that of mayor — and he was elected
and filled that position for four years with the
greatest efficiency. It was largely due to his in-
fluence that the National Bank of Lawrence was
organized, and he was chosen its first president,
also, at different times, serving as its cashier and
vice-president. Finally, however, he disposed
of his interests in the bank in 1889 and three
years later came to Whittier, where he has since
resided. For many years he has served as an
elder in the Friends' Church, and has taken a
very active part in the work of that society.
While living in Lawrence he was instrumental

452

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ill organizing the jearlj- meeting of Friends at
Lawrence. Throughout all of his active life he
has been a strong temperance man, a believer in
Prohibition principles as applied to intoxicants,
and by precept and example he has endeavored
to create a sentiment in favor of the same. In
politics he was a Whig until that partj- disinte-
grated, since which time he has adhered to Re-
publican principles.

The marriage of Mr. Hadlej- united him with
Miss Naomi, daughter of Micajah Henley, who
settled in Wayne county, Ind., in 1866. Of
their children seven survive, viz.: Albert, who
is cashier of the National Bank of California in
Los Angeles; Mrs. Matilda Johnson, of Law-
rence, Kans. : Almeda, now Mrs. A. D. Picker-
ing, of Detroit, Mich ; Ella, the wife of Charles
Monroe, who is an attorney of Los Angeles;
Laurie, wife of T. E. Newlin, who at one time
served as county clerk of Los Angeles county and
is still living in the city of Los Angeles; Flora,
wife of George E. Little, ca.shier of the First
National Bank of Whittier; and EmilieV.Hadlev.

WALTER LINDLEY, M. D. One of the
pioneers in the medical profession in Los
Angeles, his work here covering a period
of a quarter of a century. Dr. Walter Lindley
stands second to none as a physician and public-
-spirited citizen. During his long residence here
he has been a witness of most of its phenomenal
growth and prosperity, and few have been more
active in the establishment of necessary and use-
ful in.stitutions for the care of the sick and
unfortunate. His has been a busy and useful
career and he is eminently worthy of a represent-
ative place in the annals of his country.

The doctor's parents, Milton and Mary E.
(Banta) Lindley, were natives of North Carolina
and Vevay, Ind., respectively. His father,
whose birth occurred October 7, 1820, removed
to the Hoosier state in early life, and for several
years was engaged in the mercantile and banking
business there. Later he went to Minneapolis,
Minn., and there conducted a real-estate business
until 1874, which year witnessed his arrival in
Los Angeles. He owned considerable property
here and devoted much of his time thenceforth to

its improvement. In 1S79 he was honored by
election to the office of county treasurer of Los
Angeles county, a position which he filled with
scrupulous integrity and to the entire satisfaction
of the public. After he had .served for three years
in the capacity of county treasurer his many
friends desired him to accept other positions of
trust. In 1884 he was chosen as one of the coun-
ty supervisors, and during his two years in that
office he was chairman of the finance committee.
He died at his home on West Jefferson street,
Los Angeles, in May, 1895. His ancestors were
orthodox members of the Society of Friends, and
his venerable mother recently died at Whittier,
Cal., when ninety-seven years of age.

Mrs. Mary E. Lindley, mother of the doctor,
was born October 8, 1829, and though she has
passed the seventieth anniversary of her birth
she enjoys good health and is in the possession of
all of her faculties. Her ancestors were natives
of Holland and were numbered among the early
inhabitants of Manhattan Island, and .some of her
immediate family were residents of Kentucky
and Virginia. Three of her father's uncles
were soldiers in the Revolution. John and
Abraham Banta were under command of Col.
Robert McPherson, and Capt. Hugh Camp-
bell, in the second battalion of York county,
Pa., and Samuel Banta entered the service
in December, 1776, under command of Cap-
tain Van Arsdale, and served in the York
county (Pa.) troops under the command of Gen-
eral Putnam. The two brothers of Mrs. Lind-
ley's father, Jacob and Andrew Banta, were
heroes of the war of 18 12, both serving in the
command of Captain Rice, in the Kentucky
Mounted Volunteer army under Col. R. M. John-
son (afterward vice-president of the United
States). They both participated in the battle of
the Thames, Canada, Octobers, 1S13, when the
American forces, under Major-General William
Henry Harrison, defeated the British. The four
brothers of Mrs. Lindley, Quincy, Jepthah,
Samuel and William Banta, all were soldiers in
the Civil war and each one of the number were
officers who won distinction. The youngest,
William, who enlisted at President Lincoln's first
call, was promoted from the ranks, step by step,
until towards the close he was commissioned
lieutenant-colonel.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

45;

Dr. Walter Liiulley was born in Monrovia,
Ind., January 13, 1852, and his literary education
was chiefly acquired in the Minneapolis high
.school. In 187 1 he commenced the study of
medicine and graduated from Keene's School of
Anatomy, in Philadelphia, in 1872, after which he
attended two courses of lectures at Long Island
College Hospital, Brooklyn, N.Y., and was grad-
uated there in 1875. Prior to this event, in 1874,
he was appointed ambulance surgeon by the
Brooklyn board of health, and also served as res-
ident physician in the Eastern District Hospital
of Brooklyn until the day of his graduation.
These duties, in addition to his regular medical
study and preparation, kept his time fully occu-
pied, as may be judged, and few young men would
have undertaken such a weight of responsibility
at the time.

In 1875 Dr. Lindley came to Los Angeles
and embarked upon his successful career as a
physician and surgeon. During 1879 and 1880
he was city health officer. In 1882, and again in
1887, he went to New York City and pursued
.special courses in the Post-Graduate Medical
School and Hospital. Surgery has been his chief
study for several years, and he devotes a great
deal of time to research and reading, keeping
himself thoroughly posted in all modern methods
and discoveries. He is a devoted member of the
California State Medical Society, of which he was
president in 1890, and is a charter member of the
Southern California Medical Society. For several
years he was the secretary, and in 1882 was the
president of the Los Angeles County Medical
Association.

Twenty years ago Dr. Lindley became presi-
dent of the Los Angeles Orphans' Home, which
he was very influential in founding, and he still
acts as one of the trustees of that institution. He
also aided materially in the organization of the
Los Angeles Humane Society, and served as its
president in 1895. Actively concerned in the
founding of the College of Medicine in the Uni-
versity of Southern California, he served from
1885 onward, for several years, as secretary of
the faculty, for six years was professor of obstet-
rics, and at present and for years past has held
the chair of gynecology in the same institution.
In 1897 the doctor and twenty of the leading
physicians and surgeons of Los Angeles organized

the California Hospital Association, and immedi-
ately erected the handsome and well-equipped
California Hospital. This beautiful building, the
embodiment of practical modern ideas in regard
to the care of the sick, contains one hundred
rooms and is centrally located at No. 1414 South
Hope street. The hospital was opened June 11,
1898, and has proved to be a thoroughly beneficent
and successful enterprise. In 1886-87 Dr. Lind-
ley was superintendent of the Los Angeles Coun-
ty Hospital, and was an able, efficient officer.

The education and training of the young is a
subject which has had the earnest and sympa-
thetic interest of Dr. Lindley, and in 1880 and
1 88 1 he served as a member of the Los Angeles
board of education. His extended experience
here led him to the conclusion that more adequate
provision for the care and education of boys wa.s
a matter of vital importance, and, after agitating
the question for ten years or more, he succeeded
in getting the California legislature to make a
liberal appropriation for the establishment and
maintenance of a school where trades should be
taught and where boys should receive a sym-
metrical education morally, mentally and physi-
cally. Dr. Lindley was appointed to supervise
the building of the Whittier state school, at
Whittier, Cal., and resided there as superinten-
dent from 1890 to 1894, in the meantime practi-
cally demonstrating the wisdom of his ideas, giv-
ing the Whittier school a standing unequalled
among juvenile reformatories, and vindicating
the theories which he had long advocated.
Though he always has been an active Republican,
he was appointed by the Democratic governor of
California as one of the trustees of the Whittier
state school, and at present he is president of the
board. For several years he was vice-president
of the National Conference of Charities and Cor-
rections and still retains an active membership in
the same. When the International Pri.son Con-
gress was held in Paris, in 1895, President Cleve-
land appointed the doctor as the Pacific coast
member of the United States commission to that
convention. As indicated, the honors which be
has received at the hands of political heads of the
opposition party are eloquent testimonials to his
sterling worth and recognized ability. In 1877
he assisted in the organization of the Young
Men's Republican Club, the first club of the kind

454

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ever formed in Southern California, and nf tliis
he was chosen president.

Though he has devoted the major part of his
time and attention to his profession, Dr. Lindley
has won considerable fame as an author and a
contributor to various journals of merit. He
founded the Southern California Piadiiioncr, a
medical journal, which is published monthlx- in
Los Angeles, and of this he was editor from the
start until 1889, and again in January, 1899, as-
sumed the proprietorship and editorial control of
this publication, which finds its way into the
hands of every member of the profession in this
locality. Together with Dr. J. P. Widney, he
wrote "California of the South," a valuable and
comprehensive work, giving a general and cli-
matic description of this section of the state.
The work, which is published by D. Appleton &
Co., of New York, has passed through several
editions, and is considered an authority on the
subject discussed.

In 1886 Dr. Lindley made a trip to the summit
of Mount San Jacinto, which has an altitude of
eleven thou.sand feet. This mountain is in the
San Gorgonio Mountains in Riverside county, one
hundred miles east of Los Angeles. On this trip
he was greatly impressed with Idyllwild, a beau-
tiful valley of pine forests at an altitude of five
thousand feet. This he believed to be an ideal
place for tuberculous patients needing that alti-
tude At the time he wrote a description of that
.section of the country, which was published in
.several medical journals, as well as in various
newspapers and other periodicals. In Septem-
ber, 1899, Dr. Lindley, accompanied by Dr. F. T.
Bickuell, of Los Angeles, again visited Idyllwild,
when his first impressions of the desirability of
these pine-clad mountains as a resort for con-
sumptives were confirmed. This visit of inspec-
tion resulted in the incorporation of the Califor-
nia Health Resort Company, with a capital
of $250,000. This company is composed of forty
of the leading medical men of Southern California
and has purchased a tract of land three miles
long and one mile wide. This tract includes
Idyllwild and is beautifully timbered and has run-
ning streams and ever-flowing springs. As this
volume goes to pre.ss, buildings, on the cottage
plan, are well under way. They will have every
modern sanitarv convenience and will furnish ac-

commodations for one hundred persons. Dr.
Lindley is the secretary and general manager of
this corporation, as he is of the California Hospi-
tal in Los Angeles. The Idyllwild re.sort will be
ready for guests by January i, 1901. There will
be a resident physician and a corps of trained
nur.ses.

There is no firmer or more enthusiastic believer
in the future of Los Angeles than Dr. Lindley,
who has repeatedly proved his faith by invest-
ments in city real estate. He furnishes a sjilen-
did type of the successful self-made American of
high principles and keen mental acumen. His
home is at No. 141 5 South Grand avenue. In
1875 he married Miss Lou C. Puett, daughter of
Rev. W. W. Puett. There were, by this mar-
riage, two children: Flora Banta, now the wife
of Philip Kitchin, living in Los Angeles, and
Myra Josephine, now the wife of Samuel F. Both-
well, also residing in Los Angeles. Mrs. Lind-
ley died May 8, 1881. November 22, 18S2, the
doctor married Miss Lilla Leighton. Two chil-
dren, a boy and a girl, were born to them, but
both died. Mrs. Lilla Lindley died March 4,

1893-

July 18, 1894, Dr. Lindley married Mrs. Flor-
ence Hardie, daughter of James S. Haynes, and
sister of Drs. Francis L., John R. and Robert W.
Haynes, the well-known Los Angeles physicians.
They have twochildren: Dorothy, five years old,
and Francis Haynes, sixteen months.

(lOHN S. KUNS, a prominent horticulturi.st
I of the Covina valley, and president of the
O Orange Growers' Association, was born in
Clinton county, Ind., July 27, 1849. His
parents, Henry and Caroline (Spidel) Kuns,
were natives of Ohio, and of German descent.

In 1865 the Kuns family moved from Indiana
to Pratt county. 111., where for many years they
successfully engaged in general farming and
stock raising. The business ventures of John S.
Kuns have been mostly in connection with those
of his father. In 1S84 father and .son established
a private bank called the Farmers' Bank at Cerro
Gordo, 111., and they held the positions of vice-
president and president respectively. This as.so-
ciation was amicably continued until in 1894,
when John S. Kuns was compelled by failing

C-^>z..ivT_^u-t^ .jj^-^fAS-t-t-^^x^t,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

457

health to seek a change of climate and surround-
ings. He therefore disposed of his interest in
the bank, and retired from active participation
in its affairs.

Mr. Kuns took up his residence in California
in 1898, and although a sojourner of such short
duration, he has made his influence felt in vari-
ous and substantial ways. He is one of the
promoters of the Covina Valle}' Orange Growers'
Association, and has served as its president since
its incorporation in 1899. He is also a director
of the Lordsburg College, at Lordsburg, Cal.
In the matter of politics he is exceedinglj' liberal,
but has a strong inclination towards the Repub-
lican party. A member of the German Baptist
Brethren Church, he is devoted to its interests,
and generous in his contributions.

Mr. Kuns was married to Sarah M. Hawver,
a native of North Manchester, Ind., and a
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Studebaker)
Hawver. Of this union there are four children:
Mrs. Joseph Cline, of Philadelphia; Jessie M.,
Earl M. and Cyril are at home.

The Mission ranch, which Mr. Kuns owns,
comprises seventy-two acres and is located at
Covina. The land was formerly owned and cul-
tivated by Daniel Houser, who, while yet living,
donated his eighty-acre ranch to the German
Baptist Brethren Church, and they sold it to Mr.
Kuns. In his methods Mr. Kuns is progressive.
He is kindly in his dealings with his friends and
associates, and appreciated because of his many
attributes that contribute to the general well-
being.

gEORGE HINDS was a well-known business
man of Wilmington, a village of eight hun-
dred people situated near San Pedro, twenty-
two miles south of Los Angeles, on the Southern
Pacific Railroad. A native of Ireland, born Sep-
tember, 8, 1833, he was a son of Thomas Alex-
ander and Anne (Stephenson) Hinds, the former
of whom died in Cavan, Ireland, and the latter in
Australia. He left his native country when
seventeen years of age and came to America, set-
tling in Pennsylvania. He was still living there
when the war broke out between the States.
With the patriotic spirit displayed by so many of
our foreign-born citizens at that time, he en-
listed in the Union army. He became a member

of the One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania
Infantry, with which he served through the Pen-
insular campaign, taking part in many serious
engagements.

At the expisation of the war Mr. Hinds was
appointed a hospital steward in the regular army
and continued in the government employ until
1868, leaving the service in Wilmington, Cal.,
where he resided until his death, May 9, 1898.
He became a member of the firm of Vickery &
Hinds, dealers in live stock and owners of a
meat market in this village. As they were pros-
pered they enlarged their business connections
by establishing meat markets in Los Angeles,
San Pedro and Long Beach. Through their re-
liability, fair dealings and honesty they gained
a high reputation among the people of the sev-
eral towns where they established markets. In
all of his transactions Mr. Hinds showed up-
rightness and a high sense of honor, and he
amply deserved all the success he attained.

March i, 1865, Mr. Hinds married Miss Mary
Kennedy, of Pennsylvania, a daughter of John
and Mary (Ryan) Kennedy, natives of Dublin
and Limerick, Ireland, respectively. In politics
Mr. Hinds was a firm Democrat. On that ticket
he was twice elected a member of the board of
county supervisors, serving in 1874, 1875 and
1876, and during this time was president of the
board. He was again elected a member of the
board for four years, but resigned in order to ac-
cept from President Cleveland an appointment
as collector of customs for the district of Wil-
mington, which position was tendered him Au-
gust 23, 1886, and in which he showed the same
intelligence and energy characteristic of him in
other positions.

r~RANCISCO A. SANCHEZ is well known
ry throughout the vicinity of which he has been
I a life-long resident He is now secretary of
the Los Nietos Pioneer Club, which he assisted
in organizing. Formerly for a number of years
he was secretary of the Los Nietos Water Com-
pany. His interest in educational matters led to
his acceptance of a position as member of the
board of school trustees and secretary of the same,
which office he fills with acknowledged efficiency.
Since he settled upon his present property in
1885 he has given his attention to the cultivation

458

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and improvement of his ranch of one hundred and
thirty acres, the thrifty condition of which attests
his skill as a ranchman.

Mr. Sanchez was born in El Monte, Cal.,
October 21, 1858, a son of Juan Matias and
Louisa (Archuleta) Sanchez, natives of New Mex-
ico and both descendants of prominent Spaniards
who settled in the southwest in an early day.
About 1848 his father, with others of his race,
migrated from New Mexico to California and
settled in Los Angeles county, where he con-
tinued to reside until his death, November 11,
1885. Identifying himself with El Monte in an
early day, he purchased land, improved the same
and in time became one of the large land owners
of his neighborhood. He was also interested in
stock-raising. When gold was discovered in
California, in 1849, he went to the placer mines
and for a short time tried his luck as a miner, but
was not sufficiently fortunate to continue long in
the occupation. However, in farming he was
more successful and accumulated a competency.
Of his children four are living: Thomas L. ,
Frank A., Julian L. and Mrs. B. Guirado.

The education of F. A. Sanchez was begun in
the common schools of this county. For two
and one-half years he studied in St. Vincent's
College at Los Angeles, and later a similar period
was spent in Santa Clara College at Santa Clara,
Cal. Subsequently he was a student in Heald's
Business College, San Francisco. On the com-
pletion of his education he returned home and
assumed the management of his father's ranch
near El Monte. About the same time he estab-
lished domestic ties, choosing as his wife Mar-
garita, daughter of the late John Rowland, Jr., of
Puente, Cal. John Rowland, Jr., was a son of
John Rowland. The latter came here in 1848,
from New Mexico, with William Workman, Juan
Matias Sanchez and other pioneers and settled at
Puente, Cal., where numerous descendants now
live. In 1885 he moved to his present ranch at
Los Nietos, and he and his wife and their seven
children have a comfortable and happy home.
The names of their children are: Juan C, Louisa
I., RaimundoP., Leonora P., Zenobia T., Luz
J. and Franci.sco A., Jr. They are identified
with the Roman Catholic Church, having been
reared in that faith and being in sympathy with
its aims and doctrines. While he has never been

active in politics, he keeps posted concerning
public affairs and supports Democratic candidates
and principles.

30SEPH DOUGLASS came to California in
December of 1892 and for six months re-
sided at Monrovia, thence came to Pomona
in 1893 and has made this place his home ever
since. The ranch he owns comprises ten acres,
under orange culture. Mr. Douglass was born
near Danville, Vermillion county, 111., December
29, 1S34, a son of Cyrus and Ruby (Bloss)
Douglass. His father was a native of Vermont,
of Scotch extraction; and his mother, a native of
Pennsylvania, of German descent. The former
was a soldier in the Black Hawk war.

The early pioneer schools of Illinois furnished
Mr. Douglass with limited educational oppor-
tunities; his subsequent experience in practical
business affairs has made him a well-informed
man. In 1853 he started from Illinois for Ore-
gon, but when he had reached Knox county.
Mo., he decided to settle there and engage in
general farm pursuits. After a short time he
also became interested in a mercantile business,
and served as postmaster at Novelty, that county.
For twenty years he made his home in the same
county. He then moved to Kirksville, Mo., and
for nearly twenty years carried on a lumber busi-
ness there, also while there served for two terms
as clerk of the school board. From that city he
came to California in 1892.

The first marriage of Mr. Douglass was to
Eliza Hickman, a native of Illinois, who died in
1S62. Two sons were born of that union; Will-
iam A., now of Kirksville, Mo.; and Frank M.,
who is cashier of the Covina Valley Bank at
Covina. His second wife was Mary Hoye, who
was born in Maryland, near the Virginia line;
two children were born to their union: IdaM.,
at home; and Ernest, of Los Angeles. Mrs.
Mary Douglass died at Monrovia in 1893.

Politically Mr. Douglass adheres to Republican
principles. Fraternally he is connected with the
Masons in Pomona. He is a member and trus-
tee of the Presbyterian Church of Pomona, to
the support of which he contributes regularly.
The National Bank of Pomona numbers him
among its directors.

The life of Mr. Douglass inchules a number of

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

459

experiences that are out of the ordinary routine
of business. One of these was his service in the
Union army. Ini86i heenlistedin the militia from
Knox county, Mo , and served actively for nearly
three years, being first under Captain Wilson and
later under Captain Parsons. At a later period,
in 1864, he enlisted in the volunteer service, be-
coming a member of Company F, Thirty-ninth
Missouri Infantry, and with his regiment he did
duty iu Missouri and other states. Finally his
regiment was ordered to the front of the army in
the vicinity of Richmond, Va., where they
guarded prisoners. In March, 1865, he was hon-
orably discharged from the service. For some
years, during his residence at Kirksville, Mo.,
he was actively connected with the post at that
point.

During 1898-99 Mr. Douglass and his son,
Ernest, were absent from home about fifteen
months, having gone to the Klondike gold fields
on a tour of exploration. They arrived at Daw-
son City, in the heart of the Klondike, Septem-
ber I, 1898, and remained in that vicinity until
June of the following year, when they returned
home, content to leave subsequent explorations
of that region to other adventurous spirits.

r~RANK M. DOUGLASS, cashier of the
r^ Covina Valley Bank, was one of the prime
I ' movers in the organization of this well-
known financial institution, and has served as a
member of its board of directors ever since the
incorporation, in April, 1898. Throughout this
section of the county he is recognized as an able
financier and a man of business capacity, ad-
mirably adapted by native ability and by train-
ing to fill the responsible position to which he has
been elected. In addition to his identification
with the bank, he is also known as an extensive
and successful fruit- grower.

A son of Joseph and Eliza (Hickman) Doug-
lass, the latter deceased, the former a resident of
Pomona, Cal., Frank M. Douglass was born in
Knox county. Mo., July 27, 1859. He received
an excellent education in the Missouri State
Normal School at Kirk.sville. From 1877 to
1880 he taught in the public schools of Knox
county, after which for a number of years he was
engaged in the lumber business iu Kirksville, as

a partner of his father, under the firm name of
Douglass & Son. Coming to Los Angeles coun-
ty in 1887 he settled in the city of Los Angeles
at first and engaged in the real-estate and loan
business, but in 1890 removed to the neighbor-
ing town of Duarte, where he was interested in
agricultural pursuits for several years. On the
organization of the Duarte- Monrovia Fruit Ex-
change he was elected secretary and manager of
the organization, a position which he filled ably
until his coming to Covina, April 30, 1898.

On his arrival in Covina Mr. Douglass at once
identified himself with the horticultural and
banking interests of the valley, and since May,
1898, he has been cashier of the bank which he
assisted in organizing. He owns a valuable
ranch of forty acres, and this he devotes to the
raising of citrus fruits, carrying on an extensive
business in this branch of industry. In his polit-
ical sympathies he is a stanch Republican, and
always votes the party ticket. He is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally
he is connected with the Covina Lodge of Free
Masons, and is also a Royal Arch Mason and a
Knight Templar.

Septembers, 1882, Mr. Douglass married Miss
Phoebe A. Montgomery, who was born in Apple
River, Wi.s., and is a daughter of M. S. Mont-
gomery, now a well-known citizen of Los An-
geles. Mr. and Mrs. Douglass are the parents
of four children, namely: Lela A., Joseph M.,
Mary E. and Frank M., Jr.

(lAMES R. ELLIOTT. The substantial and
I well-to-do citizens of Covina have no better
Q) representative than Mr. Elliott, who is ably
assisting in the development of the agricultural
resources of Los Angeles county, not only as a
successful horticulturist, but as the superintend-
ent of the Covina Irrigating Company. He was
born December 15, 1856, in Hunt county, Tex.
His father, Erby Elliott, who served in the Con-
federate army during the Civil war, was killed
in service, and his mother, whose maiden name
was Jestin Hale, died shortly after.

Having been left an orphan when but eight
years old, James R. Elliott lived with an uncle,
Charles Dougherty, with whom he came to Cali-
fornia in 1868, locating at first in El Monte, Los

4f>o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Angeles county, but afterward settling in that
part of the Azusa valley that is known as Glad-
stone ranch. There he was reared and educated,
attending the common schools, and making his
home with Mr. Dougherty until he was twenty
years of age. Beginning life for himself at that
time, he tried various occupations, mostly in the
agricultural line, but is now devoting his atten-
tion to horticulture, in which he has been espe-
cially interested for many years. On his ranch
he raises fruits of thecitrus family, having nearly
ten acres devoted to oranges alone. A man of
energetic enterprise, he has also engaged in other
lines of business, having for several years manu-
factured cement water pipe, for which there is
always good demand in this part of the country.
He has made a study of the different processes of
irrigating, thus fitting himself for the responsible
position he holds as the superintendent of the
Covina Irrigating Company, of which he has
also been a director for the past twelve years.
He is also a director of the Covina Domestic
Water Company, with which he has been associ-
ated for some time.

November i, i8§i, Mr. Elliott married Miss
Carrie Griswold, daughter of Thomas F. Gris-
wold, postmaster at Covina, and of their union
four children have been born, namely: Claude,
Ray, Merton and Gertrude. Fraternally Mr.
Elliott is a member of the Covina lodge,
I. O. O. F., and as such is doing much to pro-
mote the good of the order. A public-spirited,
progressive citizen, he takes great interest in the
welfare of the town and county, and is ever
ready to assist all beneficial enterprises.

r" RANKLIN MILHOUS. While engaged in
jM the nursery business, a branch of industry
I closely allied with and of valuable assistance
to the surrounding agriculturists of his adopted
county of Los Angeles, Mr. Milhous has met
with a gratifying degree of .success since he took
up his residence here in 1897. While this is to a
certain extent attributable to the e.xcellent cli-
matic conditions with which he is surrounded,
the fact that he was equally fortunate in Jeiniings
county, lud., where one is at the mercy of unex-
pected and severe changes of weather not at all
conducive to the well-being of sprouts and sap-

lings, would seem to indicate that a master hand
is at the helm who understands the rounding
out of every side of his business, and has the
ability to keep in touch with its progress as con-
ducted in all the nursery centers of the world.
That he inherits an appreciation of the pleasure
as well as profit to be derived from so close an
association with the things that grow, his father
having been a nurseryman, is undoubtedly an
additional cause for success.

Born in Belmont county, Ohio, November 4,
1848, he is a son of Joshua and Elizabeth (Grif-
fith) Milhous, natives respectively of Belmont
county, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The ancestors
of the family have been conspicuous in various
lines of endeavor, and have identified themselves
with the growth of the localities in which their
lot has been cast. The paternal grandfather was
an early dweller in Belmont county, Ohio, having
reached there in practically the dawn of the
century. He was of a strong and impressive per-
sonality, with emphatic religious convictions,
and he was one of the organizers of the first
meeting of the Society of Friends west of the
Allegheny Mountains. Two of his sons, Capt.
William and Thomas Milhous, were soldiers in
the Civil war. The former is deceased, and the
latter is now living in Richmond, Ind. Joshua
Milhous spent the first of his industrious years
as an agriculturist, finally drifting into the oc-
cupation of nurseryman, which he found to be
more congenial as well as more remunerative.
When his son Franklin was six years old he
moved to Jennings county, Ind., where he con-
tinued in the nursery business, starting the first
enterprise of the kind in the county, and con-
ducting it until his death in 1893, aged seventy -
three years. Young Franklin in the meantime
was availing himself of his father's example, and
early displayed an intelligent aptitute, and ap-
plied himself to a mastery of all the detaiLs. He
also attended the public schools and for a time
went to Moore's Hill College, in Dearborn county,
Ind , where he acquired a fair education. Sub-
sequently he applied himself to general farming
and the nursery business, relying largely upon
the profits of the latter. After his father's death,
his son Griffith became associated with him, and
the latter eventually, in 1S97, succeeded to the
general management.

(^^M-4n^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

463

Mr. Milhous has in his home ranch near
Whittier six acres, mostly under wahiuts and
nursery stock. In addition he has a thirty-acre
ranch in Orange county, whereon are grown
wahiuts, peaches and apricots, there being about
two thousand trees in all.

In Jennings county, lud., Mr. Milhous married
Emily Armstrong, and to them were born two
children, Griffith, who is in Indiana, and Mary
A., who is now the wife of Willard Cummings,
of Whittier. Mr. Milhous was married a second
time to Miss Alraira Burdg, also of Jennings
county, Ind., and the seven children of this union
are: Edith, Martha, Hannah, Ezra C, Jane,
Elizabeth and Rose O. In politics Mr. Milhous
is a Republican, but he has no political aspira-
tions. Like his grandfather before him, and in
fact all of his ancestors, he is a devoted wor-
shiper with the Society of Friends, and an officer
in the church. He is public-spirited and enter-
prising, and brings to his chosen work an intel-
ligent study and research which places him in
the first ranks of those similarly employed.

emigrants. That tiring and perilous journey of
six months left little impression upon his young
mind, and even the older children in the family
could not enter into the anxieties of their parents,
for they did not realize the dangers of the trip.

Primarily educated in the public schools of
Ranchito, Mr. Cate afterward entered the Cali-
fornia State Normal School in LoS Angeles,
where he finished his education. He has made
ranching his occupation and walnut-growing his
specialty, having his place of eighty acres mostlj'
under walnuts. Politically he is identified with
the Democratic party, although he maintains an
independence of attitude in local matters. He
was reared in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South and is an active member of the
same. Fraternally he is connected with the Inde-
pendent Order of Good Templars at Rivera,
which is the largest lodge of that order in Los An-
geles county. In 1891 he married Miss Georgia
Freeman, who was born in Missouri. They have
one son, Ira D.

BALL AS M. CATE. The family repre-
sented by the subject of this article is one
of the best known and most highly honored
in the Ranchito district. Coming here during
the pioneer days, when settlers were few and the
work of cultivation scarcely begun, they after-
ward were conspicuous factors in promoting the
progress of the communit)' and developing its
material resources. Being capable and efficient
agriculturists, they were fitted to the work which
they undertook, and father and sons labored
unitedly and successfully in the task of clearing
and improving a ranch and establi.shing a home
where comfort abounded.

The worthy existence of the late James W.
Cate is being reproduced in the lives of his chil-
dren, one of whom, Dallas M., forms the subject
of this sketch. He was born in Adams county,
111., February 22, 1861, and was three years of
age when his parents brought the children to
Southern California and settled in the Ranchito
district. Hence, this is the only home he has
ever known. He has little recollection of the
tedious journey across the plains, with mule-
teams and wagons, in compaii}- with a train of

HYACINTHE SARRASIN, horticulturist,
walnut- grower, stock-raiser, and all-around
enterprising citizen, has resided on his
present ranch near Rivera since 1886. In ad-
dition to the home ranch, which contains twenty
and a half acres, and which is used for the culti-
vation of oranges and walnuts, he is the possessor
of fifty acres in the Ranchito di.strict, where a
model stock farm is kept up and alfalfa raised.
He thus has interests of a diverse character, ard
the success with which any and all are conducted
would seem to attest to the excellence of his
methods and the skill of his management.

The Sarrasin family is of French extraction,
the paternal great-grandfather, who emigrated
from Cadiz, France, being the head of the family
on this side of the ocean. He settled in Quebec
province, Canada, and here his son Ambrose w-as
born and grew to manhood, and took as wife
Victoire Lanchance, also born in Quebec prov-
ince. July 12, 1851, Hyacinthe Sarrasin was
born in the province, about thirty miles below
Montreal, on the St. Lawrence river. Here, on
the little provincial farm, he received his first
lessons of life and work, and developed an inde-
pendent spirit which asserted itself when he
attained to his fifteenth year. His first field of

illSTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

eiidea\or was in Manistee, Mich., where he
became interested in the immense lumbering
business as conducted in the woods of that state.
Liter, in Chippewa Falls, Wis., he continued in
the same line of work for a number of years, sub-
sequently managing a hostelry near the Falls for
about eight years. The hotel business, while a
gratifying success during the period of his con-
ducting, held out slight inducement for a pro-
tracted or growing business, and Mr. Sarrasin
turned his face towards the larger possibilities
and brighter prospects of the far west. Arriving
in Los Angeles county in 1886, he at once be-
came identified with the interests and growth of
his adopted state, and though not one of the
earliest to recognize the splendid outlets for am-
bition in sun-lit, fragrant California, he has,
during his residence here, impressed all with his
personality and influence, wherever they have
been exercised for the benefit of the common
good.

Mr. Sarrasin married Alphonsene CoUette, a
French-Canadian of the province of Quebec, and
a daughter of Ambrose and Elese Collette. While
broad minded and liberal in his political views,
Mr. Sarrasin usually votes the Democratic ticket.
In religious belief he is affiliated with the Roman
Catholic Church. Fraternally he is associated
with the Independent Order of Foresters at
Rivera. With the institutions which are adapted
to the needs of the peculiar climatic and other
conditions of California he is largely identified,
and he is a member of the Los Nietos and Ran-
chito Walnut Growers' Association, incorporated.

<^HOMAS H. PHELAN. The practical
I C development of California is of such com-
\*) paratively recent date that the early pio-
neers, who came from all directions and lands
and cast their lot within her resourceful boundar-
ies, enduring the deprivations and hardship inci-
dent to unsettled conditions, are .still a vital force,
even though they live but in the memory of their
contemporaries. And more especially are they
remembered when their life and character and
deeds have contributed so largely towards the
bettering of the great universal welfare, and
towards the institutions which encompass the
growth of their immediate communit\-.

A citizen from other shores, Mr. Phelan was
born in county Tipperary, Ireland, in 1843. A
son of Daniel Phelan, also a native of Ireland,
and an agriculturist of some prominence in his
part of the country, he was reared on his father's
farm, and early taught habits of industry -and
thrift, supplemented by fair opportunities at the
native schools. When fourteen years of age he
acquired an independent way of looking at things
and decided to start out in the world for himself.
With America as his Mecca, he boarded a sail-
ing vessel and weathered the tempests and calms
of a long and perilous ocean voyage. At the
termination of the journey he settled for a time
near Waverly, 111., where he was employed as a
farm hand, working during the summer, and in
winter attending the district schools, for which
privilege he paid by doing odd bits of work
around the farm. In this way he acquired a
very good education, the advantages of which he
realized man)- times during his life. In 1872 he
changed his location to California, via the over-
land route, where he worked for some time for
the late O. P. Parsons, of the vicinity of Rivera,
subsequently purchasing the land upon which
his family are at present residing. Here Mr.
Phelan spent the last peaceful years of his useful
life, in close touch with nature, and in the enjoy-
ment of all his faculties.

January 20, 1873, Mr. Phelan was united by
marriage with Mary Ryan, a playmate of his
youth, who was born in his native county Tip-
perary, Ireland. She crossed the seas to join
her aunt, Mrs. Margaret Wade, of Los Angeles,
and was married in that city. There were born
to this couple six children: Daniel H.; Nellie R.,
the wife of John Croke; John J.; Thomas F. ;
Annie W. and Edward H. In politics Mr.
Phelan was a Democrat, and had served as a
trustee of the school board of his township. He
was a member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito
Walnut Growers' Association. In his religious
belief he was a devout Roman Catholic, as are
his entire family. He died June i, 1889.

The homestead left the family of Mr. Phelan
consists of fifty-five acres under walnuts and
oranges. It is now managed by Mrs. Phelan, who
has shown remarkable ability in that direction;
she is also a member of the Los Nietos and
Ranchito Walnut Growers' Association.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

465

Mr. Phelan was esteemed bj' all who came
within the range of his strong and dominating
personality. He was in all respects, save those
of inherent honest)' and devotion to principle, a
self-made man, who never lost track of his labo-
rious rise in life when asked to lend a helping
hand to others who also aspired to prominence
and a position in the minds and hearts of their
fellowmen.

EHARLES L. DUCOMMUN. Many of the
men who were active in the earlj' history of
Los Angeles were of foreign birth. Some
came from Germany, bringing with them the
thrift and perseverance characteristic of that na-
tionality; some from England, bringing the na-
tional traits of determination and will power; and
some from Scotland, with the industry and hon-
esty of their race. Comparatively few came from
Switzerland, and one of these few was Mr.
Ducommun, who came from Locle, Switzerland,
to America in 1 841, settling first in New York
City, thence going to Mobile and other places.

In 1849 Mr. Ducommun traveled overland to
California, spending nine months on the journey,
and arriving in Los Angeles in October of that
year. At once he secured employment at his
trade of a watchmaker. In 185 1 he established
himself in business, at which he spent his win-
ters, while for two' summers he worked in the
mines. With increasing prosperity he gave his
whole time to his business, which he enlarged to
meet the demands of the increasing population.
Early in the '70s he erected the first large busi-
ness block of the city, on the corner of Com-
mercial and Main streets. In 1870 he built a
substantial residence on Ducommun street, which
was named in his honor. There he resided until
1S90.

During almost the entire period of his residence
in Los Angeles, covering more than forty years,
Mr. Ducommun was identified with the mer-
cantile business. Possessing a high sense of
honor and integrity, he won the confidence of
the people, and held a high position in com-
mercial circles. Though he began without capital
or friends, he worked his way forward to an as-
sured position as a business man. He had the
economical spirit characteristic of his race. He
was also industrious and persevering. Though

of a conservative spirit he did his share in help-
ing to develop the wonderful resources of the
land of sunshine, and when he died, April 4,
1896, it was felt that one of the city's most
worth}' pioneers had passed awaj'.

Mr. Ducommun was twice married and is sur-
vived by his second wife, who was Leonide
Petitpierre, a native of Neuchatel, Switzerland.
She makes her home at No. 1347 South Grand
avenue. Their four sons, Charles A., Alfred
H. L., Emil C. and Edmond F. , were for years
and are still connected with the business house
of C. Ducommun at No. 300 North Main street,
where they conduct a large business in hardware,
metals, tubing and assaying goods.

(Joseph EADY, known to his associates and
I friends as Judge Eady, is immensely popular
Q) in the vicinity of Whittier, and has been
very successful since he took up his residence
here in 1897. With genuine English pluck and
enterprise he entered this country under novel
circumstances. Having disregarded the usual
preliminaries incident to ocean travel and neg-
lected the formality of securing a ticket of trans-
portation on the good merchant ship China, he
nevertheless sailed the high seas as a stowaway ,
and landed on American shores with the deter-
mination to make the most of lonely circum-
stances and his ten meager years in this world.
He was born in Bristol, England, May 17, 1840,
and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth Eady,
natives of England.

Upon landing in Norfolk, Va., this youth of
ten years remained there for a few weeks and
later found himself in New York, where he am-
bitiously designed to continue his maritime ex-
perience, and with this object in view enlisted
in the United States navy and served for two
years. With the venfuresomeness of youth he
longed for more travel and experience, and
sought it in a trip to California and occupation
in the gold mines of that country and in the
hydraulic mines of Butte and the adjoining coun-
ties in Montana. Early in the '70s he came to
Los Angeles county, Cal., and engaged in farm-
ing near Rivera for a number of years. Subse-
quently he spent twelve years in Cucamonga,
San Bernardino county, and raised oranges.

466

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

While here he attained considerable prominence,
and served as justice of the peace for four years
for Cucamonga township. In 1897 he again
came to Los Angeles countj' and settled on the
ranch which has since been his home.

Mrs. Eady was formerly Louise A. Passons, a
daughter of T. R. Passons, of Rivera, Cal. To
this couple have been born three children:
Thomas M.; Georgie, wife of S. S. Haskell; and
Frederick L. While holding very liberal views
regarding the politics of the administration, Mr.
Eady nevertheless has a leaning toward the Dem-
ocratic party. Fraternally he is associated with
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with
the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is
at present a member and clerk of the board of
trustees of the Mile school district, and has ever
shown a substantial interest in the cause of edu-
cation. He is now president of the board of
directors of the Rincon Irrigating Company.
Judge Eady is esteemed for his many excellent
traits of mind, character and attainment, and for
his broad general knowledge of men and things,
as viewed through a keenly intelligent mind and
stored in a retentive memory. He is a reliable
citizen who would be sadly mis.sed from his ac-
customed haunts, and though comparatively
speaking a new comer to this land of flowers and
sunshine, he has won a firm place in the hearts
and minds of his fellow-townsmen.

0ANIEL W. CATE. The honor of having
been one of the earliest settlers of the
Ranchito district belongs to Mr. Cate.
When he was a boy of eight years he crossed the
plains from Illinois to California and settled in
the neighborhood which is still his home. Mean-
time, he has been a witness of the many changes
wrought by the industry and perseverance of the
early settlers, and in this work of transformation
he himself has borne an honorable part. He is
the owner of a ranch of seventy-five acres, a p5rt
of which is under walnuts, the remainder being
used for general farm purposes. He is also a
member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut
Growers' Association, incorporated, which has
proved so great an aid in the development and
progress of this community.

Mr. Cate was born in Quincy, 111 , Septem-
ber I, 1856, a son of James W. and Eliza A.
(Henderson) Cate, natives of New Hampshire
and Indiana. The father, when eleven years of
age, migrated with his parents to Adams county,
111., and .settled near Quincy, then a small
village. He continued to make his home there
until 1864, when he brought his family to Cali-
fornia and settled in Ranchito district. At that
time Los Angeles county was undeveloped, and
few were cognizant of its great possibilities; but,
with a foreseeing eye, he determined to cast in
his fortune with other pioneers and assist in the
development of material resources. He became
one of the leading men of this district. Wherever
known he was respected and honored. His name
was a .synonym for integrity and uprightness.
The shadow of reproach never fell upon his life,
and the confidence of his associates in his honor
was never impaired by any act of bis. In politics
he affiliated with the Democrats. For years he
held the office of constable. He was a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and a
liberal giver to its various charities, but he was
not narrow in his views or philanthropies, and
various denominations were indebted to him for
substantial contributions to their current expen-
ses or their building projects. The last nine
years of his life were passed in Fresno, this state,
but finally he returned to Ranchito and here he
died very soon afterward, the date of his death
being May 7, 1900, and his age seventy-three.
His widow survives him.

The education of Daniel W. Cate was secured
principally in the Ranchito district. While his
life has been comparativelj' uneventful, it has
been a busy and useful existence and has brought
to him a goodly share of this woild's gifts. In
April, 1S79, he married Mi.ss Emma Pierce, who
was born in Texas and at the age of one year
was brought to California by her parents. Her
father, James Pierce, continued to reside in this
state until his death. The five children of Mr.
and Mrs. Cate are J. Alec, Harlan A., Earl W.,
Glen H. and an infant son. The family are
connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church
South, and are esteemed in the best social circles
of their neighborhood. For manj' years Mr.
Cate has been a member of the board of trustees
in the Ranchrto school district, and as such he

WILLIAM MOSS.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

469

lias promoted the standard of education in the
school and proved himself a trne friend of local
educational interests.

jILLIAM MOSS. Of the few absolutely
distinct tj-pes of men created by the exi-
gencies that have arisen during the history
of America, none is more productive of interest,
charm and romance than the bluff and hearty
miner of '49 In the actuality of those who
know him, no less than in the imagination of
those who can only dream of him, he is a hero of
the most adventurous and soul-.stirring kind, with
rescues galore to his credit, and a robust honesty
and large-heartedness about him excelled by no
other class of people in the world. The wild
crags and mountain fastnesses among which his
lot was temporarily cast may have entered into
his calculations and deductions, but, be that as it
may, we know that his red flannel shirt covered
a heart intolerant of injustice, emphasized though
it was by well-loaded pistols, and that the grace-
ful droop of his sombrero was not to be mistaken
for any evidence of weakness as to character
or intentions. Literature and the stage have
done much to perpetuate his daring and exploit
his achievements, and we look at him through
the haze of years and grieve for a passing influ-
ence of strength and picturesqueness. Thus it is
that all incidents in the life of a typical "forty-
niner" are of interest, and William Moss is no
exception to the rule. His career, aside from
that part which is associated with gold digging,
was on the more or less adventurous order, and
included migrations over a large part of the west
and south.

Mr. Moss is a native of Hempstead county. Ark. ,
where he was born September 16, 1824. His
parents, Matthew and Mary (Coldwell) Moss,
were natives respectively of Virginia and Ten-
nessee. Matthew Moss was one the first settlers
of the vicinity of Washington, Ark., and when
desiring a change of residence he was one of the
first to move his family in a keel boat on the Red
river from Tennessee to Arkansas. This was in
practically the dawn of the century, for he took
up his residence in Arkansas in 18 13, and lived
there until the winter of 1847, after which he
moved to the vicinity of Austin, Tex., and died

in Milan county in 1856. His father, Matthew
Moss, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war
and was killed by Indian allies of the English.
At one time he carried a mortally wounded gen-
eral from the field of an Indian battle. William
Moss shared his family's fortunes until 1849, and
started for California via Santa Fe, N. M., with
numerous others also in ^earcli of gold. They
traveled with mule teams, and there was a large
train (cousisting of seventy-five persons and
twenty wagons) that wound its way over the
plains in the face of all manner of danger. With
nine companions he left the wagon train at Santa
Fe and started through Old Mexico via Durango
to Massac Land, Mexico, on the Gulf of Califor-
nia. After hardships and bad luck that would
have discouraged less determined mortals they
reached the coast of Mexico, where they boarded
a ship and sailed the remaining fifteen hundred
miles to San Francisco, reaching their destination
December 26, 1849.

Mr. Moss first engaged in mining in the Senora
mines, and realized to some extent his ambitions
in that direction. He subsequently undertook
farming in the Santa Clara valley, continuing the
same until 1859, in which year he returned to
Texas. In Burnett county, Tex., he availed
himself of the excellent opportunity for raising
sheep, which experiment was very successful,
and continued for a number of years. Later he
became interested in freighting between differ-
ent towns in the state and in 1869 returned to
California with a mule team, locating in the vi-
cinity of Rivera, where he conducted agricultural
pursuits on leased land for several years. Over
a quarter of a century ago Mr. Moss located on
the ranch which he now occupies. His land
comprises in all one hundred and eight acres,
fifty-six of which are on his homestead, and eighty-
acres of the whole are devoted to walnuts. The
trees were all set out by the owner, who has
changed his originally wild land into its present
condition of utility.

Among the various interests to which Mr.
Moss is devoted is the matter of the development
of water, which he has studied with satisfactory
results to hinrrself and the community in general.
He'is a member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito
Walnut Growers' Association, and of the Los
Nietos Pioneers' Association. A Democrat in

470

HISTORICAL AND HIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

politics, he has uo political aspirations, leaving
to others the manipulation of the local offices.
He married Miss Henrietta Field, a native of
Tennessee, who moved with her parents, Har-
rington L and Lucy H. Field, to Texas, where
Mr. Moss met and married her. This union is
said to have been a particularly harmonious and
happy arrangement, Mrs. Moss being a woman
of great refinement, and having the rare gift of
making and keeping friends. To this couple
have been born four children: Harrington, who
lives near Rivera; Mary, who is the wife of John
Moss, of El Paso, Tex.; Matthew, living near
Whittier; and William, a merchant at Ranchito.
To those who are privileged to know him, Mr.
Moss is not only a splendid type of the typical
"forty-niner," to whose energy and courage and
perseverance is due a large share of the wonder-
ful development of California, but he is also a
man who has shown remarkable ability in many
avenues of usefulness and enterprise. After a
useful life of more than three score and ten years
he is now, in the afternoon of an interesting ex-
istence, made happier and better by the host of
friends who appreciate to the full his fine and
genial personality.

(1 AMES BARLOW. Since taking up his res-
I idence in the Ranchito district Mr. Barlow
Q) has demonstrated in no slight degree his fit-
ness to be numbered among the most enterpris-
ing and progressive of the vast army who have
looked to California as a Mecca for their efforts
and successes. Although not one of the very
early settlers, having come from the east in i8So,
he has yet experienced great changes and wit-
nessed vast improvements in many directions.
His own land was, at purchase, prophetic of any-
thing but its present state of prosperity and util-
ity, being at that time a rough corn field, and re-
quiring the most persistent care and cultivation
before the trees could be set out or the seed
planted. The ranch comprisesseventy-six acres,
and is mostly used to raise walnuts and oranges,
Mr. Barlow having planted every tree him.self.

A native of Franklin county, N. Y., Mr. Bar-
low was born January 26, 1855, and is a son of
Samuel and Martha (McElwain) Barlow, who
are now residing in Los Angeles. The ancestry

on the father's side is English; the mother "was
born in New York. Samuel Barlow was for many
years engaged successfully in the mercantile busi-
ness at Hogansburg, N. Y., and his son, James,
received considerable early training in that direc-
tion. He early displayed studious habits, and
availed himself to the utmost of the opportunities
of the public schools, and later attended for a
time the Normal school at Pottsdam, N. Y. In
1S76 he started out iii the world for him.self, and
went to Washington territory, where he remained
long enough to see the country, and then spent
seven months in Oregon. His next destination
was Lake county, Cal., where for a time he was
engaged in general farming, and in 1S80 he set-
tled on his present ranch near Rivera.

Mr. Barlow married Miss Fannie Henderson,
of Lake county, Cal., a daughter of Robert and
Elizabeth (Carpenter) Henderson, who were pio-
neers of Lake county. In politics Mr. Barlow is
a Republican, but has never been an office .seeker,
leaving to others the manipulation of the various
offices within the gift of the people, and content
to faithfully perform the duties of his immediate
concern. Nevertheless he is an ardent seeker
after the public good, and contributes much time
and thought to the advancement of the general
welfare. He is a member of the Presbyterian
Church and contributes generously toward its
charities and necessities.

ILTON J. BROOKS. Although compara-
tively a new comer to the Los Nietos re-
gion, having settled here in 1897, Mr.
Brooks has become thoroughly identified with the
spirit and undertakings of the locality, and has
established himself as one of its respected and
necessary citizens. His ranch consists of twenty-
three acres planted to walnuts, and is under a
high state of cultivation.

Previous to coming to California in 1884 Mr.
Brooks led an uneventful life in the main. He
was born in Maury county, Tenn., July 31, 1859,
and is a son of John S. and Lucy A. (Jordan)
Brooks, natives respectively of Tennessee and
Virginia. His maternal grandfather, John F.
Jordan, was a prominent agriculturist, and a
valiant soldier in the war of 181 2. Milton Brooks
was reared on his father's farm in his native

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

cuuiity, and educated in the district schucjls. He
earl}' showed an aptitude for agricultural pur-
suits, and diligent!}' assisted his father in his du-
ties around the farm. In 1880 he went to Lamar
county, Tex., and while there was occupied for
several years with various pursuits. In 1884 he
came to Southern California, and was for several
years employed by A. H. Dunlap, who lived in
the vicinity of Whittier, and sub.sequently leased
land in the neighborhood and engaged in general
farming and walnut growing.

In keeping with his interest in all that pertains
to the advancement of his locality Mr. Brooks
takes a vital interest in the institutions that are
the outgrowth of the special requirements inci-
dent to the peculiar conditions of the soil and cli-
mate. He is at present serving as president of
the Los Nietos Irrigating Company, and as such
has given general satisfaction. He is a director
of the Los Nietos school district, and was elected
for a term of three years. He is also a member
of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers'
Association, incorporated; and of the Los Nietos
Pioneer Club. In politics he is a Democrat, but
entertains liberal views regarding local politics.

Mr. Brooks married Laura Downing, a native
of Iowa, and to this couple has been born one
daughter, Laura Edna.

EHARLES LANE. During the years of his
residence near Whittier Mr. Lane was largely
instrumental in promoting the various enter-
prises for the upbuilding of the locality, and his
departure from the many avenues of usefulness
is seriously felt by all who appreciate his dis-
interested faithfulness in the path of duty and his
devotion under any and all circumstances to
principle.

To Mr. Lane California was not a sought-out
opportunity, but the place of his birth. He was
born at Sonoma February 22, 1859, and was a
son of John J. and Millie (Hancock) Lane, who
were very early settlers in Sonoma county. They
represented the best and most industrious resi-
dents of the county and were justly successful
agriculturists. The son naturally imbibed a
preference for a life in the fields and an occupation
that was near to nature's heart. When seven-
teen years old his people decided to change their

location and nuxlc uflife and coiisequentl}- moved
to the vicinity of Prescott, Ariz., where they
li\'ed for a number of years. Here they were
busily engaged in cattle-raising and mining, and
here the .son had fair opportunities for acquiring
an education in the public schools. This nucleus
for an education was later supplemented by con-
tinual reading and research, which resulted in
Mr. Lane's being regarded always as an un-
usually well-informed and erudite man. His
death, which occurred June 24, 1895, was a loss
to the community in which he lived.

May 20, 1884, Mr. Lane married Leah J.
Nicholson, a native of San Bernardino county,
Cal., and a daughter of Janie.s A. and Mary
(See) Nicholson, natives respectively of New
York and Missouri. At the present time they
are residing near Whittier. James Nicholson
came to California in 1849 and his wife arrived
in 1857. He was a miner in the early days, but
later turned his attention to agriculture. To Mr.
and Mrs. Lane were born four children, three of
whom are now living: James J., Lulu M.,
Charles N. (deceased), and Harry Raymond.

The ranch formerly occupied by Mr. Lane and
now in possession of his widow consists of twenty-
four acres, mostly under English walnuts. Mrs.
Lane has demonstrated much business ability in
managing her property, and is a member of the
Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Asso-
ciation. In religion she is identified with the
Methodist Church. She is much esteemed for
her enterprise and for her many sterling qualities
of mind and heart.

mVLVESTER W. BARTON. Among his
2\ acquaintances and associates in the vicinity
\^ of Whittier, Mr. Barton is well known for
his push and enterprise, his oft-evinced and prac-
tical interest in the various enterprises and insti-
tutions necessitated by "the demands of a con-
stantly increasing population, and a rising ap-
preciation of the possibilities of her resources.

A native of Wayne county, Ind., where he
was born February 5, 1855, Mr. Barton is the
son of John and Rachel (Penland) Barton, na-
tives respectively of Indiana and Ohio. They
were early pioneers of Wayne county, and after
long years of usefulness and prominence in the

472

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

community, they are still resident among the
scenes of their trials and joys. The paternal grand-
father, now dead, was also among the very early
dwellers of Wayne county, and in his time was
a successful and progressive agriculturist, as well
as a man whose influence for good was felt to a
large degree.

Sylvester W. Barton was reared on his father's
farm, and his training and education conducted
after the fashion of many farmers' sons in like
positions. After diligently studying at the dis-
trict schools, he attended a course at the Normal
school at Ada, Ohio, his educational advantages
there being purchased at the price of more than
ordinary diligence. Being dependent upon his
own resources, and under the necessity of paying
for his instruction, he earned the required money
by acting as tutor toother members of the school.

In 1883 Mr. Barton left Indiana and went to
Mahaska county, Iowa, and engaged in general
farming and stock-raising until 1886, in which
year he came to Southern California. For two
years he resided in Pasadena and then came to
Whittier. He finally took up his residence in
East Whittier, where he has since resided. His
ranch at East Whittier consists of thirteen acres
under oranges and walnuts. An added source of
revenue also is derived from an active participa-
tion in the oil industry, to the discovery of which
many are indebted for large fortunes. He was
one of the promoters of the Whittier Oil and
Development Company, the firm of Barton &
Clayton buying two hundred acres of oil land in
the Whittier oil fields. He is one of the heaviest
stockholders in the company, and is secretary
and general manager, as well as a director. In 1S95
he bought three thousand acres of unimproved
land in the La Habra valley, which he subdivided
and sold to colonists. One part was sold to an
English colony, that proved a valuable acquisition
to our county.

Mr. Barton married Leila Mendenhall, ofOska-
loosa, Iowa, and they have one son, Russell J.
Mr. Barton is a Republican, and has been promi-
nently identified with the undertakings of his
party. A number of times he has served as del-
egate to the Republican county conventions, and
has held several local offices. He is a member
of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers'
Association. One nf the olde.st real-estate men

in Whittier, he ha.s been actively engaged willi
the firm of Barton & Clayton for many years.
He is an extensive traveler, having crossed the
continent several times and visited the points of
interest in many directions.

0ILAS B. ROOT. Since taking up his resi-
?\ dence near Rivera, in 1888, Mr. Root has
\z/ made a success of his chosen work in Cali-
fornia, and his ten-acre ranch, devoted to the
cultivation of oranges, bears testimony to his skill
in management, and the enterprise and watchful-
ness which have converted a practically worth-
less piece of land into a condition of utility and
resource.

Mr. Root is a native of Chautauqua county,
N. Y., and was born September 11, 1838. Heis
a son of Nelson and Maria (Baird) Root, natives
of New York state. His paternal grandfather,
Silas Root, was a heroic soldier in the war of
1812, and lived to the ripe old age of over ninety
years. While living on his father's farm in New-
York, Silas Root took an active interest in all
that pertained to the well-being of the farm and
family, and studied diligently at the district
schools during the winter terms, and later at the
public schools of Ripley, N. Y. As time went
on he had opportunity to acquire con.siderable
business knowledge, which he later utilized to
good advantage. When about sixteen years of
age he moved with his parents and sister to Port-
land, Mich., and after a year's residence there he
began to learn the tinner's trade, serving a three
years' apprenticeship. For a number of years
following he saw considerable of the surrounding
country in his capacity of journeyman tinner. In
1876, becoming weary of the migratory exist-
ence, he settled dow-n to a permanent business in
Sylvania, Lucas county, Ohio, where he opened
a tin shop and manufactured tinware. When
justified by the increasing trade he added to his
stock a coriiplete line of hardware and farm im-
plements. In time he had the largest establish-
ment of the kind in the town, his prosperity con-
tinuing until 1888, when he began to think about
a change of occupation and location.

After settling in California Mr. Root became
identified with the various interests of his county,
and his abilitv and services have met with the

U^^A

0_>^X-5LiL

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

475

appreciatiou of tlit; coiiiiiiuiiit)' in which lie lives.
He has been president of the Rivera Fruit Ex-
change and is a member of the Los Nietos and
Ranchito Walnut Growers' As.sociation, incor-
porated.

Mr. Root married Mary J. Cone, a native of
Ohio. In politics he is independent, and believes
in voting for the best man. He invariably votes
for principle rather than party. Fraternally
he is as.sociated with the Masonic order and
active in all of the undertakings of the order.

EHARLES HEWITT HANCE, well known
to the people of Los Angeles as one of the
city's most reliable officials, was born in
Montgomery county. Mo., March ii, 1837, a
son of John and Catherine (Hewitt) Hance, and a
descendant of Revolutionary stock. His paternal
grandfather, Adam Hance, was born in Ger-
mantown, Pa., May 22, 1748, and enlisted at the
beginning of the war with England, serving
under General Washington in the battle of Bran-
dy wine and at Yorktown, where he witnessed the
surrender of Lord Cornwallis. His last days
were spent at Newbern, Va., where he died July
9, 1826. Hisson, John, was born in Newbern, De-
cember 27,1797, and died in ,St. Louis county, Mo.,
October 6, 1856. He married Catherine Hewitt,
who was born at Liberty Courthouse, Va., April
ID, 1810, and died in Glenwood, Mo., in August,
1874. Her father, Edmund Hewitt, was born in
Virginia, July 17, 1783, and was drowned at the
age of thirty years. He was of English lineage,
his grandfather having come from England late
in the seventeenth century and settled in Virginia.
The descendants of this pioneer were in turn
themselves pioneers in the west and south. The
Hance family originated in Germany. The great-
grandfather of Charles H. was Adam Hance, a
native of Coblenz, on the Rhine; in 1722 he came
to America and settled in Germantown, Pa.,
where he married and reared a large family.
From him descended a numerous posterity, now
scattered throughout America.

The early and sudden death of Mr. Hewitt left
his wife with their four children to provide for.
The daughter, Catherine, was given a home with
an aunt, Mrs. Jubal Early, with whom she re-
mained during girlhood, leaving that home to

enter the one her husband had prepared for her.
Meantime, her mother, whose maiden name was
Juliet Caffray, had, two years after the death of
Edmund Hewitt, become the wife of Peter Hance,
a son of Adam Hance. They migrated to Mis-
souri, where their remaining years were passed.

Until ten years of age Charles Hewitt Hance
remained with the family on the Montgomery
county farm, where there were a number of
slaves, inherited by his father from the old Vir-
ginia estate. He was the second son in the family.
His older brother was known as "Colonel,"
while he was given the title of "Captain," these
being endearing names bestowed bj' a loving
father. Colonel and Captain were twelve and
ten years of age when the family moved from the
farm to St. Louis and the change was a desirable
one to them; "Not," as our subject expressed it,
"because I object to farm life for a boy, but for
the reason that it took us all (seven children) out
of the backwoods and placed us in one of the
most progressive cities of America, which now,
after fifty years, ranks the fifth city in the repub-
lic." Here he was placed in school and received
a fair education.

After years of struggling and hardships in
assisting his widowed mother, Mr. Hance sought
the gold fields of Colorado and worked at Cherry
creek and Gregory's gulch. However, his ex-
perience there was dearly bought and unprofit-
able. In 1859 he returned to St. Louis, but dur-
ing the same year went to Dubuque, Iowa, where
he cast his first presidential vote, supporting Bell
and Everett, the Union candidates. This he did
after listening to many speeches by Stephen A.
Douglas and others, and imbibing the idea that
the great principles of our government rested on
the teachings of Thomas Jefferson. Early in the
'60s, when the sky was dark with the threatened
storm of national disruption, he returned to St.
Louis. Like many others who had been reared
under the influence of slavery ideas, he believed
the northern people were the aggressors and his
sympathies were with the Confederacy. In July,
1862, he assisted in recruiting a company of cav-
alry, which was attached to Captain Frost's Com-
pany, Porter's Battalion. He took part in the
battle of Moore's Mill, Mo., July 28, 1862, where
he lost his right arm. Speaking of this battle
he says: "A circumstance upon the field of this

476

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

battle is still fresh in my iiiLiiiui > . W'liilf I) iiig
wounded upon the field, and during a period of
consciousness, I was approached by the enemj-,
given some brandy and ice water and was asked
if I wished to be taken off the field. I answered,
'Certainly, but first call an officer.' Captain
Rice, of the Red Rovers, a crack company of the
Federal forces, was near and he was summoned.
I said, 'Captain,' reaching out for a pocket book
that I had hidden under the root of a tree in the
ravine where I was lying, 'Here, Captain, is my
pocket book and money, which I request you to
.send to my mother. ' The smoke of battle had
hardly cleared away, and in his excitement he
said, 'Before I promise you, you must promise to
return one of our guns if ever in your power to
do so. ' I replied that my prospects for doing so
under the circumstances were not flattering. He,
however, wrote down in my note book, taking
same, as I supposed, the address given him, but
instead he hurriedly wrote, 'Received of Hauce
to send, etc.', and left me lying prone upon the
battlefield, to die, as he thought. A day or two
later it was stated in a St. Louis paper that I had
been slain and I have no doubt that the meeting
between Captain Rice and myself occasioned the
notice."

Regarding the battle, Mr. Hance says: "The
battle was fought on Mondaj-. My right arm
was amputated at the shoulder the following
Friday. In nine days I was up again, but hard-
ly in fighting trim." It is a curious coincidence
that the gentleman who had been the attending
physician at his birth was the one who amputated
his shattered arm and carefully tended him during
the fever and delirium that followed. His mother
soon reached him, and bj- her untiring devotion
and careful nursing, as well as the doctor's skill
and the unceasing attention of Col. Moses McCue
and his charming family, his life was saved and
in a few days he was thought to be sufficiently
strong to return home. He started, but it was a
hazardous trip, as the country was swarming
with Northern troops. When he lost his right
arm he received an honorable discharge forever.
He stopped with a cousin in his native county to
rest and recuperate, later arriving home, and
there an ovation was tendered him by his friends,
who did everything possible to make him feel
less the great loss he had suffered. In narrating

his experiences of those days, he .says; "When
passing down Front street some days after my
arrival home, a pay train just pulled out of the
station and after getting away about two hundred
yards, I noticed several soldiers rush to the rear
and point directly at me. I was much alarmed
and feared that my imprudence was going to re-
sult in my capture. To my great relief, however,
the train sped on its way, and the very next day
I received a most charming and compassionate
letter from my acquaintance of the battlefield.
In this letter he stated that he had received a
dangerous wound in another battle and was just
convalescing and truly sympathized with me.
He stated that he had been chagrined to discover
that he did not get my mother's address in such
a manner as to be able to carry out my wishes and
to make good his promise to me; adding that it
had given him the greatest pleasure to learn, by
the merest accident, through Paymaster Flynn,
while passing through the station, that I was
living and had returned home. It was this act
of pointing me out from the train that had oc-
casioned me such great alarm. In the kindest
manner possible, he requested me to come down
and see him at the post, about thirty miles distant,
and get my pocket book with the money it con-
tained. As I did not feel quite equal to the trip,
I had a friend go there and get the pocket book.
The gentleman (Captain Rice) has gone to his
long home. He was one of God's noblemen.
Mj' sainted mother has also joined the innumera-
ble throng."

October 27, 1864, Mr. Hance married Miss
Sarah Catherine Henderson. They became the
parents of three children; Minne Belle, who was
born August 31, 1866; Bowen Forrest, August 7,
1870; and Lucile Elma, who was born January 8,
1877, and died January i, 1878.

Soon after the war Mr. Hance became inter-
ested in a drug business, in which he continued
for thirteen years. In 1874 he was elected clerk
of the circuit court and recorder of Randolph
county, Mo., in which capacity he .served until
his health failed eight years later. In 1883 he
.settled in San Jose. At first he launched out as a
pharmacist. After two and one-half years in
San Jos^, in 1885 he came to Los Angeles, and
purchased the Pruess & Pironi drug store at Nos.
177-179 North Spring .street, continuing in the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

477

ilrug business until 1894, when he disposed of the
store. December 7, 1896, he was elected city
clerk of Los Angeles, and served with such
efficiency that in 1898 he was elected to succeed
himself by a large majority, and is now (October
13, 1900) the incumbent and the nominee of his
party for re-election.

HARRY S. PRATT. Probably there are few
residents of Southern California whose
knowledge of musical instruments exceeds
that of Mr. Pratt, who is a dealer in pianos and
organs at Pomona. A resident of California since
1887 he was first employed by Bartlett Brothers
& Clark, dealers in pianos and organs, of Los
Angeles, with whom he remained for three years.
The year 1890 found him in Pomona, where he
has since made his home. During that year he
bought seven acres of orange land, and he has
since been interested in horticulture, but makes
the sale of musical instruments his principal busi-
ness. During the entire time of his residence
here he has also engaged in tuning pianos, in
which he is considered an expert. In November,
1899, he bought the business of W. B, Ross,
dealers in pianos and organs, and of this he has
since been the proprietor.

In Cambridge, Mass., Mr. Pratt was born
August 22, 1867, a son of Francis L. and Mary A.
(Brown) Pratt, natives respectively of Massachu-
setts and New Hampshire, and the former of
English descent. His boyhood years were passed
in the native city of Cambridge. He attended a
business college in Boston, Mass., thus fitting
himself for the responsibilities of life. In 1887,
as stated before, he came to California, where he
has since resided. From an early age he has
been interested in music, and while still a mere
boy acquired a thorough knowledge of the con-
struction of pianos and organs. For some years
he served as an apprentice to the Ivers & Pond
Piano Company, of Boston, and during that time
he became familiar with the tuning of pianos.

It is perhaps natural that Mr. Pratt should be
an ardent Republican, for he was reared in a
home where these principles were a part of the
daily life. His father, Francis L. Pratt, who was
born in Quincy, Mass., was a .stanch Abolitionist
and is a zealous Republican, though strictly non-

partisan in local affairs; he has the confidence of
the citizens of Cambridge to a marked degree, as
is shown by his continuous appointment to a city
office for a quarter of a century. He was a sol-
dier of our Civil war and is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic. He is well known
in New England towns as a singer of more than
ordinary ability, having a fine bass voice, which
has given pleasure to many large audiences.

Harry S. Pratt was married in Pomona, Cal.,
May 5, 1892, to Miss Alice M. Clark, of Waltham,
Mass. They have one son, Lowell Clark Pratt.

gEORGE A. MURPHY. As a genial and
interesting acquisition to the colony of hor-
ticulturists and walnut growers who have
staked their best endeavors on the chances with
which California is full to overflowing, and more
especially Rivera and vicinity, Mr. Murphy has
successfully conducted his affairs, and has reaped
all the rewards due him for his enterprise and
good-fellowship. To be proficient in many things
argues substantial characteristics, and these Mr.
Murphy may be said to possess. Before associa-
ting himself with matters pertaining to the soil
and the things that grow therein, he was a typi-
cal salesman of the persuasive, reliable and per-
severing kind, and was associated with many
responsible firms throughout the east. While
thus thrown with divers kinds of humanity in
various parts of the country he acquired much
valuable information, which a happy optimism
has transformed and converted to later account.
Many Canadians have been drawn from their
bleak winters to the clear skies, fragrant air and
sun-kissed lands of California, and mingled their
strength and sterling worth with the more poetic
and romantic element still extant and lingering
behind the retreating footsteps of Spanish pride.
A native of Quebec province, Canada, Mr. Mur-
phy was born August 16, 1863, and is a son of
Joseph J. and Mary (Woods) Murphy, born re-
spectively in Ireland and Quebec. The latter
died in 1891, and the former is now residing in
Lowell, Mass. While living in his native prov-
ince, George A. Murphy received the home train-
ing of the average Canadian youth, and good
educational advantages were at his disposal in
the public .schools. When seventeen years of

478

[IISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

age his independent spirit asserted itself, and as
an outlet for youthful ambition he began clerking
in a general merchandise store in Coaticooke,
Quebec province, which position he filled for one
year. His next venture was in the States, and
in Connecticut he was employed in Forestville for
about a year and a half as a boxmaker with the
Bristol Brass & Clock Company. Subsequently,
upon removing to Lowell, Mass., he engaged
with the Lawrence Manufacturing Company, and
at the same time was employed as night salesman
in a clothing store. The next three years were
devoted to the interests of Sheldon & Pearson,
retail meats and groceries, of Lowell, Mass., and
later he traveled for E. W. Hoyt &Co., a cologne
and dentifrice concern, with whom he was con-
nected two and a-half years.

In 1892 Mr. Murphy came to California and
settled on the ranch which has since been the
object of his care and solicitude. He married
Susie A. Hutchins, who was born in Maine. Of
this union there are three children: MayF. ,
Glaynes E. and J. Harold. Mr. Murphy is a
Republican, but independent in local affairs. He
is a member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito
Walnut Growers' Association, incorporated. In
the estimation of those who know him best he is
esteemed for his many excellent traits and his
willingness to aid whenever his services or help
are required.

QrOF. N. G. FELKER. The success which
1/ Prof. N. G. Felker (who is president of the
k) Woodbury Business College, one of the long
established institutions of Los Angeles) has
acquired, is the legitimate result of years of sys-
tematic, energetic endeavor along the lines of his
chosen calling. He has proved himself to be es-
pecially qualified, both by nature and experience,
as a teacher and instructor of the young, and his
judicious methods as a business man and patriot-
ic citizen are above reproach. A review of his
life-history and the grand work he is carrying on
in this beautiful southern city will be peru.sed
with unfeigned interest by his numerous friends
and well-wishers, here and el.sewhere.

Just in the prime of life, as he was born thirty-
six years ago. Prof. Felker claims Louisville,
Ky., as his native place, but his boyhood was
chiefly pa.ssed in Indiana, where he obtained an

excellent education, being graduated in the Jef-
fersonville high school and the Normal .school of
Hope, Ind., and for some time pursuing a course
of study in the Lebanon (Ohio) Normal School.
He engaged in teaching school in Clark county,
Ind., for a few terms. During a period of six
years he gave considerable attention to a mercan-
tile business in Jeffersonville, and, by the prac-
tical experience gained in bu.siness methods, laid
the foundation of his future success. Going to
Louisville, Ky., in 1886, he was offered a posi-
tion in Bryant & Stratton's Business College,
and retained that place for four years, or until
he saw fit to resign it, in order to come to the
west.

It was just a decade ago that Prof. Felker be-
came identified with Woodbury Business College,
of Los Angeles, and, after serving as a member
of its faculty for about a year, he purchased an
interest in the concern and was made vice-presi-
dent. In that capacitj' he continued until 1898,
when he succeeded to the entire business as pres-
ident. The college was established in 1884, by
Prof. F. C. Woodbury, who was the sole propri-
etor for the ensuing seven years. For two years
the college was located at No. 245 South Spring
street, but from there it was removed to its pres-
ent quarters, in the fine, modern five-story stone
building, known as the Stowell block, at No. 226
South Spring street. It occupies the major por-
tion of the upper floor, a floor space of about
ninety-five hundred square feet, which is more
than that occupied by any other commercial
school south of San Francisco. The rooms and
offices are light, clean and well ventilated,
equipped with attractive modern school furniture
and educational appliances, and large electric ele-
vators afford ready means of reaching the college
from the street. Nearly all of the numerous elec-
tric street railroad lines pass the door, and no lo-
cation could be more central to the business heart
of the city. John W. Hood, vice-president of
the college, and J. W. Lackey, secretary, are
teachers of long and varied experience, and un-
der their able management the special depart-
ments entrusted to them are important factors in
the success of the institution. The entire faculty
has been chosen with great care from a host of
widely known eastern educators who have sought,
from time to time, to become a.ssociated with this

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

479

flourishing institution, whose name is a house-
hold word throughout Southern California, and
whose graduates, by the thousands, are now fill-
ing remunerative and highly responsible posi-
tions in most of the large business houses of this
city and section of the country. The most ap-
proved modern systems of teaching are to be
found in every department, and no pains nor
means are spared in qualifying students for the
great business career which may be in store for
each. Recently one hundred and eighteen stu-
dents were graduated and went forth to take their
places in the commercial activities of this region,
many of them at once entering positions which
had been obtained for them by the recommenda-
tion of the faculty, which comprises, in addition
to the gentlemen already mentioned, D. A. Chap-
lin, R. E- Hood, Susie Shoemaker, Mrs. M. A.
Bidden and Mrs. Anna G. Stuart.

The marriage of Prof. N. G. Felker and Miss
Mary L. Stuart took place in 1889. They have
three children: Anna Mary, George S. and
Edna S. Socially our subject is a member of the
Masonic order. He is genial and popular with
every one, and is sincerely respected and liked by
his students and associates.

r^ E. HATCH. To the superior financial and
LX executive ability of P. E. Hatch, cashier of
^3 , the Bank of Long Beach and one of the
foremost spirits in its organization, must be at-
tributed a generous share of the commercial pros-
perity which has blessed this beautiful seaside
resort for the past few years, because, as it is
universally conceded, a banking institution of
stability and paying well is a bulwark of strength
to any community, and is an inducement to the
public to continue investing in local property and
other enterprises. Mr. Hatch possesses just the
qualities of mind and disposition which induce
people to place confidence in his judgment and
integrity, and which makes him extremely popu-
lar with all who know him.

Like thousands of men prominently associated
with the annals of our fair land, Mr. Hatch hails
from a New England farm, his father having
been an enterprising agriculturist of Connecticut,
owning large estates and doing farming upon an
extensive and paying scale. The mother, whose

maiden name was Diana Canfield, also was a na-
tive of Connecticut. The birth of our subject oc-
curred July 15, 1861, just at the time when our
land was beginning to realize that a deadly civil
strife had been entered upon which might require
the blood of countless thousands and years of ter-
rible battling ere peace again should spread its
pinions over the States. The lad grew to man-
hood upon the old homestead near New Haven,
Conn., and there he obtained a good education,
completing his studies with a course in the busi-
ness department of Yale College.

Having prepared himself for his commercial
career, young Hatch became the bookkeeper for
the widely known house of Sargent & Co., hard-
ware manufacturers, at that time the largest
concern in its line of business in the United
States. There he was made thoroughly conver-
sant with modern methods of transacting busi-
ness, and subsequently he accepted a little bet-
ter position with the flourishing firm of H. B.
Armstrong & Co., dealers in carpets, wholesale
and retail. During the five years that he re-
mained with that company Mr. Hatch, in his
capacity of cashier, became intimately acquainted
with the subject of finance, and, as he handled
such immense amounts of money constantly,
gained the confidence and keen judgment which
does not come in a day nor a year.

The growing attractions of the great west at
last appealed so strongly to Mr. Hatch, that
when an excellent opportunity presented itself to
him, whereby he believed he would rise in the
business world, he resigned his position as
cashier of H. B. Armstrong & Co. and removed
to Kenesaw, Neb., where he was installed as
cashier of the Kenesaw Exchange Bank, and in
that capacity he served for seven years, in the
meantime building up a truly enviable reputa-
tion as a financier.

In 1894 Mr. Hatch came to California and
soon set about the organization of the Bank of
Long Beach, which, in June, 1896, was duly in-
corporated. Three clerks, besides the cashier,
are now necessary to carry on the business,
which has reached a gratifying point of prosper-
ity, six and a fourth per cent, being paid to
stockholders.

In political matters Mr. Hatch always has been
independent of party lines, as he prefers to use

48o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his franchise j ust as he deems best, regardless of
party ties. He has been a director of the school
board at Long Beach, having previously served
in the same capacity at Kenesaw, Neb., for five
years. He had the honor of being the first chan-
cellor commander of the Long Beach Lodge of
the Knights of Pythias.

Thirteen years ago the marriage of Mr. Hatch
and Miss Elouise C. Norton was solemnized in
New Haven, Conn. Mrs. Hatch is a native of
that state, her birth having occurred in the town
of Guilford. Their pretty home at No. 13 At-
lantic avenue is brightened by their little son
and daughter, who are named, respectively, John
Ellsworth and Marion Gertrude.

0TIS WITHAM. An active and highly
esteemed citizen of Covina, and a tesident
of California for more than forty years, Mr.
W'itham has contributed his full share toward
advancing the industrial interests of his adopted
state, and has been a valued factor in forwarding
enterprises conducive to its progress and pros-
perit}-. He was born April 23, 1831, in Hancock
county. Me., a son of Ira and Betsey (Hinkley )
Witham, both natives of Maine.

In the days of his boyhood and youth he at-
tended the district schools of his native town,
afterward completing his early education in Blue
Hill Academy, at Blue Hill, Me. At the age of
fifteen years he commenced learning the black-
smith's trade, which he followed continuously
until 1888. Leaving the parental home in 1859,
he started for the Pacific coast, going first to New
York City, where he took a steamer for the
Lsthmus of Panama, which he cros.sed by rail,
from there completing the journey by steamer,
and arrived in San Francisco twenty one days
after leaving New York. Opening a shop in
Bostwicks Barr, in Calaveras county, he was
there engaged in blacksmithing a few months,
when he transferred his residence and his business
to San Joaquin county, locating in the town of
Farmington, where he was busily occupied for
fourteen )'ears. Removing from there to Garden
Grove, in what is now Orange county, he there
followed his trade in connection with general
agriculture until r888, when he settled perma-
nently in the San Gabriel vallej-.

Near Covina Mr. Witham bought an orange
ranch of ten acres, and in its improvement and
cultivation he has been eminently successful.
His knowledge of agriculture, his business ability
and his public spirit render him a desirable mem-
ber of local organizations, and he is now serving
as one of the board of directors of the Covina
Citrus Association. For a long time he has been
connected with the A. C. G. Southern California
Fruit Exchange, of which he was president one
year. He is a prominent member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church of Covina, which he is serving
as steward. Fraternally he belongs to the Ancient
Order United Workmen of Covina, and has done
much to promote the good of the order in this
part of the state. Politically he has always faith-
fully supported the principles of the Republican
part}', but has never been an aspirant for official
favors.

In November, 1S58, Mr. Witham married Miss
Maria Clough, a New England girl, born in Blue
Hill, Me. Of their union one child was born,
Mary E., who is now the wife of Arthur Harris,
of Pomona, Cal.

0AMUEL FESLER. During the year 1891
2S ^Ii". Fesler came to Covina, where he has
J2/ since made his home, engaging during the
intervening years in horticultural pursuits, and
also serving as a director in the Covina Citrus
Association. He is the owner of a ten-acre place,
all of which but one acre has been planted to
oranges. To the care of this orchard his attention
is closely given, and it is due to his close and
painstaking supervision that the property presents
an appearance so neat and attractive.

Descended from German ancestry, Mr. Fesler
was born in Rockingham county, Ya., April 24,
1834, being a son of Peter and Sarah (Hoover)
Fesler, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and
Virginia. In company with his parents, in 1840
he went from Virginia to Indiana, settling in
Madison county, of which the family were pio-
neers. He grew to manhood upon a farm there,
and early familiarized himself with the pioneer
tasks of clearing, grubbing, improving and culti-
vating. For many years he followed the quiet
occupation of an agriculturist in that county, but
in 1882 he moved to Colorado, settling in Long-
uiont, where, in partnership with a brother,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

481

George, under the title of Fesler Brothers, he car-
ried on a haj' and grain business, and also sold
farm implements. From that place he removed
to California and settled in Covina.

Personally Mr. Fesler is an industrious, pains-
taking man, whose aim is to do well whatever he
undertakes. His education was not thorough;
he lacked the advantages offered to the youth
to-day; in fact, he is largely self educated, but
this, instead of detracting from his success, has
made him more earnest than otherwise in his
efforts to broaden his fund of information and his
store of knowledge. The German Baptist Church
of Covina numbers Mr. and Mrs. Fesler among
its members, and they have been regular con-
tributors to its maintenance.

In Indiana Mr. Fesler married Maria Shaw-
ver, by whom he had three children: Mrs. Henry
Larcher, of Madison count}', Ind.; Martin, of
Salt Lake City, Utah; and Mrs. William Davis,
of Delaware county, Ind. His second marriage
also took place in Indiana, uniting him with
Louise Charman, by whom he had two children,
Charles R. and Nellie M. His present wife was
Miss Nettie E. Brubaker, of Colorado. By this
union four children were born, three of whom are
now living, namely: Dean A., Belle A. and
Alta S.

pQlLLIAM K. GREEN. Situate on oue of
\ A 7 the most desirable and prominent garden
YY spots of Whittier, and commanding a
splendid view of the beautiful outlying valley,
is the commodious, comfortable and homelike
abode of William K. Green, than whom there
is no more high-minded, enterprising or es-
teemed gentleman.

Mr. Green first came to California from Lena-
wee county, Mich., May 4, 1891, and previous
to permanently locating in Whittier, resided
for a time at Redlands. He is a native of Cattar-
augus county, N.Y., and was born January 21,
1831. His parents, Nelson and Melisse (West)
Green, were also natives of New York, as were
many of their ancestors. Until his sixteenth
year he was reared on his father's farm in New
York, and there received a substantial and prac-
tical home training. The family then moved to
Lenawee county, Mich., where he completed the
education begun in the district schools of his na-

tive state. This preliminary study was supple-
mented by attainments acquired by later appli-
cation, andinspired by a fondness forreading and
research in the various avenues for obtaining in-
formation. Mr. Green early displayed a special
aptitude for agricultural pursuits, and most of
his life has been spent in connection with the most
intelligent and advanced phases of the work.

Mr. Green has been twice married. His first
wife was Edna Comstock, of Lenawee county,
Mich., and their son, William P., is living at
Redlands. For eight years Mr. and Mrs. Green
were identified with the Raisin Valley Seminary
in Lenawee county, Mich., of which institution
Mr. Green was general superintendent and finan-
cial manager, and Mrs. Green presided success-
fully as matron. Mr. Green's second wife was
Ruth Trueblood, a native of Indiana.

The ranch which Mr. Green owns is located
two miles southeast of Whittier, and comprises
twenty acres under walnuts and oranges, and is
highly cultivated.

In politics Mr. Green affiliates with the Prohi-
bition part}', and has held .some prominent polit-
cal offices. While in Lenawee county, Mich., he
served as township clerk for several years. He
is a devoted member of the Friends' Church, and
interested in all that pertains to the well-being of
the same. Among his friends and associates, and
in the opinion of the public at large, he is deemed
the highest type of a self-made man, who has
clearly seen the surrounding opportunities, and
turned them to the good account of himself, his
friends and the general public. He is enterpris-
ing and progressive, and enjoys the confidence of
all who come within the range of his kindly and
sympathetic nature.

AJOR GEORGE F. ROBINSON. The
Civil war, that changed the destinies of so
many men, was the turning point in the
career of Major Robinson. Had it never been
declared he might have remained in his native
state of Maine, contentedly following farm pur-
suits, or perhaps engaged in the lumbering busi-
ness. But the call for soldiers to defend the
Union could not be slighted by one of such patri-
otic spirit. His record as a soldier is one of
which he might well be proud. In the annals

482

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of our country his name may be written as that
of one who proved himself equal to every emer-
gency.

In Hartford, Me., the subject of this article
was born August 13, 1832, a sou of Isaac W. and
Deborah (Thomas) Robinson, also natives of
Maine. The ancestry of the Thomas and Robin-
son families is traced back to Mayflower immi-
grants, and some of both names participated in
the Revolutionary war. Two brothers of Isaac
Robinson were officers in the United States navy.
It will thus be seen that patriotism, courage and
honor are engrafted in the stock. The boyhood
days of our subject were passed on his father's
farm. At eighteen years of age he moved to
Aroostook county. His education was received
principally in the high school of Phillips and the
academy at Patten, Me. After leaving school he
devoted the winter months to lumbering, and
during the summer engaged in farming.

As a member of Company B, Eighth Maine
Infantry, Mr. Robinson enlisted in the Union
army in August, 1863. He was ordered to South
Carolina, where he served under General Gil-
more. Later his regiment was assigned to the
army of the James. He fought in seven battles,
including those at Drury's Bluff, Bermuda Hun-
dred and the first attack on Petersburg. During
Beauregard's attack on General Butler's works
at Bermuda Hundred, May 20, 1864, he was seri-
ously wounded in the right leg. He was taken
first to the hospital at Point Lookout and later
was .sent to Douglas hospital, in Washington,
D. C. Before he had fully regained his strength
he was detailed, by order of the secretarj- of war,
as one of two nurses to assist in caring for Hon.
William H. Seward, the then secretary of state,
who was quite ill, having been seriously injured
in a runaway in Washington, D. C. While he
was filling this place, April 14, 1865, between
nine and ten o'clock at night, an attack was made
on the life of Mr. Seward by Lewis Payne, who
had gained admi.ssion to the house under pretense
of having a prescription of medicine for Mr. Sew-
ard. The would be assassin, in his attempt to
reach his victim's side, in the hallway cut Fred-
erick Seward, a son of the secretary, with the
knife he carried in his hand, striking him with
the knife in the forehead and felling him to the
lloor; then, jumping over his prostrate body, he

rushed toward the bed and began desperately to
attack Mr. Seward. He had already succeeded in
cutting his face and neck and had his knife up-
raised for a final and (as it would probably have
been) fatal attack, when his arm was caught by
Mr. Robinson ; the knife was diverted and the sec-
retary's life saved. With fiend-like desperation
the murderer turned on Mr. Robinson, cutting
him four times with the knife, and to this day the
scarsof these wounds may be seen. Payne, find-
ing himself foiled, broke away, rushed from the
house, jumped on his horse and fled. However,
he was captured a week later and executed with
other conspirators. The attack on the life of
Mr. Seward created the greatest excitement, com-
ing, as it did, at the time that Abraham Lincoln
was so foully assassinated, and proving the ex-
istence of a plot to destroy the government of the
United States. The man whose courage and
quickness in action had saved the life of the sec-
retary was lauded as a hero. His name was
carried, through press notices, all over the land,
and everywhere people united in praising him for
saving the life of the secretary of state at the risk
of his own.

In June, 1865, Major Robinson was honorably
discharged from the array. Soon after he en-
tered the office of the third auditor of the United
States in the treasury department, where he re-
mained for two years. He then spent a year in
Maine. On his return to Washington he was
given a clerkship in the office of the quarter-
master-general, which position he held for eleven
years. He was then appointed a paymaster, with
the rank of major, in the regular army, in which
capacity he .served with efficiency for eighteen
years. On reaching the age limit in 1S96 he was
retired, since which time he has made his home
on his orange and lemon ranch at Pomona.
While he superintends the management of his
orchard of twenty acres he is to a large degree
free from the cares of active life, and is able to
enjoy the twilight of his bu.sy existence in ease
and contentment. In politics he has always
been a firm believer in Republican principles.
He is interested in the Grand Army of the Re-
public and was one of the committee chosen to
formulate the ritual of the organization. He is a
member of the military order of the Loyal Legion.
He is also connected with the Masonic fraternity.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

487

In religion he is of the Universalis! belief. By
his marriage with Miss Aurora Clark, of Spring-
field, Me., he has two sons, George P. and Ed-
mund C, both residents of California. George
P. is connected with the San Antonio Fruit Ex-
change and Edmund C. is managing his father's
ranches.

gAPT. CHAUNCEY WEEKS HYATT was
born in Kent, Putnam county, N. Y., Feb-
ruary 28, 1838, a son of James Duncan and
Minerva (Meade) Hyatt, the former born in 1805
and died in 1865; the latter born in 1808 and died
in 1859. His maternal grandparents were Jere-
miah and Lottie (Sprague) Meade. His pater-
nal grandfather, John, was a son of Jesse Hyatt,
a Revolutionary soldier, whose father, James
Hyatt, according to the traditions of the family,
was one of three brothers who emigrated to this
country from England early in the eighteenth
century and who, on separating, assumed the
names of Haight, Hoyt and Hyatt. Their de-
scendants have become very numerous. The sub-
ject of this sketch was the seventh son and ninth
child in a family of fourteen, all of whom (with
the exception of one that died in infancy) sur-
vived until the youngest was forty-five years
of age and each became the head of a more or
less numerous family. It may be added that
eleven of the fourteen were successful teachers
in the common schools. There were two editors
and publishers, one .successful civil engineer, and
all were more than ordinarily successful in busi-
ness.

The family homestead was situated in the
rough and rugged region of eastern New York,
where none but the industrious could survive.
Every child was required to labor during the
summer and attend school during the winter
term, which in that section averaged about five
months in the year. In this way Chauncey ob-
tained the rudiments of his education, finishing
up with a limited course at the Raymond Institute
in Carmel. When he was about sixteen years of
age the family removed to Wisconsin and settled
in the wilds of Sheboygan county. Here he en-
gaged in teaching. At the outbreak of the Civil
war he resigned a lucrative position as teacher in
order to measure arms with his country's foes.
He enlisted in Company C, Fourth Wisconsin
25

Infantry, which was the first three years' regi-
ment to leave the state. His regiment accompa-
nied Butler to New Orleans and was the first to
enter the Crescent city. He remained with his
regiment until after the unsuccessful Vicksburg
campaign, when he was promoted into the Thirty-
eighth Wisconsin Infantry, in which he served
from Cold Harbor to Appomattox. He partici-
pated in all the desperate battles of the campaign
and was in command of his company in nearly
every battle even before he was promoted to its
head. At the close of the war his company pre-
sented him with an elegant sword, inscribed with
the battles in which he had engaged. The colonel
of the regiment, in making the presentation,
stated that, whereas some organizations had pre-
sented their commandants with emblems of their
confidence at the beginning of their service and
had found the.se commandants incapable or un-
worthy, in this instance the mark of esteem had
been withheld until the officer had been tested as
by fire and found worthy.

In February, 1865, while in front of Petersburg
and when preparations were being made for the
final assault, Captain Hyatt obtained a leave of
absence to go to Chicago. On the loth of that
month, in the city named, he married Mary J.,
daughter of William and Christie (Smith) Keith.
The Keiths were natives of Aberdeen, Scotland,
and direct descendants of the celebrated Marshal
Keith of illustrious memory. Christie Smith was
a sister of Capt. James Smith, of the Chicago
Light Artillery, that performed so conspicuous a
part in the early maneuvers of the war. George
Smith, one of the first bankers of Chicago and
among the most successful of the early residents
of that city, was a near relative, and until his
death officiated as the head of the family. All of
his relatives were the beneficiaries of his munifi-
cent regard. He died October 8, 1899. He was
a prominent member of the famous Reform Club
at Pall Mall, London.

When the war closed Captain Hyatt settled in
Tama county, Iowa, where he held many posi-
tions of trust and profit, but made civil engineer-
ing his principal business. He served as county
surveyor for two terms. He established the post-
office of Badger Hill and was its first postmaster.
In 1872 he removed to Dodge county, Neb.
There he follpwed engineering for a few years as

488

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

county surveyor of Dodge county. In 1882 he
established the Daily and Weekly Flail, also be-
came postmaster at North Bend, in which capac-
ity he served through the Arthur and Hayes ad-
ministrations, raising the office from the fourth
to the third grade. At the advent of President
Cleveland, Mr. Hj-att, having made a vigorous
campaign for James G. Blaine, was summarily
removed from his office for offensive partisanship,
being the first postmaster ever removed for that
expressed cause in the history of the service.
The offense was something new in political his-
tory and it was made a national case, the gallant
Senator Manderson taking up the matter and
making it conspicuous. The Associated Press
commented largely and the London Tifncs gave
it a leader.

Regarding Mr. Hyatt as an editor, numerous
letters from conspicuous Nebraskans testify, con-
cerning which we make these quotations:

General Thayer, senator and ex-governor, says:
"He is an able and successful editor."

Senator Manderson: "He is a journalist of
great ability and has the courage of his convic-
tions. Articles written by him bear the impress
of thought and are particularly meritorious in
forcible expression and diction."

Senator Thurston: "One of the most able and
logical editors of the state."

I'M Rosewater, of the Bcc: "He is a terse, vig-
orous and incisive writer, has few equals as a
paragrapher and is possessed of a broad range of
information that enables him to discuss public
matters intelligently and exhaustively."

Senator Allen: "He is exceptionally able and
competent as a newspaper writer and manager.
^•' '■= *^ * As an editor Colonel Hyatt has a large
experience and possesses rare capacity."

Chief Justice Maxwell: "He conducts one of
the ablest and best Republican papers of the
state."

Congressman Dorsey: "He is a trenchant and
versatile writer, uses the king's English with
terseness and vigor and as an editor has no su-
perior in the state."

National Committeeman Church Howe: "A
strong writer, full of energy and quick to 'catch
on.' He is considered one of the best writers in
our country."

These quotations, taken from a large collection
of letters held by Mr. Hyatt, prove that his work
as a newspaper man was appreciated.

The Daily Flail of Fremont continued under
his management until, as a delegate to the na-
tional editorial convention in San Francisco, he
was so delighted with Los Angeles that he put
his paper on the market and within a few months
he was ready to start toward the setting sun. On
arriving at Los Angeles in July, 1894, he at once
adapted himself to the conditions and began ear-
nestly to work for the upbuilding of his adopted
city. He was one of the very first to agitate the
question of the annexation of his locality to the
city, being a member of the general committee
and chairman of the committee on "Literature"
for the occasion. He is an active real estate man
aud has been one of the strongest factors in the
grand march of improvements in the southwest.
He is a prominent member of the Military Order
of Loyal Legion, the Grand Army of the Repub-
lic, the Junior Order American Mechanics, the
Ancient Order of United \\'orkmen and the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. His home at
No. loi 6 West Thirty-fifth street is one of the
most pleasant and commodious in that part
of the city. He and his wife have two children
living, Louise Maude and Major Chauncey Alan-
son, having lost their eldest son, George Smith,
in his infancy.

pQlLLIAM C. MOORE, a well-known citi-
lAl ^^^ and walnut grower of the Los Nietos
V V district, and a director of the Los Nietos
Irrigating Company, has demonstrated his fit-
ness to be numbered among the most enterprising
and worthy of the residents of this fertile county.
His ranch, upon which he settled a number of
years ago, contains sixteen and one-half acres,
partially under walnuts.

Mr. Moore is a native of Denmark, where he
was born October 4, i860. His parents were
John and Margaret Moore, who were born in Ger-
many. John Moore died in Denmark when his
son William was in his third year. After a time
his widow married again, becoming the wife of
Henry Earnest, of Denmark, and they are now
residing at Santa Ana, Cal. When William
Moore was about five years old he was taken to

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

489

America by his mother and step-father, the little
party crossing in a sailing vessel, and having a
long and stormy voyage. Arriving in America,
they settled in Howard county, Iowa, where they
industriously engaged in agricultural pursuits
for many years, and here their son passed his
youthful days and grew to man's estate. He as-
sisted in the work around the farm, and studied
diligently at the district schools.

Mr. Moore was married in 1886, in Iowa, to
Mary L. Isbell, a native of Iowa, and they have one
child, Glen A. After his marriage Mr. Moore
continued to farm in Iowa for a short time, but in
1887 came to California, and for several years re-
sided at Tustin, Orange county. Not being con-
tent with the locality as a permanent place of resi-
dence, he came to Los Angeles county early in
the '90s, and for a time farmed successfully on
leased land. After settling on his present ranch
near Los Nietos he became interested in the
various institutions for the upbuilding of the lo-
cality with which he had cast his fortunes, and
these, added to the care of his farm and horticul-
tural interests, have been prolific of good finan-
cial and social returns. He is a self-made man
in the truest sense of the word, having risen by
his own exertions to his present place in the esti-
mation of his fellow-townsmen. Politically he is
affiliated with the Republican party, but has
never had political aspirations, being content to
leave to others the manipulation of the political
machinery.

EHARLES SEYLER. Prominent among the
railroad men of Southern California is
Charles Seyler, whose service in this calling
extends over a period of nearly thirty years. He
is esteemed a valuable and thoroughly faithful
employe of the great Southern Pacific Railroad
system and is well known to the business men
and general public of Los Angeles and vicinity.
Courteous and prompt in the performance of his
duties, he has won the respect of those with
whom he has had dealings and has a host of
sincere friends. In addition to his railroad in-
terests, for some years he has acted as president
of the Metropolitan Loan Association, which has
reached its greatest prosperity under his able
management.
Mr. Seyler was born in Dansville, Livingston

county, N. Y., October 2, 1844, of German
parentage. His father, Charles Seyler, Sr., was
a native of Prussia, Germany, and emigrated to
the United States in the year 183S. Shortly
after his arrival in this country he enlisted in the
army, serving during the Indian war in Florida,
and at the expiration of his term of enlistment
settled in western New York, becoming a success-
ful merchant. His mother was a native of
Bavaria, Germany. Charles Seyler, Jr., like his
father, was greatly interested in the patriotic
issues of the age, and, though only sixteen years
of age when the first gun of the Civil war was
fired, he was one of the first to respond to the
call of President Lincoln for volunteers. April
25, 1861, his name was enrolled in the army.
For three years he served as a private in Com-
pany B, Thirteenth New York Infantry. He
participated in numerous important campaigns,
and fought in the first battle of Bull Run, that of
Antietam, the operations around Richmond, the
battle of Fredericksburg, and many others. He
was not only one of the first to fight for the
Union cause, but he was also one of the last to leave
the service. At the close of the war he went to
Virginia, where he was in the quartermaster's
department for a period of three years.

In 1869 Mr. Seyler came to the Pacific coast,
where he has since resided. Locating in San
Francisco, he entered the employ of the Central
Pacific, now under the management of the South-
ern Pacific Railroad Company. During the
twenty-nine years that have elapsed since he be-
came connected with this corporation he has
been chiefly emploj'ed in the freight department,
and thoroughly understands every detail of the
same. As may be readily supposed, the freight
handled by the company is enormous in volume,
and it requires live, energetic men at the head of
affairs, and such an one is found in Mr. Seyler.
In 1886 he was installed as local freight and
ticket agent in Los Angeles and since then has
efficiently attended to the needs of the public in
this section of the state. Prior to his acceptance
of his present oflBce he had served the company
as a traveling auditor for five years, and his
splendid financial ability and keen judgment
brought him into particular favor with his su-
periors. In 1890 he became a director in the
Metropolitan Loan Association, and is still ron-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

nected with it in that capacity. Since 1895 he
has been its president. This is the most success-
ful building association in Los Angeles, accord-
ing to the judgment of manj' competent to know.
Since its organization it has erected no less than
two hundred dwellings in Los Angeles.

For what he has accomplished Mr. Seyler de-
serves credit. "His country first, and his com-
pany afterward" may be said to have been his
motto. Whatever enterprise he has undertaken
has been carried out in a whole-hearted manner.
In politics he is a stanch Republican, but he has
found little time to devote to public affairs, al-
though he has never failed in his duty as a citi-
zen and voter. Fraternally he ranks high in the
Masonic order and that of the Ancient Order of
United Workmen.

The home-like, cozy residence of Mr. Seyler
is at No. 2305 ScarfF street, Los Angeles. In
1875 he married Miss Pauline Bauer, by whom
he has one son, Charles Seyler, the third of
that name in direct descent. He is a promising
young man and a recent graduate of the Cali-
fornia State University at Berkeley.

PjIEDRICH C. MENSING, horticulturist,
1^1 apiarist, cooper, and an all-around enter-
16/ prising resident of the Covina valley, was
born in Bremen, Germany, March 16, 1846. His
parents were Diedrich C. Mensing and Sophia
(Baumann) Men.sing, both of whom were natives
of Germany and residents of Bremen.

Until he attained his majority our subject re-
mained at his father's home in Bremen and was
meantime favored with excellent educational ad-
vantages. In addition he received the fine prac-
tical home training that falls to the lot of the
average German boy. When fourteen years of
age he began to prepare for an independent liveli-
hood in the future, and, following his father's
advice, he became a cooper. He worked at his
trade in Bremen forseveral years with success, but,
being awake and ambitious, he longed for other
fields of operation. The ships that continually
sailed away from his seaport town seemed to
carry travelers to lands of greater promise than
was apparent from an uninterrupted future resi-
dence in Bremen.

There, in 1867, he engaged passage on a sail-

ing vessel that took its dilatory way across the
ocean mid delaying storms and more delaying
calms, and after six weeks and three days the
watery way was intercepted by the shores of
America. Arriving in New York, he proceeded
to Buff"alo, where, and in Cleveland, Ohio, he
worked at his trade for a time. In 1869 he jour-
neyed to San Franci.sco. His opportunities for
seeing the world were supplemented by a sojourn
of two and one-half years in the Sandwich
Islands, during which time he was employed at
the cooper's trade. Returning to America, he
settled in Los Angeles county, Cal., where his
trade still commanded his attention at San
Gabriel. In the fall of 1875 he became intere.sted
in the apiary business at Lang Station, making
a scientific study of the raising of bees. He con-
tinued this occupation until 1882, when he settled
on his present ranch, one mile south of Irwin-
dale. His land comprises forty-three acres under
citrus and deciduous fruits.

Mr. Mensing was married in Germany to Meta
Egbers, of Bremen. He is an active and helpful
member of the German Lutheran Church.
Foremost in many of the enterprises for the
development and well-being of his county and
town, he has served in many capacities with
credit to himself and his community. He is a
director in the Irwindale Land and Water Com-
pany, and a charter member of the Irwindale
Citrus Association. Fraternally he is associated
with the Independent Order of United Workmen
at Covina.

ICHAEL REBHAN, who is a horticul-
turist, settled on a ranch near Irwindale in
1 894 and has since given his attention closel j'
to the improvement of the property, consisting of
nineteen acres, mostly under oranges. He is a
director in the Irwindale Citrus Association and
in the Azusa Irrigating Company, and is identi-
fied with other local movements of an important
character. As a man of enterprise and business
acumen, he commands respect and esteem from
his a.s.sociates.

A son of Peter and Maggie Rebhan, natives of
Germany, Michael Rebhan was born in Bavaria
April 18, 1852. Under such influences as sur-
round a German boy of the middle cla.ss, he
])assed the years of boyhood and youth. On

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

491

reaching his twentieth year he came to the United
States. The 3ear 1872 found him in Cleveland,
Ohio, where he spent some six \'ears, and was
employed in a foundry. Since coming to this
country he has acquired a good knowledge of the
English language, in addition to which he has a
fine German education.

From Cleveland Mr. Rebhan moved to Kansas
in 1878 and began farm pursuits in Clay county.
In that section he continued to live until 1894.
He then came to California and settled on the
place he still owns. He is a diligent worker,
always striving to keep his place under good im-
provement and in a condition equalling that of
the other progressive fruit-growers of the neigh-
borhood. While he is not active in public affairs
he is public-spirited and is a patriotic citizen of
the country of his adoption. After coming to
America he married Elizabeth Seitz, of Cleve-
land, Ohio. They have five children now living,
Mary A., Edward, John G. , Lillie and Pearl.

WA. WELDON, M. D., who is the pro-
prietor of the leading drug store in San
, Pedro and for thirteen years or more has
been closely connected with every movement
tending to advance the permanent welfare of this
place, is widely known in this section of Los An-
geles county, and, wherever known, is held in
genuine esteem. Broad minded and progressive
in all of his views and loyal in his devotion to
this, the chosen city of his abode, he accepted the
responsible position of chairman of the board of
trustees of San Pedro when it was urged upon
him, and in this capacity has been able to do
much for the place. He has acted in this office
for the past three years— years truly crucial in
its history, for the great question of the harbor
improvements and all of the local improvements
so surely following in the train of the paramount
improvement have been debated by the public
and much has been already accomplished. With
the great prospects which San Pedro has to-day
as a shipping point for the vast southeastern sec-
tion of the United States, and with the wonderful
impetus which the entire tier of Pacific coast
states will receive as the direct result of our re-

cent island acquisitions in the western ocean, too
much cannot be predicted of the San Pedro of
the future.

Dr. Weldon was born in South Portland, Me.,
in 1853, but was reared in the city of Boston,
where he obtained an excellent education in the
public schools. After completing his high school
studies he entered Bowdoin College in Maine,
where he spent two years in the academic de-
partment. He then obtained a position in a drug
store, and, while mastering the business, he also
devoted considerable attention to the study of
medicine. In 1884, after he had been given his
degree as a doctor of medicine from Bowdoin
College, he came to the west, and for a couple of
years pursued his practice in the eastern part of
the city of Los Angeles. In 1886 he came to San
Pedro, where he soon built up a large and repre-
sentative practice. From 1890 to 1893 he served
as county coroner, and for several years he has
been retained by the Southern Pacific Railroad
Company as their local physician and surgeon.
He owns and carries on a well-equipped drug
store, and usually gives employment to two
clerks.

In his political preferences the doctor is strong-
ly in favor of the policy of the Republican party,
believing that to its wisdom in steering the ship
of state through the stormy waters of war, recon-
struction and financial panics the present mar-
velous prosperity of the United States is due.
Fraternally he stands high in the ranks of the
Foresters of America, and occupies one of the
most exalted offices in the grand body of the or-
ganization. He has one son, now attending the
Los Angeles public schools.

Dr. Weldon is the federal quarantine officer
for the United States marine hospital service at
San Pedro.

pCJlLLIAM A. JOHNSTONE. During the
\ A / decade in which he has made San Dimas
Y V bis home and horticulture his occupation,
Mr. Johnstone has displayed an energy of dispo-
sition and determination of character that entitle
him to the prosperity he is already achieving.
He possesses the enterprise of youth, together
with the self-reliance usually an attribute of ex-
perience and age. In the cultivation of- his
ranch of thirty acres he has shown prudence and

492

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

perseveriug industry. In addition to managing
this property he is a director in the Indian Hill
Citrus Union fnow the San Diraas Citrus Union),
a prominent local organization that has proved
of great advantage to the shippers of citrus
fruits.

The sketch of Mr. Johnstone's father, James A. ,
appears on another page and presents the family
history. Our subject was born in Ontario, Can-
ada, December 15, 1869, and at an early age ac-
companied his parents to Manitoba, where his
schooling was principally obtained. From an
early age he was fond of reading, hence he ac-
quired a far broader education than could be ob-
tained merelj' from a study of text-books. After
leaving school he took up the study of law with
Hon. Clifford Sifton, of Brandon, Manitoba, a
man of great talent, and who is now minister of
the interior for the Dominion. With him he re-
mained for two years.

On the removal of his father to California in
1890 Mr. Johnstone accompanied him to San
Dimas, and this place has since been his home.
Patriotic in his devotion to the country of his
adoption, he maintains an intelligent interest in
all measures pertaining to our nation's advance-
ment. In politics he is a stanch Republican.
At this writing he is a Republican committee-
man of the Lordsburg precinct. In the Lords-
burg Methodist Episcopal Church, to which he
belongs, he serves as a trustee and steward, and
has been helpful in advancing the work of the
church in its various societies. Fraternally
he is a Mason, identified with the lodge at
Covina.

/QEORGE O. SHOUSE. In all of his travels,
l_ which have covered thirty-two states of the
\J^ LTnion, Mr. Shouse has found no state that,
in his estimation, compares with California as to
climate, scenery and possibilities for the future.
When he came to the state, in 1887, he first set-
tled south of Los Angeles, on the Centerville
road, near Englewood, where he gained his first
experience with ranching in the far west. From
there he came to Covina in December, 1894.
Since that time he has made his home on the
same place. He is known as an energetic, judi-
cious and broad-minded man, whose success is

richly deserved and whose moral attributes are
no less worthy of commendation than hisbusines-s
qualifications. At the time of his arrival in this
neighborhood he leased the Hollenbeck ranch of
thirty-one hundred and eighty acres, for which
he paid a cash rental of $5,000. However, a
very short time afterward (February, 1895) he
bought twenty-one hundred and twenty acres of
the ranch, and this he owned and operated until
April, 1900, when he sold an undivided half to
F. M. Chapman. He still continues as manager
of the Hollenbeck ranch (as the place is known)
and has put about twelve hundred acres under
cultivation, utilizing the balance for pasture.

In the early days, when Daniel Boone crossed
the mountains from Virginia into Kentucky, he
was accompanied by the great-grandfather of
Mr. Shouse. The grandfather, Thomas Shouse,
became a farmer in Kentucky, where he died at
the age of one hundred and one years. Next in
line of descent was Thomas Shouse, Jr., who died
in Kentucky at the age of forty-seven, and whose
wife, Susan (Johnson) Shouse, died when only
twenty-nine years old. Their son, G. O. Shouse,
was born in Anderson county, Ky., January 14,
1866, and was only eleven years of age when he
started out in the world for himself. His years
of youth were spent in various places, but princi-
pally at one occupation, farming. Much of his
time he was employed in the south and middle
west. The fact that he was early thrown upon
his own resources was to some extent helpful, as
it developed in his character traits of self-reliance
and determination. He is devoted to California
and its welfare, and firmly believes Covina to be
the fairest valley of the whole state. He has not
been active in politics, but those who know him
are never left in doubt as to his opinions— he is a
stanch Republican and votes the ticket at all elec-
tions. Fraternally he is connected with the Or-
der of P'oresters, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, Ancient Order of United Workmen and
Covina Lodge, F. & A. M.

Since coming to California Mr. Shouse has es-
tablished domestic ties. His marriage took place
in Los Angeles August 20, 1891, and united him
with Laura J., daughter of John Smith, a pioneer
farmer of this county. Mrs. Shouse was borji in
Texas, but has made her home in California from
her earliest recollection, having been brought to

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

493

tliis stale b\- her parents when she was two
years of age. The children born of her marriage
to Mr. Shouse are named George Raymond, Owen
and Laura.

gRYCE GIVEN. While it was during 1891
that Mr. Given purchased his present ranch
in the upper San Gabiiel valley, it was not
until some six years later that he resigned his
position in Philadelphia and came to establish
his home in California. His property comprises
twenty acres, mostly under orange culture. Un-
der his intelligent supervision the land has been
redeemed from it primitive condition and made a
valuable tract. Besides the management of his
ranch he is actively identified as a director with
the A. C. G. Association, and also a director in
the San Dimas Irrigation Company.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Given was born
April 30, 1854, a son of Robert H. and Marian
(Morrow) Given, both of Scotch extraction and
natives of the north of Ireland. He was edu-
cated in the public schools of Cincinnati and in
Kenyon College, at Gambler, Ohio, which he
entered at the age of sixteen and in which he
conducted his studies for a time. His father was
a successful business man of Cincinnati, where
he conducted a sash and door manufactory. In
1874 our subject left home and went to Chicago,
entering the employ of the Victor Sewing Ma-
chine Company and continuing with them for
several years in a clerical capacity. Subse-
quently he became identified with the American
Book Exchange, Chicago branch. His next po-
sition was with the Standard Book Company, in
which he owned an interest and of which he was
secretary. Later he became superintendent for
Belford, Clarke & Co., extensive publishers, also
of Chicago, in whose shipping department and
warehouse he remained for several years. On
severing his connection with that company he be-
came president and part- proprietor of the West-
ern Book and Stationery Company, of Chicago,
in which he retained his interest until 1894.
From 1895 to 1897 he was manager of the book
department in John Wanamaker's mercantile es-
tablishment, this being the largest department of
its kind in the world. From Philadelphia he
came to California.

Fraternally Mr. Given is connected with Co-

vina Lodge, F. & A. M.; Pomona Chapter, R.
A. M.; and Southern California Coramandery,
K. T.; also Al Malaikah Temple, Mystic Shrine,
at Los Angeles. He is also a director of the Co-
vina Country Club. In the Episcopal Church at
Covina he holds the office of vestryman. By his
marriage to Miss Alice Hoyt, of LaGrange, 111.,
he has two sons, George H. and Allison B.

pCjESTWOOD H. COLLINS. The firm of
\KI Collins Brothers, which is composed of
Y Y Herbert E. and Westwood H. Collins, owns
a finely improved ranch of thirty acres in San
Jo.s6 township, San Gabriel valley. The larger
part of the property is planted to oranges of a
choice variety. Every effort has been made by
the owners to introduce modern improvements
and avail themselves of every plan that promises
to increase the financial returns from their invest-
ment. Hence they are properly recognized as
men of progressive disposition. One of the
brothers, H. E., is the general agent for Califor-
nia of the Woodbridge Fertilizer Company, Los
Angeles; and the other, Westwood H., acts as
local agent for the same company in this valley.

Sussex county, England, was the native county
of Westwood H. Collins, and December 4, 187 1,
the date of his birth. He was reared in the home
of his parents, Edward L. and Ada (Mearn.s)
Collins, who were natives of England and Scot-
land respectively. The local schools furnished
him with good educational advantages, and of
these he availed himself during his boyhood.
While still a mere lad, in 1888, he left England
for America, having resolved to establish his
home and seek his fortune in this country. He
first settled near Lake Huron, in Ontario, Can-
ada, but, not feeling entirely satisfied with the
surroundings or prospects, he left there in 1890
and came to California, sojourning for a time in
Tulare county and coming to the San Gabriel
valley in 1891. Since that time he has lived
upon his fruit farm in San Jose township.

Though having no previous experience in hor-
ticulture, Mr. Collins took hold of this occupa-
tion with zeal and energy, and displayed good
judgment in investments and in the care of trees,
etc. Without doubt he has natural ability in the
direction of fruit-growing, and has selected the

494

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

occupation for which he is best qualified. He is
a director of the Covina Orange Growers' Asso-
ciation, a member of the Artesian Belt Water
Companj- and the Charter Oak Water Company,
and a director of the Cienega Water Company.
Since becoming a citizen of the United States he
has affiliated with the Republican party. He is
a charter member of the Country Club and a
prominent man of his community, being welcomed
in the best circles of society.

61 LANSON DORMAN. Among the many
U who have brought an intelligent apprecia-
/ I tion to bear upon the abundant and resource-
ful possibilities of California, none has been
better fitted than Mr. Dorman, by education and
experience, to utilize their opportunities and
benefit the community in which their lot is cast.

A native of Ontario county, N. Y., he was
born March 30, 1839, and is a son of Alanson
and Eleanor (Chapman) Dorman, natives re-
spectively of Litchfield, Conn., and Saratoga
Springs, N. Y. His early training on the farm
in New York was of a thorough and practical
nature, and as he showed an aptitude for agri-
culture in all its phases, he soon became of valu-
able assistance to his father, who was a prosper-
ous and prominent factor in the community in
which his lot was cast. The youth also studied
diligently at the public .schools, and during the
subsequent years had considerable business ex-
perience, all of which contributed largely to the
facility with which he carried on his later enter-
prises. He carried on for a time independent
farming, and in 1887 left Ontario county, N. Y.,
and settled on his present ranch at Rivera, Cal.
He has fifty-seven acres of land, twenty of which
are under walnuts, and the balance under fruit
and alfalfa.

In 1867, in New York, Mr. Dorman married
Ella Rippey, of Ontario county, N. Y., and to
this couple have been born five children: Mrs.
George Cate, of Redondo, Cal.; Mrs. W. T.
Tweedy, now living in Mesa, Ariz.; William S.,
of Mesa; Dudley M., living at Rivera, Cal.; and
George C, of Mesa, Ariz.

Mr. Dorman has been prominently identified
with many of the institutions that are the out-
growth of the peculiar climatic and other condi-

tions of California. In the performance of the
various duties along these lines he has given the
greatest satisfaction, and is in every way con-
sidered an enterprising adherent of all that per-
tains to the welfare of the community. For two
j'ears prior to, and for years since its incorpora-
tion, he has creditably served as president of the
Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers' As-
sociation, and has been instrumental in bringing
the special efficiency of this association to its
present prosperous condition. Mr. Dorman was
for five years a member of the Chamber of Com-
merce of Los Angeles. In politics he is a Prohibi-
tionist, but entertains extremely liberal views re-
garding the politics of the administration. He
is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, and is
an ardent upholder of its charities and beliefs,
and for several years has been an elder in the
church.

Mr. Dorman represents the best type of man
and citizen in his locality, and has made a name
for himself bj' reason of his advanced ideas and
firm adherence to principle.

QHARLES D. GRIFFITHS, the well-known
I { and popular agent for the Kerckhofl"-Cuzner
\J Mill and Lumber Company, has lived in
Azusa since 1892. Of Welsh descent, he is a
native of California, and was born in Stockton
February 6, 1868. His parents, John D. and
Mary (Thomas) Griffiths, were among the early
settlers of Stockton, where the former operated a
ranch and dain,- farm. He was closely identified
with the growth of Stockton, and was one of the
early workers in the Grangers' Union, which
was subsequently merged into the Farmers'
Alliance. A stanch and active Republican, he
interested himself in state and county politics,
his prominence in which was largely augmented
by his associations with, and friendship for, Tom
Cunningham, for many years sheriff of San Joa-
quin county.

When his son, Charles D., was eleven years
old, John Griffiths moved into southern Oregon
and took up government land, which he utilized
for farming and stock-raising. At that early age
the boy displayed much common sense and prac-
tical determination, and became a valuable aid in

^&.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

497

cultivating the newly acquired laud, thus render-
ing himself independent and self-supporting. His
education in the public schools was followed bj-
a year of training in Ashland College, at Ash-
land, Oregon, after which he devoted himself to
teaching in the public schools for three years.
At the age of twenty-three he began to learn the
carpenter's trade, and worked energetically at
the same until 1895, when he accepted his pres-
ent responsible position. He is also interested in
horticulture and has a thriving orange grove of
twenty acres.

In 1895 Mr. GriiEths married Olive Pollard,
of Los Angeles, Cal., and of this union there is
one daughter, Eleane. Mrs. Griffiths is a daugh-
ter of L- C. and Ellen Pollard, the former de-
ceased and the latter a resident of Los Angeles.

In politics Mr. Griffiths is a Republican. Since
the organization of the McKinley Club in 1896
he has officiated as its president. He has served
as a delegate to the county convention of his
party. Fraternally he is deputy grand master of
District No. 91, I. O. O. F., including Pasadena,
Covina, Monrovia and Azusa lodges, and chief
patriarch of the encampment; also identified
with, and receiver for, the Azusa Lodge, A. O.
U. W.

pQlLSON C. PATTERSON, president of the
\ A / Los Angeles National Bank, was born in
YY Ross county, Ohio, January 10, 1845. He
was one of a large family whose father was a
farmer. He grew up under rural influences and
attended the local district school, where he ob-
tained the rudiments of his education. At the
age of about fifteen he commenced a course of
study in Salem Academy at South Salem, Ohio.
Upon the breaking out of the war between the
States he, then a youth of eighteen years, joined
the federal army and was mustered into Company
A, First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Heavy
Artillery. He remained in active service from
July, 1863, until the close of hostilities. On his
return home he resumed his academic studies,
but the necessity of earning his own support
forced him to leave school a few months later.
Soon after leaving the academy he went to Chilli-
cothe, the county-seat of his native county,
where he secured a clerical position in the office

of the county treasurer. Later, as an accountant,
he was employed in the office of M. Boggs & Co.,
wholesale grocers of Chillicothe. With that firm
he remained in positions of trust for upwards of
nineteen years, when, owing to impaired health,
in 1888 he came to California.

During his residence in Chillicothe Mr. Patter-
son was repeatedly offered public positions that
would have been tempting to a 3'oung man of
political ambitions, but all of these he declined,
accepting only such responsibilities as seemed to
him to lie in the path of duty as a citizen. He
served as a member of the board of education in
the city of Chillicothe for a period of about
twelve years and during five years of that time
was president of the board.

Upon coming to Los Angeles he was soon
benefited in health, and, becoming socially at-
tached to many of its progressive people and
being impressed with the city's future, he de-
cided to make it his home. In 1890 he was
made a director of the Los Angeles Board of
Trade and the following year was elected its presi-
dent, which position he held for two years. In
1894 he was elected a director of the Chamber of
Commerce and likewise of the Merchants' Asso-
ciation. In 1895 he was chosen president of the
Chamber of Commerce, which position he filled
with marked ability for two years. He is still a
member of that body and chairman of the com-
mittee on commerce.

Mr. Patterson was for twelve years the head of
the house of W. C. Patterson & Co., wholesale
produce and commission merchants, and for ten
years sole owner. For several years he was a
director of the First National Bank of Los An-
geles, and in November, 1898, he was elected
president of the Los Angeles National Bank, to
succeed the lamented George H. Bonebrake. He
is also a director of the Southern California
Savings Bank. He takes a warm interest in all
matters of practical benevolence and is a director
of the A.ssociated Charities. As president of the
Land of Sunshine Publishing Company he has
been identified with one of the leading publica-
tions of the Pacific coast. Fraternally he is con-
nected with Stanton Post, G. A. R., and is a
thirty second degree Scottish Rite Mason. In
1894 and again in 1896 his name was prominently
mentioned in connection with the mayoralty of

498

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Los Angeles, but he adhered to his resolution of
former 3-ears to keep out of politics, and there-
fore declined the proffered honors.

In Februarj-, 1896, Mr. Patterson was delegated
a representative of the Free Harbor League to go
to Washington, D. C, to appear before the con-
gressional committee on rivers and harbors, in
the interests of the deep-water harbor at San
Pedro. The characteristic faithfulness, energy
and success with which he performed this im-
portant mission had a pronounced and salutary
effect upon the outcome of the San Pedro harbor
controversy. His labors in that behalf were
cheerfully recognized by the body he so abl)'
represented and by a grateful public. In April
of the same year he again went to the national
capital on a similar mission as chairman of a
delegation of citizens to lay the claims of San
Pedro harbor before the committee on commerce
of the United States senate, and the splendid
work of this delegation is a part of the histor\- of
Southern California.

January 8, 1874, at Chillicothe, Ohio, Mr.
Patterson married Virginia Monette Moore.
They have two daughters, Ada and Hazel. The
elder, having married, is now Mrs. Harry Rea
Collender.

No state in the Union has given her country
more self-made men than has Ohio, and of this
class Mr. Patterson is a type. It is noticeable
that his rise in the commercial and financial
world has been steady, unfaltering and sub-
stantial. The ascent, too, has been made on a
broad-gauge track, and he is now crossing the
mesa that is so alluring to the ambitious youth of
our land. It is the story of the lives of such
practical and successful men that teaches a lesson
to be read with profit by the aspiring youth of
succeeding generations.

SAN REICHARD, a prominent citizen and
extensive fruit-grower, and one of the own-
ers of the Reichard ranch at Irwindale, was
born April i, 1847, in Mahoning county, Ohio.
His parents were Daniel and Rebecca (Benedict)
Reichard, natives of Pennsylvania.

Until his twentieth year Dan Reichard was
reared on his father's farm in Ohio, assisting in
all departments of the work, and having about

the same educational and other advantages that
fall to the lot of the average country-bred boy.
Certain it is that he had an inherent fondness for
the soil and the things that grow therein, and a
desire to test to the utmost its latent powers of
production. Thus, when in 1868 he started out
in the world to battle with his own fortunes, it
was but natural that California, the land of flow-
ers, sunshine and adaptive soil, should be the
goal of his future endeavor. The journey hence
was by way of New York and the Panama route,
and consumed in the undertaking twenty-nine
days.

In the summer of '68, upon his arrival in Los
Angeles, he began a series of diversified employ-
ments, which continued for a number of years.
In 1874 he and his brother, J. B. Reichard, pur-
chased one hundred and fifty acres of land, which
had formerly been a part of the old Reed tract.
In the spring of 1875 he planted" some orange
seeds on the ranch, which marked the beginning
of application and tireless industry. In connec-
tion with the cultivation of his somewhat wild
land he interested himself in the livery business
in Los Angeles, entering into partnership with
one C. A. Durfey, conducting their affairs under
the firm name of Durfey & Reichard. Their
place of business was located on the present site
of the Orpheus theater. His livery interests were
suspended from 1880 until 1886, when he again
found a partner in William Ferguson, the firm
name being Ferguson & Reichard, with head-
quarters at No. 373 North Main street. At the
expiration of four years Mr. Ferguson sold his
interest in the livery to P. K. Austin, the firm
name being changed to Austin & Reichard, which
amicably continued until 189S, when the firm
dissolved business entirely.

Since his retirement from the livery business
Mr. Reichard has devoted practically his entire
time to his ranch at Irwindale. The land now
yields twenty-six acres of grapes and many acres of
other fruits; in all, there are fifty-two acres under
fruit cultivation. In addition, he has forty-six
acres of garden and general farming land.

Mr. Reichard' s horticultural and agricultural
interests are not allowed to interfere with any
service he can render the community in which he
lives. One of the oldest pioneers of this section
of the country, he has identified himself with the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,

499

increasing responsibilities incident to a growing
and practically exhaustless region. In politics he
is in favor of the Democratic part}-. For two
terms, during 1884 and 1885, he served as super-
visor. He is a director in the Irwindale Land
and Water Companj' and a member of the Los
Angeles Countj' Pioneers. Fraternally he is as-
sociated with the Maccabees and the Fraternal
Brotherhood at Los Angeles.

Mr. Reichard was married in 1878 to Cora
Virgin, a native of Maine. Of this union there
are two children: DeForest and Anna M.

HON. HENRY T. HAZARD. Probably no
citizen of Los Angeles is better or more fa-
vorably known than Hon. H. T. Hazard,
ex-mayor of this beautiful southern city. He has
borne an active part in the improvement and
progress of the city, and as a public ofEcial his
record is one of which he is justly proud. Fidel-
ity to every trust reposed in him, thoroughness
in the discharge of his duties, and earnest regard
for the welfare of the public, characterized all of
his official actions, as tliej- have also character-
ized his private life.

Born in Evanston, 111., July 31, 1844.. he
passed nine years of his life in that state, but
since 1853 he has looked upon California as his
home. Returning to the east to complete his
education, he graduated in 1868 from the law
department of the University of Michigan, his
diploma admitting him to practice in the supreme
courtof that state, and, upon motion, in any other
state. Returning to Los Angeles, he at once em-
barked in the practice of his chosen profession,
and came into prominence so rapidly that he was
elected city attorney in 1881. Four years later
he was elected by a handsome majority to repre-
sent Los Angeles City in the California legisla-
ture. His record as a statesman is what might
be expected of a man so able and upright, a citi-
zen so loyal and progressive. If he accomplished
but one of the many things which he sought to
do as an assemblyman, lasting gratitude must be
his due. He introduced and saw safely through
a bill creating the supreme court commission, by
which means the highest judicial body of this state
was enabled to despatch its extensive calendar of
cases, then four years behind. To the attorneys

and litigants interested in these and thousands of
other cases close pressing upon the notice of the
court, this bill and action have been of inestima-
ble value.

Subsequently, in 1889, Mr. Hazard was elected
mayor of Los Angeles, at the time of the adop-
tion of the new charter. He served for two terms,
winning the commendation and high praise of all
who were in a position to judge fairly. Duringthis
period many important measures and reforms,
city litigations and improvements, came up for
consideration and action of the local officials, and
Mayor Hazard's attitude upon all of these mat-
ters deserves creditable mention in the annals of
this locality. His thorough knowledge of the law
was of special value, and saved the city expense
and tedious litigation on more than one occasion.

Upon resuming his practice, which had been
so frequently interrupted by his public service,
Mr. Hazard gradually became specially devoted
to patent litigation, in which line, requiring
exceptional legal keenness and ability, he has
built up an extensive business. He is now the
senior member of the firm of Hazard &Harpham.

For twenty-five years Mr. Hazard was affiliated
with the Republican party and active in its suc-
cesses, but since 1896 he has been a silver Repub-
lican. He is a politician, but in the best sense of
that word. Those who have been intimately as-
sociated with him for years, and know whereof
they speak, testify that he is superior to bribes
and trickery of any kind. He commands the
esteem of the people and confidence of his pro-
fessional co-laborers.

gRESEE BROTHERS. For a number of
years the Bresee Brothers have been ac-
counted leading undertakers of Los An-
geles, and their handsome offices at the corner of
Broadway and Sixth street attract constant no-
tice. They carry a large and well-selected stock
of everything needed in their line, and one of the
secrets of their success is the uniform courtesy
which they maintain toward all of their patrons,
whether rich or poor.

The father of these enterprising young men is
Rev. P. F. Bresee, who for the past seventeen
years has been actively engaged in ministerial
labors in Southern California, and at present is

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the pastor of the Nazaieiie Church of Los An-
geles. He has devoted his entire mature life to
the spreading of Christianity, and is a zealous
worker in the Master's vinejard. He occupied
the pulpit of the First Methodist Episcopal
Church of Los Angeles for three j-ears, and later
was at Pasadena for a period of four years, and
succeeded in building up that now wealthy and
prosperous congregation. His present work in
this city, chiefly among the poor and lowly, has
been far-reaching and of inestimable value to the
community.

Ernest H. Bresee, one of the members of the
firm before mentioned, was born in Iowa, and in
the public schools of that state received his ele-
mentary education. Later this was supplemented
by a course at Simpson College, near Des Moines.
In 1883 he came to California and for three years
or more was employed in the United States mail
service at Los Angeles. Then for seven years
he engaged in the real-estate business in this
city, afterwards becoming identified with Mr.
Howry, and they established a large undertaking
business. The firm dissolved partnership and
our subject entered into partnership with C. E.
Kregelo, which connection continued for four
years, when he entered into partnership with his
brother, P. W. Bresee, and they established the
present flourishing business. He has succeeded
even beyond his expectations, and has won a
name for sterling integrity and genuine worth, of
which he may well be proud. His marriage to
Miss Emma Reed, of San Francisco, took place
six years ago.

Phineas W. Bresee, who is a member of the
firm of Bresee Brothers, is a native of Des Moines,
Iowa, and passed his youth in that locality. He,
too, obtained a liberal education, completing his
studies at Simpson College. Like his brother,
he possesses good business qualifications, and
enjoys the high regard of all who know him. In
1 89 1 he married Mi.ss Ella Hewett, daughter of
Major Hewett, who for years was at the head of
the affairs of the Southern Pacific Railroad Com-
pany at Los Angeles.

In their political affiliations the Bresee brothers
are Republicans. Fraternally they are connected
with several of the leading lodges of the city,
Ernest H. Bresee being a member of the Odd
Fellows order, the Knights of Pythias and the

Independent (Jrder of Funsters, while Phintas
W. Bresee is a Mason of the Knight Templar de-
gree and is associated with the Knights of the
Maccabees and Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks.

HON. ORLANDO H. HUBER. An archi-
tect and builder of acknowledged merit, and
a legi.slator of undoubted ability, Mr. Huber
has been closely associated with the fortunes of
Azusa since he took up his residence here in
1887. At that time the town had scarcely a sug-
gestion of its present importance, a dczen dwell-
ings being sufficient to house the few who had
established homes here. With a stanch faith in
its future he has since kept closely identified with
the place and has assisted in promoting its ma-
terial progress.

Early in the '40s Martin and Philippine
(Ritter) Huber came from Germany totheLTnited
States and settled in Hancock county, 111., where
the former died, the latter afterward settling in
California, where she passed away. Their son,
Orlando H., was born August 9, 1857, in the
historic town of Nauvoo, in Hancock county, and
there grew to manhood, receiving a public school
education. Possessing decided mechanical abil-
ity, he found vent for this talent in the carpen-
ter's and builder's trade, and served an appren-
ticeship at this in San Francisco, Cal., whither
he went in 1873. For a number of years he ap-
plied his trade variously, often as journeyman
carpenter and superintendent of works. For a
term of years he was superintendent of the build-
ing department for W. M. Fletcher, at that time
the most prominent and skillful contractor and
builder in San Francisco.

In 1887 Mr. Huber took up his residence in
Azusa, and he has since made a substantial im-
pressio'n upon the progress of the city. He has
been actively identified with political affairs in
this vicinity and is a stanch Republican. In the
fall of 1894 he was elected assemblyman for the
seventy-first di.strict, serving for two years, and
in 1898 he was elected for another term. As a
legi.slator he was earnestly active in promoting
measures for the welfare of the people, and his
constituents were fortunate in having in the
legislative- halls one as able and faithful to their

Y^^l/yiHA^^riJ^^^^^^^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

interests as was he. Fraternally he has taken all
of the degrees in Masonry, from the Blue Lodge
to Knight Templar and Shriner, and is a member
of the Pomona Commandery and Los Angeles
Shrine. He is also connected with the Odd
Fellows and Woodmen of the World.

In Sacramento, Cal. , in 1885, Mr. Huber
married Miss H. Mary Griffiths, who was edu-
cated in the schools of Stockton, Cal., and grew
to womanhood there. She is a daughter of the
late John D. Griffiths and a sister of Charles D.
Griffiths, elsewhere represented in this work.

Mr. Huber is appreciated for his many sterling
qualities of mind and heart. As an architect he
takes high rank. He keeps in touch with the
progress of his art in all parts of the world, and
strives at all times to accomplish the most
substantial results.

ROBERT E. WIRSCHING. The popula-
tion of Los Angeles is cosmopolitan. Here
we find descendants of the old Spanish
grandees and representatives of the Teutonic race
mingling with the Anglo-Saxon, while in the
lower walks of life the Mongolian and the African
follow their humble occupations. Both the name
and the face of Mr. Wirsching readily indicate
his Teutonic extraction. He was born in Saxe-
Meiningen, Germany, February 15, 1846, and
was six years of age when his parents came to
America, settling in Connecticut, where he re-
ceived his education and grew to manhood. From
an early age he evinced an ambition to succeed,
and to this end he applied himself diligently to
his work. While in the east he learned photog-
raphy and carriage-painting. During the early
'70s he determined to seek his fortune on the Pa-
cific coast, in the great west toward which at that
time the tide of emigration was so rapidly tend-
ing. The year 1875 found him in Los Angeles,
where he has since made his home.

As a member of the firm of Rees & Wirsching,
the subject of this article soon gained a place
among the representative business men of Los
Angeles, and built up a large trade in agricul-
tural implements and wagons. It is a matter of
record that this firm was the first to break away
from the dominating influence then held by San

Francisco over the Southern California trade.
Instead of sending to San Francisco for supplies
they bought in the east and were therefore pio-
neers in the movement that has culminated in
making Los Angeles a wholesale center. While
in the main the firm met with success, yet they
had their share of reverses, notably in 1884,
when the disastrous floods caused a damage of
not less than $15,000. Instead of being discour-
aged by the disaster they at once purchased new
goods, made -radical improvements in their meth-
ods of carrying on the business, and by dint
of energy, perseverance and indomitable will-
power they were soon on the road to prosperity,
and were enjoying a larger trade than ever be-
fore.

While giving his attention closely to the build-
ing up of the business, Mr. Wirsching did not
neglect his duties as a citizen. He has always
been ardently devoted to the institutions of his
adopted country, where he has made his home so
long that he has little recollection of his native
Germany. He is thoroughly American and a
typical Californian. Ever since attaining his
majority he has been a member of the Republican
party. This party, recognizing his sterling worth
and desiring his services in local legislation, has
at different times nominated him to important of-
fices. As their standard-bearer he has made for
himself hosts of friends and well-wishers. In
1889-90 he served as a member of the city council
from the ninth ward. During 1893 and 1894 he
served as fire commissioner and for the following
two years he was police commissioner. In 1896
he was elected to represent the second district on
the county board of supervisors for a term of four
years. In this position, as in all others he has
held, he has received warm commendation from
men of both parties for his determined efiforts to
aid in securing economic administrations in every
official department.

July 28, 1880, Mr. Wirsching married Miss
Carlotta Valencia, who was born on the Los Felix
ranch near this city and taught school in Los An-
geles coutity for a number of years prior to her
marriage. They have four children : Rose, Rob-
ert. Carl and Ernest.

Fraternally Mr. Wirsching is connected with
the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Foresters and
the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Foresters he holds office as chief major-general,
which is one of the most important positions in
the entire order.

In closing it ma)- be said of Mr. Wirsching
that his success is due to his unaided efforts.
He began life in humble circumstances, but
steadily, step b}' step, he won his wa}- to a posi-
tion of honor in business and in public life, af-
fording by his life a fitting example of what our
country offers to a man of energy and deter-
mination.

QOLOMON HUBBARD, a late well-known
?\ citizen of the Azusa valley, was a native
\zf of Beaufort county, N. C, and was born
August 31, 1830. On his father's side he was of
English parentage. With his parents he moved
to Indiana at an early age. When quite a small
boy he was left an orphan and was then taken
into the home of a Quaker family near Richmond,
Ind. When a youth he received the rudiments
of a public school education, and when he was
large enough to work he secured employment at
$6 per month. By the time he had attained his
eighteenth year he had sufficient funds to assist
him in paying his expenses at a large boarding
school for boys, which he attended for two years.
The education thus obtained has since been sup-
plemented by extensive reading and practical ex-
perience.

After leaving the boarding school Mr. Hubbard
went to Cass county, Mich., and began farm pur-
suits, at which he was successful. Subsequently
he moved to Jo Daviess county. 111., and there
successfully engaged in agriculture. Later, how-
ever, he moved to Grundy county, Iowa, where
at one time he owned twenty-six hundred acres of
land. There he engaged in general farming and
stock-raising, and also gave considerable atten-
tion to purchasing railroad, government and
other lands. From there he moved to Cedar
Falls, Black Hawk county, Iowa, in 1873, con-
tinuing the same occupation in the latter count)-
that he had previously followed with success. In
1885 he came to California and made some in-
vestments in and near Los Angeles, which proved
profitable.

Mr. Hubbard was twice married. His first
wife was Miss Mary Ratcliffe, of Indiana, and she
bore him four children: Jo.seph R., and Eva L.,

wife of Richard Ashton, both of Pipestone,
Minn.; and Edward S. and William E., of Salt
Lake City, Utah. His second marriage was to
Mrs. E. P. Overman, of Cedar Falls, Iowa. He
was a domestic man and a kind and loving hus-
band and father. Politically he was a stanch
Republican and public-spirited. He was a
strong advocate of the public school and, in fact,
favored anything to improve his locality. With-
out aid from others he made his way through
life, gaining and retaining the esteem and confi-
dence of all who knew him.

When Mr. Hubbard settled on his place in the
Azusa valley it was practically in a primitive
condition. Through his management it became
a fine orange ranch. It is known as Arbor
Lodge, taking its name from the trees that form
an arbor. Arbor Lodge contains forty acres and
is one of the finest rural homesteads in the valley.

Mr. Hubbard died April 27, 1900, respected by
all who knew him. He was interred in Ross-
dale Cemetery, Los Angeles.

One of his strongest personal traits was his
keen interest in young men who were struggling
along in life, tr)-ingtoget a foothold in a business
or profession. Many a young man he materially
assisted in getting a start, and in helping others
to help themselves he showed himself to be a
practical philanthropist. He was well known
for his integrity, and his word was considered as
good as his bond.

0AVID KUNS. The prosperity of Lords-
burg College has been noticeably promoted
through the connection therewith of Mr.
Kuns, who is its vice-president and a member of
its board of directors. The cause of education has
no champion more earnest than he. Realizing
the value of a thorough education, he has la-
bored to secure for the youth of this locality and
generation advantages which in his own boyhood
were unknown. A resident of Lordsburg since
1891, Mr. Kuns was born in Montgomery count)-,
Ohio, March 23, 1820, a son of John and Han-
nah (Wolf) Kuns, natives of Pennsylvania, and
of German extraction.

In 1827 the Kuns family moved from Ohio to
Indiana and settled in Carroll county, of which
they were pioneers. It was in a log-cabin
schoolhou-se in that countv that David Kuns

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

503

gained a rudimeutary education. During the
winter he attended school, but in the summer his
help was needed on the farm, which had to be
cleared, improved and cultivated. For years he
followed agriculture, and for a time he also
shipped grain.

While living in Indiana, February 5, 1845, he
married Margaret S. Lamb, who was born in
Harrison county, Ohio, May 15, 1829, a daugh-
ter of Elliott and Margaret (Roberts) Lamb,
natives respectively of Massachusetts and Vir-
ginia. Her paternal ancestors were English. The
only child of Mr. and Mrs. Kuns is Henry L.
Kuns, who is engaged in horticultural pursuits
in the San Joaquin valley, California.

The year 1853 found Mr. Kuns and his family
settled in Macon county. 111., but in a short time
he moved to Piatt county, the same state, where
for many years he engaged in farming in Willow
Branch township. For more than twenty 3'ears
he carried on a large business in the buying and
shipping of grain in connection with agriculture.
While retaining his interests in that county he
came to California in 1891 and invested in prop-
erty at Lordsburg. A founder of Lordsburg
College, he has been a steadfast and liberal con-
tributor to its support and a promoter of its wel-
fare, and at the same time other educational and
philanthropic enterprises have had the impetus of
his encouragement.

EHARLES M. WRIGHT. In the course of
his long life, the greater part of which has
been passed in California, Mr. Wright has
won and maintained a reputation for integrity,
enterprise and wise judgment. He had wit-
nessed the development of the state, the growth
of its influence, the enhancement of its resources
and the broadening of its power as a common-
wealth. He is regarded as an able financier and a
successful agriculturist. During much of the
time he has lived in Southern California he has
devoted his time to agricultural pursuits, and since
1876 he has occupied and owned a ranch at Spa-
dra. At this writing he owns a one-third interest
in a ranch of ninety-five hundred acres used for
farming and grazing purposes, the firm of Lynch
& Wright being owners of the tract.

In Colchester, Vt., Mr. Wright was born

April 26, 1836, a son of Nelson and Mary Wright,
natives of Vermont and descendants of Puritan
stock. His great-grandfather Wright was a Rev-
olutionary soldier from New England. The boy-
hood years of our subject were passed unevent-
fully, his time being divided between work on
the home farm and attendance at local schools.
In his early youth he was fired with a desire to
seek his fortune in the far west, California being
thegoal of his ambition. In 1859 he started for
the Pacific coast, making the trip from New York
via the Isthmus of Panama, and landing in San
Francisco in July of that year. Thence he came
to Los Angeles, where for some eight years he
was employed by Tomlinson & Co. , forwarding
commission merchants. Subsequently for several
years he engaged in the stage driving business,
having a route between Los Angeles and San
Diego. On abandoning that occupation he set
up as a ranchman on his present land, since
which time he has given his time to agricultural
pursuits.

Among the pioneers of Southern California
Mr. Wright is known and honored, and his name
appears on the membership roll of pioneers of
Los Angeles county. He is one of the men to
whom the present generation owes a debt of
gratitude for his work in aiding the development
of the re.sources of this section. His high stand-
ing is merited by his long years of business ac-
tivity. While he votes with the Republicans he
has no inclination to mingle in public affairs, nor
any desire to hold official positions.

pCJlLLIAM CROOK. Lying in the San
\ A / Gabriel valley, near the station of Charter
Y V Oak, may be seen the finely improved fruit
farm owned and operated by Mr. Crook, a well-
known horticulturist, who has made this place
his home since 1894. The homestead consists of
twenty acres, on which are both citrus and de-
ciduous fruits, the former, however, being the
specialty. The cultivation of this property,
while it has engrossed much of his time and
thought, does not represent the limit of his ac-
tivities. He is connected with a number of local
enterprises, all of which are important as bearing
upon the chief occupation of the valley. He
assisted in organizing and incorporating the Ar-

504

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tesiau Belt Water Compauj-, of which he is a
director. The San Dimas Irrigating Company
numbers him among its members. He is also
connected with the A. C. G. Lemon Association
and the Glendora Citrus Association, both of
which are carried on with a view to forwarding
the interests of the fruit-growers of the commu-
nitj'.

In Clinton county, N. Y., Mr. Crook was born
May I, 1850, a son of the late William T. and
Sarah (Kellogg) Crook, both natives of New
York state. His maternal grandfather was a
soldier in the war of 18 12. His education was
begun in local public schools and completed in
the Vermont Episcopal Institute at Burlington,
Vt., from which he graduated with a high stand-
ing. On leaving college he began to teach school,
and later followed various other occupations in
different states. The fall of 1893 found him in
California, and at first he made his home at Glen-
dora, but in 1894 he removed to the ranch in the
San Gabriel valley that he now occupies.

Reared in the faith of the Episcopal Church,
Mr. Crook has always been in sympathy with its
doctrines and an earnest member of the denom-
ination, his membership at present being with
the congregation at Covina. He is independent
in his political views, and votes for man rather
than party, for principle rather than organiza-
tion. Among his associates he is known as an
honorable man, whose integrity of life is worthy
of the respect everywhere accorded him. June
17, 1885, he married Miss Martha A. Hawks,
who was born in the province of Quebec, Can-
ada. They have two children; Ralph W. and
Sarah A.

ROBERT SHARP. For more than a quarter
of a century Robert Sharp has been num-
bered among the business men of Los An-
geles, and by integrity, courtesy and genuine
desire to meet the wishes of the public has met
with the success which he thoroughly deserves.
From his early youth he has been obliged to
make his own way in the world, and the difficul-
ties which he encountered along life's journey
only served to strengthen and accentuate his
sturdy, resolute traits of character.

Born in lingland in 1852, Robert Sharp pa.ssed

seventeen years in his native land, attending the
common schools only until his fourteenth year.
He then commenced earning his own livelihood,
and in 1869 he concluded to try his fortunes in
the United States, where he rightly believed that
better opportunities were afforded ambitious,
wide-awake young men. Proceeding to Sacra-
mento, Cal., he found employment with an uncle,
who was engaged in the carpet and furniture
business. After continuing to work for this
relative for some three years he came to Los An-
geles in 1873 to take a position with Aaron Smith
in the carpet business. He remained in this
business until the latter part of 1879. In Janu-
ary, 1880, he began a business of his own as a
dealer in furniture, carpets and other house fur-
nishings. Subsequently he was associated with
Mr. Bloeser, under the firm name of Sharp &
Bloeser, for a number of years.

Disposing of his interest in that firm in 1889,
Mr. Sharp turned his entire attention to the un-
dertaking business, and for two years was iden-
tified with Mr. Peck, under the firm name of
Peck & Sharp. For eighteen months thereafter
Mr. Sharp conducted his business alone, his es-
tablishment being on Spring, between Fifth and
Sixth streets. During a period of three years
Dexter Samson was his partner. Desiring better
accommodations for the large stock of undertak-
ing supplies which he wished to carry in stock,
he had his present fine building constructed with
special relation to his needs. Situated at No. 751
South Spring street, it is centrally located near
the business hub of the city. The uniform cour-
tesy and fair dealing which Mr. Sharp exercises
towards the public have led to his present en-
viable reputation, and he enjoys a large share of
the local patronage.

Politically Mr. Sharp is a straightforward Re-
publican. Fraternally he is identified with sev-
eral of the leading lodges of Los Angeles, being a
member of the Ancient Order of United Work-
men, the Knights of the Maccabees, the National
Union, the Independent Order of Foresters, the
Sons of St. George and the FVaternal Brother-
hood.

In 1874 Mr. Sharp married Miss Kittie Caul
field, a native of Maine. They have five sons,
of whom the two elder ones, Harry and J. Will-
iam, are associated with their father in business

ANTONIO F. CORONKL.

MRS. MARIANA W. DE CORONEL.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

509

and are promising young men. Frank R. is at-
tending school at Menlo Park, and the two
younger boys, named respectively James Edward
and Fred L-, are students in the Los Angeles
schools. They have enjoyed excellent advantages
and are a great credit to their parents.

GlNTONIO FRANCO CORONEL. During
r 1 much of the early period of the history of
/ I Los Angeles Antonio Franco Coronel was
intimately associated with its growth and devel-
opment. Being a man of education and experi-
ence he was admirably qualified to fill acceptably
the various positions of trust to which he was
called. A resident of California from 1834 until
his death sixty years later, he witnessed the
gradual development of its resources and the
remarkable expansion of its interests, contribut-
ing much thereto by his sagacity, enterprise and
thorough familiarity with local conditions.

Don Coronel was born in the city of Mexico,
October 21, 1817, and received his education
wholly in his native town. Both his father and
grandfather were distinguished lawyers. The
former, Don Ygnacio F. Coronel, was an officer
under General (afterward Emperor) Yturbide.
At the breaking out of the Mexican war for inde-
pendence he was a member of the Viceroy's
Royal Guard, and at once ranged himself on the
rebel side, carrying with him the entire guard,
which he equipped from his private purse. At
the close of the war he sought private life, refus-
ing all public recognition of his services. In
1834 he moved to California and settled in Los
Angeles, where he established the first school
under the Lancastrian system. He died in 1862.
The mother of Antonio F. Coronel deserves
especial mention, for she was a woman of remark-
able character. While her husband was serving
his country as a soldier, it became necessary for
her to provide for the maintenance of her family.
Accordingly she learned the tailor's trade and
established herself in business. At the close of
the war her husband returned to find the busi-
ness grown to such proportions that twenty-five
men were required to carry it on. During the
war she performed some astonishing acts of valor.
Twice she went into the enemy's camp, once
rescuing her two young brothers (held as prison-
ers of war) by disguising them in women'.s
26

clothing, herself remaining in their place and
narrowly escaping execution.

Born of such parentage Antonio Coronel could
not fail to inherit high qualities. He was gradu-
ated as a physician, but before practicing his
profession came to California, his father being
one of three hundred men sent by the Mexican
government to introduce trades and professions
among the native Californians. He assisted his
father in establishing the first public school
taught in Los Angeles, and, as text books were
unknown, utilized his own school books by copy-
ing lessons to be learned upon the blackboards.
At that time California was an agricultural
region only, with few educated men; he, being
well educated, could therefore be of great service
in his community. He assisted the mission
priests in making their annual reports to be sent
to Spain and Mexico, and, through association
with them, became a stanch friend of the native
Indians, espousing their cause and sending mes-
sages by congressmen and senators many times
to Washington to establish claims and secure to
them just laws. It was through the aid of him-
self and wife that Helen Hunt Jackson obtained
the chief data for "Ramona," and it was Mrs.
Jackson's first wish to take the Coronel home-
stead as the scene for the most stirring incidents
of her work, but the house of Mrs. Del Valle
being better suited to that purpose, it was decided
that Camulus should be the home of Ramona,
but the plot, of course, was laid many years before
the place was occupied by the Del Valle family.
When the work was going through the press the
proofs were sent to Mr. Coronel, in order that he
might revise and correct episodes in which he
and Father Yubeck, of San Diego, Cal., had
borne a part. He also gave Mrs. Jackson the
data for her account of Father Junipero, the
founder of California missions, and he was influ-
ential in securing the celebration of the centen-
nial of that devoted priest's death. Mrs. Jackson
continued to be a warm friend of the Coronel
family until she died in 1885, and, in the Century
Magazine and elsewhere, she bore testimony to
their helpful work in behalf of the native Indians.
In one of her last conscious moments, in her last
sickness, she sent a message of love to Mrs.
Coronel, expressing the hope that she might
have a happy life.

5IO

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

An account of the life of Don Coronel would be
incomplete without mention of his connection
with public affairs. In 1838 he was appointed
assistant secretary of tribunals for Los Angeles,
in 1843 was made judge of first instance (justice
of the peace), in 1844 was chosen inspector of
southern missions, in 1846 was a captain and
.sergeant-at-arms in the Mexican armj' during the
war with the United States, being, of course, on
the Mexican side; in 1S47-48 he was a member
of the body of magistrates, in 1850-51 served as
county assessor, in 1S53 was elected mayor of
Los Angeles, served as member of the city council
almost continuously from 1854 to 1866, and from
1S66 to 1870 was state treasurer. He was also a
member of the State Horticultural Society, the
Historical Society of Southern California, and at
one time was president of the Spanish-American
Benevolent Society. His name was well known
throughout the state, and he was a power in the
circles of Spani.sh-Americans.

In 1873 he married Mariana Williamson, who
remained his helpmate, counselor and devoted
companion until his death, working with him in
business channels and along artistic lines, and
assisting him in the collection of the rarest Span-
ish, Mexican and Indian curios ever gathered
together in California. This collection was de-
signed as a gift to the city of Los Angeles when-
ever a suitable building was provided to hold it,
but Colonel Coronel died in 1894, before his plans
were carried out. Mrs. Coronel has since deeded
the collection to the city of Los Angeles. It
has been placed in the Chamber of Commerce
until the city can take charge of it. Colonel Cor-
onel was essentially a man of the people and for
the people, and, having for so many years gen-
erously aided in public and private enterprises,
Los Angeles owes him much indeed.

RS. MARIANA W. De CORONEL. From
early childhood to the present the subject
of this narrative has been a resident of Los
Angeles, and during these years she has been
active in various movements of a philanthropic
nature. She is, therefore, entitled to more than
passing mention in this volume. She was born
in San Antonio, Tex., September 26, 185 1, and
inherits the warm temperament and vivacity of

her maternal ancestors, together with the energy
and wise judgment that are typical American
characteristics. Her father. Nelson Williamson,
was of distinguished ancestry, his grandparents
being closely related to Admiral Nelson, and
having emigrated with him to America. Nelson
Williamson was born in Maine, near Augusta,
March 16, 1802, and, being the first son in the
family, received the family name of Nelson. He
moved from the province of Maine to Kentucky
and settled in Campbell countj', near Newport.
From Kentucky he went to New Orleans and be-
came second mate on the first steamer running
on the Mississippi river and remained until the
steamer sunk. He then went to Texas and
joined the volunteers for the Mexican war with
the United States in 1846, and served in the
battles of Vera Cruz, Palo Alto, Buena Vista,
Cerro Gordo, Cherubusco, Chapultepec, San
Pascua and Tobasco. After the war he returned
to San Antonio, Tex. , and there married Gertrude
Roman, who was born at Los Brazos river in
1836, of Mexican parentage.

When Mrs. Coronel was nine years of age the
family came to California. She was sent to a
convent and later attended the Los Angeles
schools. From an early age she has been famil-
iar with both the English and Spanish languages,
both of which she uses fluently. December 18,
1873, she became the wife of Antonio Franco
Coronel, and theirs proved to be an exception-
ally happy marriage. Being a keen business
woman, she assisted her husband to accumulate
his large property, and since his death has had
the entire management of the estate. Like Colonel
Coronel, she has always been deeply interested
in the welfare of the Indians, and her wide ex-
perience with them and her knowledge of their
tongue led to her acquaintance with Helen Hunt
Jackson in 1881. In company with Mrs. Jack-
son she visited various reservations and acted as
interpreter, thus helping the author to gain much
information not otherwise available. She is a
woman of artistic ta.stes, and is an exquisite
modeler in wax (having taken many prizes) and
al.so possesses great skill in delicate and intricate
embroidery.

For some years after the marriage of Colonel
and Mrs. Coronel they lived on the old Coronel
homestead, but afterward removed to the com-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

modious residence which they built at Seventh
street and Central avenue. Mrs. Coronel is a
woman of generous impulses and great benevo-
lence. She is connected with many organiza-
tions, among them being the Indians Rights
As.sociation, the Southern California Historical
Society, Ladies' Aid Society, Children's Home
Society, Pioneer Society, and others which, like
these, are for the benefit of the human race. She
is still interested in mining and real estate, and
expects .soon to move to Mexico to carry on her
interests, and there she plans to reside for an in-
definite period. In her mind she cherishes many
noble aims, which she hopes to accomplish before
she dies. One of these is the establishment of a
home for indigent women, and another is a re-
treat for fallen women, it being her plan that
each establishment shall be absolutely free to
those who desire admission. The accomplish-
ment of these hopes would form a fitting climax
for an active and useful existence.

pCjENDALL H. SUTCH. Numbered with
\ A / the successful business men of Los Angeles
YV is W. H. Sutch, a native of Canton, Ohio,
in which city his birth took place March 31, 1862,
In his youth he received the advantages of a lib-
eral education, his higher studies being com-
pleted in Mount Union College, near Alliance,
Ohio. He was graduated in the commercial de-
partment of that institution, which is one of the
old established educational centers of that section
of the Buckeye state, and then embarked upon
the independent career which he has since pur-
sued, with marked success.

His father, Alexander Sutch, was called to his
reward when our subject, an only son, was two
days old. Thus he never knew the protecting
care and watchfulness which a father exercises
toward his sons, and, therefore, owes the more
to his mother, who lovingly endeavored to per-
form the duties of both parents. She bore the
maiden name of Ellen Rockhill, and is now the
wife of G. W. Lawrence, of Los Angeles.

After his graduation, in 1878, W. H. Sutch
started an undertaking and furniture business, at
Bourbon, Ind., and built up a good business. In
1884 he came to Los Angeles, and for some time
was associated with B. F. Orr in the same line of

business. In 1893 Mr. Sutch went out of the
business and turned his attention to the real es-
tate and loan business, conducting a remunera-
tive trade until the fall of 1898. At that time, in
October, the firm of Sutch & Deering was organ-
ized and later incorporated. The partners carry
a large stock of coffins and funeral supplies.
Their parlors and office were located at Nos. 506-
508 South Broadway, but in the spring of 1900
they engaged new quarters at No. 618 South
Spring street. The firm commands the respect
of the general public and all with whom they
have dealings. Uniform courtesy and genuine
desire to please their patrons, fair prices and
thoroughly competent and suitable service have
led to success and high standing in the com-
munity.

In the fraternities Mr. Sutch is a member of
the Masonic order, the Odd Fellows, Knights of
Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, the Fra-
ternal Union and United Modern. In his politi-
cal creed he is a Republican of no uncertain
stripe, and in all local improvements or matters
effiscting the prosperity and progress of the city
he is actively interested, and ready to do his share
as a patriotic citizen.

The pleasant home which Mr. Sutch owns is
situated at No. 1236 Ingram street, and is pre-
sided over by his estimable wife, formerly Miss
Gertrude Wiley, of Canton, Miss. They were
married in 1889, in Los Angeles, and two prom-
ising children, Flora Eleanor and Arlington R.,
grace their happy home.

30HN J. McClelland. Through the
medium of the various activities to which
his life has been devoted, the innumerable
evidences ofdisinterested consideration for friends,
associates and the public at large, and the gen-
erous impulses that have dictated a ready re-
sponse to the demands upon his time, abilities
and money, in all of the emergencies incident to
the life of an earnest and large-hearted pioneer,
Mr. McClelland has won an enviable and abiding
esteem from all who come within the range of
his optimistic and fine personality.

Of distinguished ancestry, he is of Scotch-
Irish descent, and a native of Butler county,
Ohio, where he was born October 16, 1826.

512

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

His parents were John G. and Lydia (Wilson)
McClelland, natives respectively of Pennsylvania
and Virginia. The McClelland family included
among its members some of the most earnest ad-
vocates of freedom, who fought with courage and
distinction to further the cause of their adopted
country. William and George McClelland were
soldiers in the Revolutionary war, and John G.
McClelland was in the war of 1812. He was a
first cousin of the late Gen. George B. McClellan.
General McClellan considered the last letter of
his name superfluous and consequently omitted it
when signing his name.

When a child of a few years John J. McClelland
removed with his parents from Ohio to Carroll
county, lud., where for a number of years they
were interested in general farming. They later
went to Boone county, Ind. , and lived on a farm
nineteen miles north of Indianapolis, going
thence to Carroll county again, where they took
up their residence a few miles from the old
Tippecanoe battle ground. Their next place of
abode was in Missouri, where they lived on the
ground where is now located St. Joseph. When
twenty years old John J. was appointed to a posi-
tion in the quartermaster's department during
the Mexican war, under General Price, their
operations extending to New Mexico, and over a
period of four years. After this experience he
returned in 1850 to St. Joe, Mo., and in 1852
started for California. The long and arduous
journey was made by means of wagons and ox-
teams, and consumed six months to a day.

Arriving at their destination, Marysville, Cal.,
Mr. McClelland was for a time interested in gold
mining in the vicinity of Grass Valley. In 1S53
he went to Sonoma county and took up land, upon
which he located in 1855, carrying on extensive
agricultural pursuits for over a quarter of a cen-
tury. In 1882 he moved to Los Angeles county
and settled near Rivera, which has since been his
home.

April 17, 1852, Mr. McClelland was married to
Mary C. Waymire, a native of Indiana, and an
aunt of Judge James Waymire, of San Francisco.
The children of this union are: Ault, wlio is the
wife of Thomas Shugg, and resides near El
Monte, Cal.; Buchanan, living at home, and
Burr, at Spokane Falls, Wash.

Mr. McClelland owns a forty-acre ranch,

thirty-two acres of which are under walnuts, in
the cultivation of which he has been remarkably
successful. In political affiliations he is a Demo-
crat, but has never cherished any political
aspirations, being content to leave to others the
manipulation of the political machiner\-. Since
1853 he has been a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows at Santa Rosa. An exten-
sive grower of walnuts, he naturally figures con-
spicuously in the workings of the Los Nietos and
Ranchito Walnut Growers' Association, and he
is identified with the Los Nietos Valley Pioneer
Club.

In spite of the various vicissitudes to which all
pioneer life is necessarilj' subjected, and the many
avenues through which his efforts have been
directed, Mr. McClelland has enjoyed a particu-
larly fortunate and happy exi.stence. For more
than half a century himself and wife have shared
their joys and sorrows, and the country for miles
around knows of no more congenial and devoted
couple.

©QlLLIAM L. SIDWELL came to Southern
\ A / California in 1869 and in 1880 settled in
V V the Ranchito district, where he has since
made his home. He owns about seventy-five
acres of land, of which forty-five are under wal-
nuts, the remainder being used for general farm
purposes. For some years after coming to this
locality he followed the blacksmith's trade, which
he had learned in boyhood. For a time he also
carried on a mercantile business in Ranchito and
also acted as deputy postmaster of this postoffice.
The Sidwell family is of English extraction.
Mr. Sidwell was born in Morgan count\-, Ohio.
July 7, 1842, a son of Jesse and Hannah (Sutliff)
Sidwell, natives of Ohio. In 1855 the family re-
moved from Ohio to Collin county, Tex. At the
age of fifteen he began to learn the trade of his
father, who was a blacksmith, and with whom
he worked for a number of years. Early in 1862
he enlisted in what was known as the Gano
squadron of cavalry, C. S. A., which operated
mostly in Tennessee and Kentucky. With them
he participated in a number of skirmishes with
Union troops, and also did considerable scouting
and general cavalry work. After one year's serv-
ice with the squadron he was honorably dis-
charged. Later he became a member of a troop

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

5'3

of cavalry in the Trans- Mississippi Arni\-,
C. S. A., which operated mostly in the Red river
vicinity. With this troop he remained for two
years, utitil the surrender of General Lee caused
the fall of the Confederacy. The cavalry was
then disbanded at Marshall, Te.x.

Leaving Texas in 1867 Mr. Sidwell for a time
followed his trade in Missouri, and in 1869 came
to California, where he followed blacksmithing
at San Diego for several years. Next he spent
some years in what is now Orange county, and
had a shop in the village of Orange. For a short
time afterward he followed his trade at Anaheim,
and from there came to Ranchito district in 1880.
Soon after coming here he embarked in walnut
cultivation, in which he has since successfully
engaged. He is a member of the Los Nietos
and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Association, in-
corporated.

By his marriage to Miss Frances B. Gallaspy,
of Texas, Mr. Sidwell has three children. The
eldest, Estella, is the wife of Henry Judson. The
two sous, Lester L. and Chester C, were edu-
cated at the Throop Polytechnic Institute at
Pasadena.

0AMUEL MEYER was one of the early and
2\ prominent pioneers of Los Angeles. He
Q) was born in Prussia in 1S31 and remained
at home until eighteen years of age. Being a
young man of spirit and ambition, he decided to
look beyond the confines of his immediate locality
for better opportunities to advance in life and at-
tain success. With these ideas uppermost in his
mind he came to America, landing in New York
City in 1849. He remained there for a week and
then started on a general tour of observation to
seethe country. The year 1851 found him in
Louisville, Ky. From there he went to Vicks-
burg, Miss, where he remained until 1853.
He then went to New Orleans and from there
embarked for San Francisco via the Nicaragua
route, touching California soil first at a small
bay on the coast near the city, coming on the
steamer Pampero, which had on board about six
hundred passengers. For a few days he looked
abouV him, undecided what to do. Finally he
shipped for San Pedro, paying $55 in gold for his
fare between San Francisco and San Pedro.
From the latter point he traveled by mule stage,

operated by Gen. Phineas Banning, to Los An-
geles, his fare being $7.50. He reached the
Bella Union hotel at about three o'clock in the
morning and applied for sleeping accommoda-
tions, only to learn that every bed in the house
was taken. Oscar Macy was then night clerk of
the hotel (his father being the landlord), and he
generously offered to share his bed with the
stranger; so they camped down on the soft side
of a billiard table.

Mr. Meyer had brought some money with him
to Los Angeles. This he invested in the pur-
chase of a stock of general merchandise, embark-
ing in business on what is now Main street in
1855. Soon thereafter he purchased a store on
Los Angeles street, near Commercial, which he
owned and operated for eight years, selling out
in 1 86 1. As illustrative of trade conditions in
Los Angeles in those days, he states that the
purchase price of the store was $20,000 or there-
abouts, and the contract was a verbal one. Not
having the money in hand, he agreed to pay in the
near future. The seller concluded to leave town
and called in for the money, but was requested
to come again a little later. Meantime Mr.
Meyer had made a few sales and upon his second
call the creditor received his pay in full. While
sales were not so frequent in those days they
were often very large and at what would now
seem fabulous profit; and the transfer of $20,000
was made with less ceremony than would attend
the transfer of as many cents in these modern
times.

Having become the creditor of a crockery
house in Los Angeles for a large sum, in order to
secure himself Mr. Meyer purchased the stock
and business of the same, and from that date
has been engaged in the crockery trade. For
many years his store was located on North Main
street, which propertj' he owned at the time, but
later sold. In November, 1897, he opened his
present spacious establishment at No. 347 South
Broadway, where he has since carried on a pros-
perous business. He is a member of Los Angeles
Lodge No. 42, A. F. & A. M., of forty-six years'
standing, and is a charter member of Los An-
geles Chapter No. 33, R. A. M. He is also
connected with the Ancient Order of United
Workmen.

Of the pioneers of Los Angeles now living none

514

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

is more favorably known by the old settlers than
is "Uncle Sam" Meyer, as he is familiarly called.
In his younger days there was not a more social
man in the city, nor one more ready to engage in
legitimate fun and amusement; and some of his
anecdotes of early days are very amusing. He
was married in Los Angeles in 1861, his wife
being a daughter of Gabriel C. Davis, of this
city. They are the parents of eight children,
namely: Eva, Laura, Mamie, Viola, Stella, Men-
dall, Gabriel and Rose.

(lOHN BENDER. History has long since
I established the fact that the men to whom
G) the greatest credit is due are by no means
confined to the ranks of those of aristocratic birth
or who were surrounded from childhood with
every facility for education and culture. Those
who override great obstacles are particularly
worthy of honor. It may be said of Mr. Bender
that he had very few advantages to aid him in
gaining success. At an early age he was
orphaned by his father's death, which threw him
upon his own resources. His educational oppor-
tunities were so limited that the knowledge he
acquired is the result, less of schooling, than of
experience, observation and selfculture. Per-
haps it is on account of his own lack of opportu-
nities that he is so interested in securing for the
children of this generation the best advantages
possible for schooling. For several terms he has
served as a trustee of the Glendora public schools
and for two terms he has been a trustee of the
Citrus Union high school, in both of which posi-
tions he has rendered able service in local educa-
tional interests.

Mr. Bender came to California in May, 1874,
and in August of the same year settled on the
present site of Glendora. At that time there was
no village on this spot and not even a postoffice
had been established. He was one of the
founders of Glendora and has ever since aided in
the development of its resources. He has been
especially helpful in opening up new roads and
improving old highways, and has served for two
terms as road over.seer. After settling here, for
a number of years he engaged in general farm-
ing, but at a later date turned his attention to
horticulture and planted fifteen acres to fruits of

tliffereiit varieties. He also liecanie intere.sled in
viticulture and planted a vinexard with fine
varieties of grapes. His entire ranch comprises
some fifty-nine acres of tillable land.

In Memphis, Tenn., Mr. Bender was born
January 31, 1849, a son of John and Dorothy
(Weigel) Bender, natives of Germany, who after
their marriage emigrated to America and settled
in Tennessee, the father engaging there as a
butcher and a stock dealer until his death.

At the age of eighteen years John Bender em-
barked in business for himself He was variously
occupied until 1874, when he came to California,
and since then he has devoted his attention to
agriculture and horticulture. Politically he is a
Democrat, and fraternally is connected with the
Woodmen of the World and the Independent
Order of Foresters. In May, 1881, he married
Harriet Wiggins, who was born in Los Angeles
county, Cal., and bj' whom he has five children,
viz.: William B., Flora N., Herbert C. (de-
ceased), Elbert C. and Ellen A. Mrs. Bender is
a daughter of Thomas J. Wiggins, who settled in
California in 1S53 and for years engaged in the
freighting business, making his headquarters at
El Monte, where he and his wife still reside,
honored as pioneers and worthy members of
societv.

qOHN CHARLES WEST, who is one of
I Glendora's pioneers and well-known citizens,
O was born in Henry county, Iowa, June 25,
1856, a son of the late Senator John P. West.
His boyhood years were passed in the county of
his birth, and while still quite young he assisted
in the cultivation and improvement of the home
farm, thus gaining fixed habits of industrj' and
at the same time learning the details of agricul-
ture. The rudiments of his education were ob-
tained in public schools, after which he was a
student in Howe's Academy at Mount Plea.sant,
Iowa.

In the .spring of 1875 he accompanied his
parents to California and settled in Conipton, but
after a short time came to what is now Glendora.
In the midst of the brush, which showed the
primeval condition of the soil, he settle and
began the task of clearing a farm. He took up a
claim to one hundred and sixty acres of govern-
ment land, of which he still owns twenty-eight

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

acres, ten acres of the same being under fruit
culture. Looking at his neat and well- improved
place, one can scarcely realize that a quarter of a
century ago it was a tract primeval. It now
shows, in every detail, the oversight of a man of
thrift and industry.

By the marriage of Mr. West to Miss Emma
Lemon, of Compton, Cal., he has four children,
Alta E., Frank H., Jessie C. and Wilma E.
Fraternally he is connected with the Independent
Order of Foresters at Glendora and the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Azusa. In ad-
dition to the management of his private interests,
he has served as a director of the A. C. G. Lemon
Association, one of the important organizations
of this locality. Side by side with the develop-
ment of his land he has witnessed and aided in
the progress of Glendora and the extension of its
interests, and no one takes greater pride in the
towii than does he.

jqjARRETT LYNCH. Of the many noble
l_ and capable lives who cast their fortunes
^J with the early history and development of
California, and have gone hence from the scene
of their activities, trials and delights, none were
more worthy of the particular gratitude bestowed
upon their memory by warm friends and an ap-
preciative community than was Garrett Lynch.
Although there were those who came earlier to
the Ranchito district than did Mr. Lynch, in
187 1, none faced with greater courage the vicis-
situdes of pioneer life or rejoiced more over the
subsequent abundance and prosperity of the
region.

Ireland has sent many of her most cherished
sons over the sea and into the far west to better
their fortunes under the bright skies of Califor-
nia. A worthy representative, indeed, was Gar-
rett Lynch, who was born upon the green glades
of county Kerry in 1830, and was a son of John
and Catherine (Fitzgerald) Lynch, who were
themselves and their ancestors before them born
in Ireland.

When sixteen years old Garrett left the little
home farm, redolent of the associations of his
boyhood days, and undertook to look out for
himself in the Channel Islands. Not being con-

tent with the prospects of a long-continued resi-
dence on the islands, he set sail for America, and
upon his arrival there lived in various states of
the Union, including Missouri, Ohio and Minne-
•sota, and finally returning to New York prelim-
inary to going to California. He seems to have
had an inherent love for the sea, and the daring
and fearle.ssness of a seasoned salt, for he pre-
ferred the long and perilous journey from New
York to San Francisco by water, going around
Cape Horn and thence northward to the sunny
lands of California.

Upon his arrival in the to him new surround-
ings, Mr. Lynch engaged for a few years in gold
mining, principally in Sierra county, and was
fairly successful as a miner. In 1866 he returned
to the east to St. Louis, going by way of the Pan-
ama route, and while there he was married, April
19, 1868, to Abigail Lynch, also a native of
county Kerry, Ireland, and a daughter of John
and Margaret (Breen) Lynch, natives of Ireland.
To Mr. and Mrs. Lynch were born seven chil-
dren: Catherine, Margaret, Nellie, Mary, John,
Abbie and Thomas. Immediately after his mar-
riage Mr. Lynch returned to California via the
Panama route, arriving at his destination May
23, 1868, the journey from New York to San
Francisco having taken three weeks. For a
number of months he resided in San Franci.sco,
later going to Los Angeles, where he engaged in
agricultural pursuits on a rented farm in the vi-
cinity of Rivera, and in 187 1 settled on the ranch,
where he passed the remainder of his days, in the
full enjoyment of all his faculties. He died
July 23, 1894. His widow and family still reside
upon the homestead, and are among the respected
and prominent people of the community. He
originally purchased a forty-eight-acre tract, and
himself set out forty-four acres of walnut trees.
The ranch is in a fine state of development, and
is a credit to all who have been connected with it.

Mr. Lynch was a Democrat, but never had
political aspirations. In his youth his educational
facilities were of the most meager description and
sadly interfered with, owing to his continued
change of residence. He learned much, however,
from the book called life, for he was a keen and
intelligent observer, and had a retentive memo-
ry. Under any condition of life he would have
been considered a well-informed, erudite and

5i6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RI'XORI).

entertaining man. Los Angeles may well feel
the loss from among her activities of so well-be-
loved and high-minded a man.

BEN WHITE. Few of the comparatively
recent arrivals to the ranks of Los Angeles'
business men are better or more favorably
known than is the gentleman whose name ap-
pears at the head of this sketch. He is proud of
the fact that he is a native Californian, his birth
having taken place in Calaveras county June i8,
1870, and during the thirty years of his existence
he has known or cared for no other home or
wider interests than those associated with the
Pacific coast. His father, who was a native of
Scotland, but just half a century ago cast in his
fortunes with the golden land, served as a mem-
ber of the state militia during the Civil war and
won the title of captain by his diligence in the
discharge of the arduous duties which devolved
upon him. For a wife he chose a Miss McGrath,
who had come to the west in her girlhood.
Though for a number of years he was the pro-
prietor of a flourishing hotel in San Francisco he
conducted a farm for many years, being equally
successful in that enterprise.

The early years of Ben White were spent in
the quiet routine work of farming in Contra Costa
countj-. When he had completed his public
school education he took up the study of law,
and was thus employed for a period in San Fran-
cisco. The law, however, proved too tedious a
subject and the prospects of making a speedy
success at the calling were so unpromising that
the young man, who naturally is very energetic
and ambitious, decided to turn his attention to
other means of getting his livelihood. During
the ensuing years he was variously employed,
but never lacked a remunerative situation as a
clerk or in some similar capacity, and, while
daily learning valuable lessons of thrift and busi-
ness wisdom, he also managed to lay aside some-
thing from his earnings to serve as capital later.
In the fall of 1893 he came to Los Angeles,
where he established a real-estate office, and,
though he has had to rely .solely upon himself,
never having a partner, and at first having no in-
fluential friends here, he soon made an enviable
reputation for integrity, and has steadily ad-

vanced in the good opinion of the public. Owiiit;
to his excellent management he never has been
obliged to borrow a dollar, and if his extreme
reluctance to incur an obligation were universally
followed this world would be a much wiser and
happier place of abode. The older and long
established real estate men here at first regarded
the youth of twenty-three who proposed to enter
into their field of business either with quiet scorn
or amusement, but he steadfastly pur.sued his
way and gradually won their respect by his
square dealing and manliness. He has continued
ashe began, and to-day, if he so desired, he could
obtain credit to almost any amount from any of
the local banks. He has confined himself ex-
clusively to the buying and selling of real estate
in large and small tracts, and never has listed a
piece of rental property upon his books.

Since he has attained the right of franchise Mr.
White has been faithful in his adherence to the
Republican party. Socially he is identified with
the Knights of the Maccabees, the Foresters and
the Order of the Native Sons. Judging by what
he has accomplished within the past decade, he
has a promising future in store.

HERBERT S. WHITE, a well-known and
prominent citizen and successful walnut
grower of the vicinity of Rivera, is a native
of Kent county, Ontario, Canada, where he was
born February 12, 1861. His parents were Dan-
iel and Isa A. (Dolsen) White, natives respec-
tively of Pennsylvania and Ontario. Mention, at
length, of the life and work of Daniel White is to
be found in the sketch of W. W. White in an-
other part of this book.

Herbert S. White spent his boyhood days in
Canada, where he received an excellent home
training that fitted him for the responsibilities
that he later assumed. In addition he studied
diligently at the public schools, and during his
younger days had the opportunity of acquiring
considerable business experience. In the fall of
1883 he moved with his parents and other mem-
bers of the family to Los Angeles county, where
he has since resided.

March 5, 1890, Mr. White married Martha J.
Coffman, a daughter of the late Charles A. CoflF-
man, of Ranchito, Cal. Charles Coffman was a

^^^<:::i'^r5i.>'T^.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

verj' prominent man during the 3-ears of his ac-
tivitj', and in his loss California has cause to re-
gret, for he upheld with courage and steadfast-
ness her institutions and interests. To Mr. and
Mrs. White have been born two children, Rae
and Bertha. Mr. White is a member of the Los
Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Associa-
tion, incorporated, and of the Los Nietos Vallej-
Pioneers' Club. Fraternall_v he is associated with
the Independent Order of Foresters at Rivera.
In politics he is a Democrat, but has never been
an office-seeker. He is public- spirited and enter-
prising, and enjoys the confidence of the com-
munity among whom his lot is cast.

QOSIAH EVANS COWLES, M. D., is well
I known to the people of Los Angeles and
(2/ Southern California, both as a successful
physician and surgeon and as the founder and
proprietor of the Pacific Sanitarium on South
Hope street. He comes of one of the oldest fam-
ilies of America, being a great-grandson of Capt.
Andrew Carson, of Revolutionary fame, who was
an uncle of the famous scout and Indian fighter
(afterwards a colonel in the United States army ) ,
Kit Carson, and was born in Yadkin county,
N. C, May 14, 1855, being therefore now in the
prime of life's activities. The father of Dr.
Cowles, Josiah Cowles, Jr., died when his two
children were small, and the task of caring for
and rearing them devolved wholly upon Mrs.
Mary (Evans) Cowles, who proved herself a
most noble and devoted mother. Not only did
she carefully rear her own children, but also her
two half-brothers; and this was done during the
very trying times of the Civil war and the re-
construction period immediately following. The
family lived at Lenoir, the educational center of
western North Carolina.

For three years after leaving school Dr. Cowles
was employed as a civil engineer, and a little
later considered entering upon a military career,
but fearing the severity of a northern climate he
declined an appointment to West Point and en-
tered instead the Maryland College of Pharmacy,
Baltimore. Here he took the full course of lec-
tures, as well as an especial course in chemistrj-.

Upon the completion of his studies in the above
institution he matriculated in the University of
Maryland for a three years' course. During his
senior year he was engaged in professional work
in the university hospital, thus adding to his
theoretical knowledge a fund of valuable experi-
ence. Graduating with honors in 1880 from the
university, he turned his face toward the south
and opened an office in Edgefield, S. C, where
he pursued a general practice. His first opera-
tion for appendicitis was performed by a flicker-
ing lamp in a cabin among the sand hills of the
Edisto river, in November, 1880. The patient
made a good recovery and the doctor received a
large fee of gratitude only for his services.

Dr. Cowles is ambitious and keeps abreast with
every advance made in the science of medicine.
He is a thoughtful reader of current literature
concerning his profession, both medical and sur-
gical, and avails himself of every opportunity for
study in hospitals and post-graduate institutions.
In 1887, going to New York, he spent two years
in study, having charge of the New York Lying-
in asylum, and also, with others, of the gyne-
cological out-door department of Bellevue Hospi-
tal. At the same time he lectured at the New
York Polyclinic and assisted Prof. V. P. Gibney
in his orthopoedic work. Removing to Los An-
geles in 1889, he established the Pacific Hospital
and Sanitarium, designed for the treatment of
surgical diseases of women, in which he has been
highly successful. One of the many successful
abdominal operations performed there was one
for hysterotomy by Dr. Cowles May 9, 1894, the
patient being a full-blooded Coahuilla Indian
.woman, the first instance, so far as known, in
which an Indian woman had ever been subjected
to this operation. The tumor, a solid fibroid,
weighed twent3'-five pounds; the woman made
an uneventful recovery, her temperature never
having ranged higher than 99'.' F'ahrenheit, and
pulse 88.

Dr. Cowles has also an office in the Wilcox
building, in conjunction with the Equitable
Assurance Society of New York, for which he is
chief examiner for Los Angeles. He is a mem-
ber of the Los Angeles County Medical Society,
the Southern California District Medical Society
and the American Medical Association, in the
work of which he is deeply interested, contributing

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

from time to time to tlie literature of his profession
valuable papers ou methods and operations in the
line of his specialties.

By virtue of his de.scent from Revolutionary
ancestry Dr. Cowles is connected with the Sons
of the Revolution. Asa matter of local interest
it may be stated here that R. C. Duvall, U. S. N.,
an uncle of Dr. Cowles, was midshipman on the
flag-ship Savannah, under Commodores Sloat
and Stockton, and assisted in the capture of Mon-
terey, San Diego and Los Angeles in 1847-48,
taking part in the battles of Dominguez Rancho,
San Pasqual and San Gabriel, being in command
of a detachment of United States marines. A
minute and detailed account of these movements
and engagements and a fine likeness of Midship-
man Duvall, with his log-book, have been depos-
ited by Dr. Cowles in the archives of the Histo-
rical Society of Southern California. Professor
Guinn says in regard to Lieutenant Duvall's
account of the battle of Dominguez Rancho,
"That it is undoubtedly the best report of that
affair in existence.

Dr. Cowles is also a churchman, being senior
warden of St. John's Episcopal Church and one
of the trustees of the diocese of Los Angeles. In
1890 he married Miss lone Virginia Hill, eldest
daughter of T. Clarkson Hill, Esq., a prominent
Quaker of Chicago. Mrs. Cowles is a woman of
very superior and lovely character and is active
in church and charitable work in the city, as
well as a prominent member of the leading
women's clubs of Los Angeles.

EAPT. ALBERT C. JONES. In this en-
lightened age, when men of industry, en-
ergy and merit are rapidly pushing their
way to the front, those who, by their own indi-
vidual efforts, have won favor and fortune, may
properly claim recognition. Among the repre-
sentative business men of Los Angeles, Capt.
Albert C. Jones is well worthy a leading place,
for his fortunes have been closely associated with
those of this flourishing city for the past sixteen
>ears, and no one is more enthusiastic and public-
spirited in all things pertaining to the prosperity
of this section of Southern California.

The year of our subject's birth, 1853, his father,
Albert C. Jones, Sr. , took up his residence in Mil-

waukee, Wis,, in which city the former was born.
The senior was a native of New York .state,
where he learned the trade of a shipbuilder, and
after the Civil war broke out he was kept very
busy in the con.struction of vessels for the United
States navy. He was an ardent believer in the
Union cause, and served in the Twenty -fourth
Wisconsin Infantry until he was discharged for
physical disability. During the recon.stiuction
period after the termination of the war he resided
in New Orleans. His wife, whose maiden name
was Hetty Jones, was a sister of the Jones Broth-
ers, who became famous as shipbuilders on the
great lakes. Mrs. Jones was born at Lorain, not
far from Cleveland, Ohio, and departed this life
about ten years ago. She was the mother of two
children, of whom the daughter, Mrs. Jenkins,
is now a resident upon the old Jones family estate
in Milwaukee.

The boyhood of Albert C. Jones was spent in
Milwaukee, where he acquired a liberal business
education in the common and high schools. He
commenced to earn a portion at least of his own
livelihood when he was but thirteen years of
age, and continued to be employed in the com-
mission business until 1884, when became west,
with the exception of two years, when he served
as deputy county treasurer of Milwaukee county.
After a few years in minor positions he invested
the capital which he had accumulated in a com-
mission business of his own, and succeeded won-
derfully in his enterprise. By square dealing
and excellent methods he won the favor of those
with whom he dealt, and at length stood at the
head of a firm which was generally acknowledged
to be one of the largest of the kind in the United
States. He had branch offices in Chicago, New-
York and many other large cities, and with rare
judgment and ability managed and directed the
whole.

In 1884, being desirous of a change of scene
and climate. Captain Jones came to Los Angeles,
and for some time had charge of the business of
O. W. Childs. He became interested in the Los
Angeles Furniture Company about fourteen years
ago, and now holds the po.sition of secretary of
the company. This is one of the largest houses
in the furniture trade on the Pacific coast, and
during the celebrated "boom" period it trans-
acted the greatest volume of business of any in

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

this line in the United States. It has lost none
of its prestige, and j-ear bj- year is advancing in
the regard of the public. Not a little of the
prosperitj' which the firm enj03's is due to the
foresight and energy of Captain Jones, whose ex-
perience has been wide and practical. Every
visitor to this city is astonished at the elegant line
of goods carried in stock by this far western com-
pany, and at the varied assortment of furniture
and house fittings, the prices ranging from the
lowest possible, compatible with quality, to the
highest for rarely beautiful articles.

Captain Jones belongs to the California Club,
which has as members many of the prominent
business men and substantial citizens of Los An-
geles. He is also connected with the Masonic
Order, the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks and the Independent Order of Foresters, in
each of his lodges being one of the most promi-
nent members. In his political affiliations he is
a Republican, and in all local matters he is in-
tensely interested. He is in favor of progress
along all lines, and is doing effective work as a
member of committee on parks.

About a decade ago, on the 27th of May, 1890,
Captain Jones and Miss Anna Pendleton, a
daughter of Dr. William H. Pendleton, a Baptist
clergyman of this city, were united in marriage.
Thej^ are the parents of one little daughter,
Helen, the joy and sunshine of her happy home.

HARRISON L. MONTGOMERY. A resi-
dent of California since 1852, Mr. Mont-
gomery has witnessed the unparalleled
growth of the state and has himself contributed
thereto, especially through his work as a horti-
culturist. In 1868 he came to Los Angeles
county, his first home being in the vicinity of
Downey, and he purchased a tract of land from
Don Pio Pico, the last Spanish governor of Cali-
fornia. In 1869 he settled on a ranch near the
present site of Rivera, and for thirty years gave
his attention to the cultivation of the land, su-
perintending its planting to various fiuits and to
English walnuts, and bringing it to a high state
of cultivation. In 1889 he and his wife came to
the village of Rivera, where it is their intention
to spend their remaining years. However, he
still owns the ranch, which comprises one hun-

dred acres, forty of the.se being under English
walnuts. He is a member, and at one time
served as a director of the Los Nietos and
Ranchito Walnut Growers' Association, incor-
porated, of which his son, James A., is now the
popular and efficient secretary.

In Trumbull county, Ohio, Harrison L. Mont-
gomery was born on New Year's day of 1834, a
son of Robert and Elizabeth (Brannon) Mont-
gomery, natives respectively of Ohio and Penn-
sylvania. His paternal grandfather was a pio-
neer of Trumbull county and a descendant of
English and Scotch ancestry, while his maternal
ancestors were German and Irish. This combi-
nation of races accounts, in part, for some of his
characteristics; he possesses the English deter-
mination, the Irish geniality, the German thrift
and the Scotch integrity and honor. His boy-
hood days were spent upon a farm, with little of
special moment to distinguish one week from an-
other. At an early age he was trained to habits
of perseverance and industry, which qualities
have contributed to his success in life.

In company with two brothers, in 1852 Mr.
Montgomery started on the then long and haz-
ardous voyage to California, going first from
Ohio to New York and there taking passage on
an ocean vessel bound for San Francisco. The
voyage was comparatively uneventful, and after
one hundred and sixty-five days he landed at the
Golden Gate harbor. His object in going west
had been to try his luck in mining, and he pro-
ceeded to the Auburn gold mine on the Middle
Fork of the American river, where he prospected
and mined for a short time. His next location
was in Sutter county, Cal., four miles from the
old John A. Sutter residence, where he remained
for thirteen years, meantime engaging in the
wood business. Subsequentlj' he turned his at-
tention to farming and stock-raising, which oc-
cupations he found more remunerative than min-
ing. In 1866 he settled in Mendocino county,
Cal., and engaged in farming, but two years
later he established his home in Los Angeles
county, where he has since remained. He was
one of the first in this county to become inter-
ested in the growing of English walnuts, and his
success stimulated others to embark in that in-
dustry, which is now one of the most staple in
California. Through his industry and sound

522

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RICCORI).

judgment he has accuniulaled a coini)cli.iR\-, and
is now able to spend the evening of his hfe in tlie
enjoj-ment of every comfort.

On New Year's day of 1857 Mr. Montgomery
and Mrs. Matilda Speegle were united in mar-
riage. They became the parents of eight chil-
dren, seven living, viz.: James A.; Charles W. ;
Lewis M.; Matilda A., wife of Robert Reynolds;
Emma E., who married Stephen Smith; Ella J.,
wife of F. W. Guthrie; and Lola I., Mrs. Samuel
Guthrie. The family are connected with the
Christian Church, in the work of which they take
a warm interest.

Mrs. Montgomery was born in Champaign
county, Ohio, a daughter of William Guest, a
pioneer and prominent citizen of that county. In
1849, with her mother and her first husband,
David Speegle, she crossed the plains from Ar-
kansas, where .she had lived for several previous
years. The long trip was made with ox-teams
and horses along the Santa Fe route to San
Diego, where they took a ship for San Fran-
cisco. Arriving in that city they at once pro-
ceeded to Marysville, in the center of the mining
region. Mr. Speegle died in that place, leaving
his widow with two children, Margaret and
Emanuel, of whom the former is the wife of L.
L. Bequette, of Los Angeles. A few years after
her husband's death Mrs. Speegle became the
wife of Mr. Montgomery. They are an estimable
couple, highly respected for worth of character
and for those kindnesses that lead them to aid
people le.ss fortunate than themselves. With
true charity and benevolence they are making
the world better for their presence in it, and up-
lifting by their kindly influence those with whom
they associate.

PTdGAR ROBINSON COFFMAN. In the
rp vicinity of Irwindale Mr. Coffman is well
L_ known as one of the town's mo.st success-
ful and enterprising horticulturists. On coming
to this place, immediately after a visit to the east
and to the Centennial in 1876, he bought one
hundred and five acres of fruit land, but shortly
afterward sold a portion of the property, reserv-
ing for himself .sixty-seven and one-half acres,
which is now under a high state of cultivation.
Much of this land is sublet to Chinese market
gardeners, who maintain the property at its high

standard. With the land Mr. Cof^nian [lur-
cha.sed a water right. He was foremost among
the pioneers who developed the water resources
of the Azusa valley, thereby making it possible
to transform the valley into one of the garden
spots of the world. He was a charter member of
the Azusa Irrigating Company, and is now a
member of the committee of nine who govern the
entire distribution of the water. This in itself is
a very responsible position; and the fact that he
was selected to serve on the committee shows the
high opinion in which his judgment is held. He
is connected with the Irwindale Citrus Associa-
tion as one of its directors, and is also a member
of the Irwindale Land and Water Company,
which owns one of the best wells in Los Angeles
county.

Near Fincastle, in Botetourt county, \'a., Mr.
Coffman was born December 24, 1837. His an-
cestors were Germans who settled in Pennsylva-
nia in a very early day, and thence moved into
Virginia, where thej' ranked among the most in-
fluential families. His grandfather, Jacob Coff-
man, was a farmer and the owner of large estates
in lands and slaves. His oldest son, Samuel A.,
who was a bugler in the Black Horse Cavalry
militia in Virginia, came to Kansas in 1855, ac-
companied by his family, and settled in Jefferson
county, where, under the territorial rule, he
.served as a ju.stice of the peace. At the time of
his death he was seventy-five years of age. He
had married Mary, daughter of Henry Stair, at
onetime an influential citizen of Virginia. Mrs.
Coffman is still living in Kansas and is ninety-
three years of age (1900). In religion for many
years .she has been a faithful member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Of her family,
nine children reached years of maturity.

When Samuel A. Coffman took his family to
Kan.sas his .son, Edgar R., was eighteen years of
age, and hence was sufficiently strong to be a
great help in the clearing and improving of the
Kansas farm. Not only did he assist his father
on the home place, but he also took up a govern-
ment claim of one hundred and .sixty acres in his
own name. He is a great lover of dogs and fond
of hunting. One of the most memorable expe-
riences of his early manhood was a buffalo hunt
in 1859, when he and five companions joined six
other men on the plains and spent three weeks in

G\-v-^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

525

hunting buffaloes, killing tlurt3--two head and
bringing back to the settlement two wagon-loads
of jerked meat. In 1861 he started for Califor-
nia with his brother, Charles A. Coffman, travel-
ing across the plains with twenty-five head of
mules for freighting in California and Nevada.
After three months he arrived at the Golden Gate.
Settling at Marysville, he engaged in freighting
for nine years, after which he began farming in
Yuba county. For six years, from 1870 to 1876, he
made his home upon his ranch there, meantime
raising grain (mostly wheat) . He then sold the
seven hundred and forty acres comprising the
ranch and returned east on a visit to old friends
and to the exposition. More than one acquaint-
ance endeavored to induce him to settle in the
east, but his affection for California was too deep-
seated to permit him to leave, and he returned to
the state, buying the property he has since owned.

March 19, 1868, occurred the marriage of Mr.
Coffman to Miss Virginia A. Treace, who was
born in Wisconsin, and in 1853 accompanied her
parents to California. To this marriage four
children were born: Charles H.; Edgar T.;
Delia v., wife of E. E. Washburn; and Etta May,
at home. The family are connected with the
Holiness Church.

In national politics Mr. Coffman believes in
Democratic principles, but does not restrict his
vote to party men, supporting rather those prin-
ciples in which he believes, and the adoption of
which he believes to be for the greatest good to
the greatest number.

HON. ABBOT KINNEY. Nations rise,
reign, then pass into oblivion. Yet there
are stars within the constellation of those
governments which never cease to send their
light down the ages. Men, by their strong indi-
viduality, make an impress upon the ocean of hu-
manity, and the waves of time and the rust of in-
action can never destroy that impress. Of the
work of Abbot Kinney it maj- be said that his
life has been an earnest effort to promote the
perpetuation of the best in the world. The char-
acters of such men will wield a powerful influence
when the earthly house of their tabernacle shall
have been dissolved; if we will appropriate their
lives to our own good, they will go with us and

guide us in every action and word. Even the
humblest man, who lives nobly, exerts an influ-
ence for good in his community. To a much
greater degree does the life of a prominent man
prove a power, not only in his immediate neigh-
borhood, but in places remote, and his good
deeds bless mankind through an endless cycle of
years. Of the subject of this narrative it may be
said that no citizen of Southern California has
more powerfully affected its history or enhanced
its development than has he. His advice and
counsel are much sought. He is regarded as one
of the noble-hearted and self-sacrificing pioneers
of Los Angeles county, whose wisdom, judgment
and business ability have been used for the pro-
motion of the best interests of his fellow citizens.
While always refusing political preferment his
record in connection with the .sittings of the leg-
islature is a most exemplary one. Persistently
he has fought any measure or effort to secure
money from the taxpayer without giving full
value in return. He has been the instigator of so
many wise measures for the benefit of the common
people that to-day it is safe to say he could have any
office within their gift, were he willing to accept
official honors; Indeed, were it probable that the
Democratic nomination for the presidency would
be given to the Pacific coast, his name would cer-
tainly be one of the first considered for the can-
didate.

No record of Mr. Kinney would be complete
without mention of his literary tastes and his
writings. His works: "The Conquest of Death,"
"Money," "Under the Shadow of the Dragon,"
"Protection vs. Free Trade," "Australian Bal-
lot," "Forestry," "Eucalyptus," etc., will for-
ever live as monuments to his genius and marked
literary gifts. His work, "The Conquest of
Death," deals intelligentlj^ with pro-creation of
human beings and the attainment and perpetua-
tion of the best of the race. The march of death
and its ultimate conquest over the human family,
unless checked by wise and sure principles of
reformation, is clearly set forth in this work.
One reads it with pity for the ignorance of the
ranks of the supposedly educated, and with sin-
cere sympathy for those who should also know
how to bring into existence the noblest and best,
but do not because of want of opportunity. For
want of observance of the laws of nature in the

526

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

building up of the best of the race, nations have
gone down. The result of this headlong rush
into national death is so ablj- set forth in the "Con-
quest of Death" that everyone .should read it and
live bj- it.

"Tasks by Twilight" is worthy of close study.
It deals with child training, the beauties and
wonders of mind properly moulded, and the evils
of "cramming," as well as the noxiousness of the
material used to gorge the plastic mind of youth.
It is a veritable catapult in the educational arena,
and a challege to educators to meet the issue that
is upon us. It is a plea for the salvation of the
children from the attempt to make their minds
perform what their bodies cannot bear up, and to
eliminate what is .simply extraneous in the sys-
tem. Educators may read this and receive light
that will insure the welfare of those intrusted to
their care. It is a noble work and an honor to
the author.

A few facts, gleaned from another writer's esti-
mate of our subject, will be read with much in-
terest: It was in the year 1850, at the village
of Brookside, N. J., that the sun first shone on
an infant who was, mayhap, predestined at the
hour of his birth, to one day represent in the sen-
ate of the United States a region which was then
beginning to pour its long-hidden golden treasure
into the lap of the world. Mr. Kinney's boy-
hood, however, was not passed at the place of his
birth, but at Washington City, where his uncle,
James Dixon, was representing the state of Con-
necticut in the senate. He had many relatives in
the army and navy and in other branches of pub-
lic life, all of whom were war Democrats. As a
boy he was thrown much with the families of
Lincoln, Grant, Sherman and others whose names
are enrolled upon the pages of imperishable his-
tory. After a course of schooling he was sent
abroad, where he completed his education in
Switzerland, Paris and Heidelberg, becoming
a master of modern languages and dipping deep-
ly into the problems of political economy which
even thus early engaged his profoundest interest.

On the completion of his foreign education Mr.
Kinney returned to the United vStates and again
took up his residence in Washington. There he
had a pleasant and notable experience. The
Comte de Paris had written a history of ouf Civil
war and it became Mr. Kiiniey's privilege to

translate the work.to General Grant, then presi-
dent. Many delightful hours were passed in
this manner until the president was made thor-
oughly familiar with the foreign view of our great
contest.

Shortly after this Mr. Kinney engaged in the
tobacco business, and in 1875 spent a year in
Turkey, procuring the famous brands of that
country for his manufactory. He was there when
the Bulgarians were massacred and was the last
man to leave Macedonia with his goods before
the general slaughter took place. He pursued an
arduous and successful business career until 1877,
when, feeling the need of rest, he made a tour of
the world lasting for three years. One year of
the time he spent in Egypt, where, during a fear-
ful period of famine and small-pox, he was com-
missioner to ameliorate the condition of the peo-
ple of an Egyptian province. On this tour of the
world he made a special study of the governments
of many nations, thus laying up a stock of knowl-
edge of vast importance in public life and in liter-
ary pursuits.

After having viewed the lands of the whole
civilized world with the intelligent mind of the
cosmopolian, in 18S0 Mr. Kinney reached Cali-
fornia. Of all fair lands this seemed to him to be
the fairest. He speedily determined to establish
his home here. In this decision he proved him-
self to be a man of judgment and taste. He pur-
chased about five hundred acres of unimproved
land near Sierra Madre, and this he converted into
a most beautiful tract, planting over two hundred
acres in citrus fruits. He has since become one
of the leading authorities concerning horticulture
in this state. It is doubtful if any man has done
more than he to build up the great fruit industry
of Southern California. In 1883 he was appoint-
ed a commissioner, with Helen Hunt Jackson, to
inquire into the condition and report upon the
needs of the Mission Indians in Southern Cali-
fornia. It was during this period that Mrs. Jack-
son gathered the material for her most famous
work, "Ramona," and at the same time Mr.
Kinney gathered material for a report which in-
duced the government to take steps to ameliorate
the condition of the Indians.

In 1884 Mr. Kinney married the charming and
accomplished daughter of Judge James D. Thorn-
ton, and they are the parents of five sons. Mrs.

HISTORICAI^ AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

527

Kinney is a direct descendant of Mildred Wash-
ington, a niece of George Washington. She is a
blood relation of Thomas Jefferson. Abbot Kin-
ney's father's ancestors came to America in 1634,
and his mother's in 1636. From a literary point
of view he is related to Oliver Wendell Holmes
and Ralph Waldo Emerson: and, from a political
standpoint, to General Harrison.

For many years Mr. Kinney has been a stu-
dent of forestry. In 1884 he was appointed chair-
man of the state board of forestry in California,
in which capacity he served for three years. It
was during his term that the first surveys for for-
est reservations were made. Deeply interested
in securing the best literature for all, he estab-
lished free public libraries in Santa Monica and
Pasadena, and a reading room at the Soldiers'
Home, which he maintained at his own expense
for two years. The practical side of life has al-
ways appealed very strongly to him. As an evi-
dence of his devotion to the cause of good roads
it may be stated that he served one term as road
overseer of the Santa Monica district. During
his term he planted over nine miles of shade trees
along the roads. He was the first to advocate
and put into practice the plan of sprinkling the
country roads. He has landed interests in many
parts of the county, owns valuable real estate on
Main and Spring streets, and is connected with
several industrial enterprises. His life in South-
ern California has proved most helpful to horti-
culturists, agriculturists, and indeed to men in
every occupation. All are the gainers by his hu-
manitarian acts and methods.

To the subject of state legislation he has given
valuable time, and has often been heard to say
that his greatest glory was his successful work in
bringing forward and assisting in the enactment
of the Australian ballot law, to which he gave
two years of constant work, such as writing
pamphlets and newspaper articles, making public
addresses, seeking personal interviews and ex-
plaining the system of voting. As is well known,
he has been identified with numerous other state
and local economics, procured through various
organizations, notably the Citizens' League.

Among numerous national measures in which
he has been interested lie found, perhaps, the
greatest .satisfaction in his work to break up In-
dian reservations and allot the lands nece.ssary in

severalty to the heads of families, with time limit,
to insure the preparation of Indians for civilized
life and its conditions; in securing a national for-
est policy for the forests and mountain water
sheds under government control, and he has
favored the care of our water, sheds under such
reasonable regulations as will secure the utiliza-
tion of all forest resources, viz.: irrigating water,
power, ripe timber, mining, etc. He has favored
the present proposal to meet the drought crisis
by a system of permits to stock and sheep own-
ers, whereby each person receiving such permit
will be allotted a specified district in the mountains
for which the permit holder will be responsible
and for which he will pay sufficient to provide a
patrol to guard against abuses and especially
against fire; this will do away with fighting over
public pastures and put an end to irresponsible
and forcible possession inside the forest reserves.
He is now interested in opening a way for Cali-
fornians to own ocean-going ships by removing
the prohibition handicap of local and state taxes,
which have been unjust and fatal, because the
state taxes property on open ocean where it does
not and cannot protect.

Mr. Kinney has been on intimate terms with,
or known to some extent, most of the leading
men of the United States during and since the
war — Lincoln, McClellan, Grant, Hancock,
Farragut, Seward, Sherman, Thurman, Bayard,
Randall and others; and also many abroad, Von
Moltke, Victor Emanuel, Napoleon III, the Em-
peror of Austria, Abdul Aziz, Ismael Pasha and
others.

In June, 1897, Governor Budd appointed Mr.
Kinney a member of the Yosemite commission
and he was immediately elected their presiding
officer. The purpose of the commission was to
remove the many abuses then prevailing, such as
overcharge to visitors, to clean and clear up the
trails and roads, to look after and keep cattle,
sheep, etc., from being herded there. How well
this work was done can plainly be seen. When
they took charge there was but one road to the
park with a regular stage service and it was in
bad condition. Now there are three roads and
all are good. Travel had been decreasing, but
now it is rapidly increasing. Prices have also
been reduced, which, with the better accommo-
dations, makes it po.ssible for those in moderate

S28

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

circumstances to pleasantly enjoy the delights of
this remarkable place. Under the commission's
wise management all of the old debts have been
paid, and for the first time in years the park is
out of debt and in good condition.

gEN. SAMUEL P. JENNISON is among
the most prominent and influential residents
of Covina, where he is now serving as pres-
ident of the Covina Citrus Association. He has
been actively identified with the educational, pro-
fessional, political or business interests of at least
four of the more important states of our Union,
two of which border on the Atlantic ocean ; one
is directly connected with Lake Superior and the
mighty Mississippi, and one extends along the
Pacific shore. He was born May 9, 1830, in
Worcester county, Mass., a son of James and
Mary (Lamb) Jenuison, and the descendant of a
hero of the Revolution, his paternal grandfather,
Joseph B. Jennison, having served as a soldier
during America's struggle for independence. He
comes of excellent colonial stock, the emigrant
ancestor, Robert Jennison, from whom the gen-
eral is seven generations removed, having emi-
grated from England to this country in 1638.

Samuel P. Jennison received his elementary
education in the public schools of his native town,
and after completing the course of study at Mon-
son Academy, in Massachusetts, spent two years
at Harvard University. He was subsequently a
resident of Concord, N. H., for a number of years,
having been associated with its educational in-
stitutions as principal of the high school for two
years, after which he conducted a private school
in that city for awhile. While living there he
fitted himself for a professional life, reading law
and being admitted in that city to the bar. In
1857 he began the practice of his profession in
St. Paul, Minn. In 1S60 he was appointed pri-
vate secretary of Alexander Ramsey, then gov-
ernor of Minnesota, a position that he resigned a
year and a-half later for patriotic reasons, having
enlisted, July 5, 1861, in Company D, Second
Minnesota Infantry, in which he was commis-
sioned second lieutenant. January 18, 1862, he
was promoted to first lieutenant and adjutant,
and August 24, 1862, was mustered out for pro-
motion, being ajipointed lieutenant-colonel of the

Tenth Minnesota Infantry September 10, 1862,
and after the battle of Nashville he was breveted
colonel, and previous to being mustered out of
service, August 18, 1865, was breveted a briga-
dier-geueral, a record that shows him well worthy
of his honestly earned title of "general." While
in active service he fought under General Thomas
at Mill Spring, and participated in the siege at
Corinth under General Buell. He was afterwards
transferred, and in 1863 took part in Sibley's ex-
pedition against the Sioux Indians, and later in
the year his regiment became a part of the Six-
teenth Army Corps, in which he took an active
part in the engagement at Tupelo, Miss. , and the
battle of Nashville, where he was so severely
wounded as to incapacitate him for further ser\-ice
for a time.

At the close of his military service General
Jennison returned to St. Paul, Minn., and for six
mouths thereafter was associate editor of the St.
Paul Press. Going from thereto Pithole, Pa., he
remained there a short time as agent of the oil
property known as "Holmdeu Farm." Resuming
his residence in St. Paul, he received the appoint-
ment of private secretary to Gov. William R.
Marshall, of Minnesota, with whom he remained
from 1866 until 1869. In the fall of the latter
year he became the proprietor and editor of the
Red Wing (Minn.) Republican, which he owned
and edited a full quarter of a century. Through
its columns he obtained fame and popularity, and
through the influence of his paper suggested
many projects for the better management and
control of the public interests, and as these proj-
ects were carried out a marked improvement in
social conditions became evident. While a resi-
dent of Red Wing General Jennison served four
years as secretary of state in Minnesota: was for
five years private secretary of Gov. L. F. Hub-
bard; was chief clerk of the house of representa-
tives for three terms; and was secretary of the
state senate an equal length of time.

In 1894 the geueral sold out his interests in
the Red Wing Republican, and three years later
migrated with his family to California. In 189S
he purchased an orange ranch of twenty acres in
Covina, where he has since resided, in the mean-
time becoming actively identified with some of
its leading enterprises, having in 1S99 been elected
president of the Covina Citrus Association, an

^^r. 7-^ . ^Cd ^^^-<^r'

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

531

office which he is now filling, and in addition he
is a director and the vice-president of the Covina
Irrigating Company. Politicallj* he is a stanch
Republican, and fraternallj' he is a member of
the Minnesota Commander}- of theLo5^al Legion.
August 2, 1858, General Jennison married
Miss Lucia Wood, of Concord, N. H., and of
their children two are living: James, of Minne-
apolis, Minn., is bookkeeper for the Pillsburj'-
Washburu Flour Mill Company, Limited; and
Paul is an accomplished musician, and a noted
violinist and 'cello player.

|5^ H. HAMILTON, M. D. For many reasons,
ry the paramount one being the health of their
lis, families, physicians from all parts of this
continent has flocked to Southern California,
and when one of this great multitude of profes-
sional men rises to prominence among them, it
means a great deal more than it would elsewhere.
Dr. Hamilton is in the prime of life and useful-
ness, and within a short period he has gained
prominence among the practitioners in Santa
Monica, his place of residence.

Dr. Hamilton was born in Ann Arbor, Mich.,
February 17, 1852, but when two years of agehe
was taken by his parents to Winona, Minn.
There he grew to manhood, in the meantime lay-
ing the foundation of knowledge in the grammar
and high schools of the town. Then, being de-
sirous of entering the medical profession, he re-
turned to his birthplace and entered the Univer-
sity of Michigan, where he remained for some
time pursuing his studies. Owing to the fact that
he could not have ai good clinical advantages
there as in a metropolitan college, he finished his
medical preparation in Rush Medical College of
Chicago. Soon after he graduated with honors
in the class of 1877, he located in the then new
town of Grafton, N. Dak., where for seventeen
years he had an increasing practice. While re-
siding there he was, for a period of fourteen
years, president of the United States board of ex-
amining surgeons for soldiers' pensions; also, for
a similar period, served as county physician, for
two years was county coroner, for four years
member of the examining board for the insane,
and for nine years secretary and superintendent
of the county board of health. He was the first
27

vice-president of the North Dakota State Medi-
cal Society, and served as district surgeon for the
Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railroad
Companies.

More prudent than many. Dr. Hamilton waited
until his success was assured before he ventured
upon the responsibilities of establishing a home.
October 21, 1887, he married Miss Bertha R.
Crookston, of Ann Arbor, Mich., a lady of excel-
lent education and social accomplishments. They
have had four daughters: Helen, Edith, Clara
and Esther. Their second daughter, Edith, a
bright and noble child of eleven years, died Octo-
ber 16, 1900, after an unsuccessful operation for
appendicitis.

The winters in North Dakota being extremely
severe, Dr. Hamilton determined (on account of
his health) to make a radical change of climate,
in spite of the fact that he had built up a large
practice and an enviable reputation. In Septem-
ber, 1894, he came to Santa Monica, where he
has since engaged in practice. Notwithstanding
many of his friends predicted at the time of his
removal that he would soon return east, he has
continued in California and has no desire to seek
a home elsewhere. Besides his private practice
he is district surgeon for the Southern Pacific
Railway; is the medical examiner for all the old
line insurance companies in Santa Monica; also
acts in the same capacity for four fraternal so-
cieties. He is a director in the Santa Monica
Bank and is actively connected with other local
enterprises, in the success of which he is deeply
interested. During the anti saloon movement in
Santa Monica, in March and April, 1900, he was
one of five constituting the executive committee
that rid the town of her ten saloons. He belongs
to several medical fraternities, among them the
Los Angeles County Medical and the American
Medical Associations.

Before leaving Grafton he was identified with
the local blue lodge, chapter and commandery of
the Masonic order, also the Mystic Shrine, which
he joined in Fargo, N. Dak., and demitted and
became a member of the Santa Monica blue lodge;
also the Al Malaikah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.,
of Los Angeles. He is a member of the order of
Knights of Pythias and the uniform rank of same
in Santa Monica; also belongs to the Independent
Order of Foresters of Santa Monica. He is a di-

532

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

rector of the Western Masons' Mutual Life Asso-
ciation of Los Angeles. In his political convic-
tions he is a true-blue Republican. Religiously
he is a Presbyterian and a trustee of the church
at Santa Monica. Personally he is highly es-
teemed by everyone, as he deserves to be, for lie
is a fine type of the loyal American citizen and
the sincere Christian physician, his influence in
the community being strongly felt for righteous-
ness and whatever uplifts and benefits humanity.

3G. MOSSIN. One of the justly popular
young business men of Los Angeles is J. G.
, Mossin, now holding the position of cashier
of the California Bank. He is a native of Mil-
waukee, Wis. , his birth having occurred in the
Cream City in 1857. His parents, Peter L. and
Octavia (Bang.s) Mossin, were born in Denmark
and grew to maturity in that country, but in 1847
they came to the United States and took up their
abode in Milwaukee.

In his youth J. G. Mossin received an excel-
lent education in the public schools of his birth-
place, and, by making the best possible use of
his opportunities, laid the foundations of his
future successful career. When he was in his
sixteenth year he obtained a situation in a bank
and served in various capacities in the institution
during the ensuing five years. He was diligent
and faithful to the interests of his employers, and
thoroughly mastered the intricacies of banking
and general business. In 1878 he went to Chi-
cago, where he became a member of the board of
trade, and from the first was very successful in
his financial operations. After a time, however,
he concluded to come to Southern California, and
in 1884 arrived in Los Angeles. For several
years after coming here he did not attempt to en-
gage in business, but the fine climate and out-
door life which he lived soon restored his wonted
strength, and to one of his energetic temperament
idleness could not long be brooked.

Since 1890 Mr. Mossin has been connected
with the California Bank, one of the solid finan-
cial institutions of this city. The first position
held by him was that of assistant cashier, and
subsequently he was promoted to his present
office, that of cashier. Courteous and accommo-
dating to all of the patrons of the bank, and hav-

ing a comprehensive knowledge of financial
affairs, he looks out for the interests of those with
whom his house has bu.siness dealings and en-
joys the sincere respect and good-will of all who
know him. He has been the architect of his own
fortunes, and has justly earned the high place
which he occupies in the business and social
world by arduous and persistent labor, and by
the exercise of sterling integrity and honor in all
of his dealings with mankind.

Politically Mr. Mossin is independent in local
affairs, using his franchise for the man whom he
deems best suited to carrj' out measures for the
good of the people, while in national elections he
is unswerving in his allegiance to the Republican
party. His pensonal popularity with the busi-
ness men and leading citizens of Los Angeles is
plainly indicated by his having been chosen to
serve in the president's chair of the California
Club during the year 1898. Previous to this he
had been a director for four years and he materi-
ally- aided in the building up of the club.

QHILIP G. McGAUGH. Although he was
L/' but a small child when his parents came to
J«5 California for the first time, Mr. McGaugh
retains a vivid recollection of that long and lonely
trip across the plains, and remembers clearly his
excitement and delight when finally the little
party of travelers, with their ox-teams and trav-
eling outfit, landed in Sacramento. At that time
the population of California consisted principalh-
of miners and people connected directly with the
mining industry. Few then supposed that the
state would become more widely known for the
fine quality of its fruits than for its output of
gold. In 1869 he came to Los Angeles county,
and in 1881 settled upon land near the present
town of Rivera, .since which latter year he has
devoted himself to the cultivation of his ranch of
fifty-eight acres. The larger part of the land is
under English walnuts, for which the owner
finds a ready sale at fair prices.

The McGaugh family is of Scotch- Irish ex-
traction. Mr. McGaugh was born in Davis coun-
ty. Mo., November 16, 1844, '^ •''"" of James W.
and Sarah J. (Edwards) McGaugh, natives re-
spectively of Tenne.s.see and Kentuckw In 1850
the family started with a band of emigrants from

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

533

Leaveuworth, Kaus., and traversed the plains to
California, which they reached after a journey
of five months over mountains and deserts. The
father engaged in placer mining in Grass Valley
and other places, but met with no special success,
and, losing his wife by death soon after his ar-
rival in California, he decided it was best to re-
turn to Missouri with the children. The return
trip was made via the Nicaragua route. He
remained in Missouri until the spring of 1857,
when he again brought his family to the west,
crossing the plains with ox-teams and settling in
Yolo county, Cal. , where he engaged in farming
and stock-raising. After a time he moved to
Lake county, this state, where he conducted a
stock and grain farm. In 1869 he came to Los
Angeles county, and here made his home until
he died, April 20, 1892. He was an energetic,
hard-working man, who always retained the re-
spect of his associates in whatever locality he re-
sided.

The education of Philip G. McGaugh was ob-
tained principally in the Pacific Methodist Col-
lege iu Solano county, Cal., where he was a
student for two and one-half years. In addition
he has always been a great reader and close
thinker, and so has acquired a broad fund of gen-
eral information. When a young man he married
Miss Martha E. Speegle, who was born in Cali-
fornia. They became the parents of four chil-
dren: James P., Laura M., Mary E. and Al-
bert S. The present wife of Mr. McGaugh bore
the maiden name of Margaret F. Williams and
was born in Monterey county, Cal. Her parents
were Isaac and Lydia (Patterson) Williams. He
first settled at Feather river, in California, in
1843, but returned east in 1847, and came again
in 1849. He and his wife died in Santa Ana,
Cal.

The political affiliations of Mr. McGaugh are
with the Democratic party, but he has not been
active in local politics. His attention has been
closely given to the management of his ranch,
which it is his aim to maintain at a high state of
cultivation, with all of the improvements desir-
able in these modern times. At the time the Los
Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Associa-
tion was organized he was one of its charter
members, and he has since been connected with
it as a director. Fraternally he is connected

with Walnut Grove Lodge No. 376, I. O. O. F.,
at Rivera. The Los Nietos Valley Pioneer Club
numbers him among its active members. Among
all the pioneers of the valley he stands high as a
man of fine principle and upright life, possessing
the sterling traits of character so desirable in those
who would found new communities and lay the
foundation of future commonwealths broad and
deep and strong.

^HOMAS L. GOOCH. Prior to taking up
f C his residence with the early pioneers of the
V2/ region around Rivera, Mr. Gooch led a life
varied in its undertakings and varied in wander-
ings over different sections of the country. A
native of Virginia, he was born January 13, 1846,
and is a son of Thomas W. and Mary J. (Lewis)
Gooch, natives of Virginia. His paternal grand-
father was a soldier in the War of 1812, and
served his country with courage and distinction.

The' sturdy and independent qualities evinced
by young Thomas Gooch were early put to a
practical test, for his childhood was anything but
the joyous season that we are apt to associate
with youth. When but an infant in arms he was
taken by his parents to Orange county, N.C.,
where, in 1854, his young life was saddened by
the loss of the best friend he had in the world, his
mother. In 1859 his father moved to Pope
county, Ark., and after they had gotten a fair
start, and were in a way to become enterprising
agriculturists in the community, his father fell ill
and died iu 1862. Thrown thus upon his own
resources, he was in a sorry state of mind. The
various vicissitudes of the family had interfered
with his acquiring even the rudiments of an edu-
cation, and the knowledge that he later acquired
was the result of constant application and later
reading.

In 1863 Mr. Gooch enlisted in Colonel Emery's
regiment from Arkansas, under command of Gen-
eral Price, the company participating in Price's
famous raid in 1864. His services were in the
main on the scouting order, and he was also en-
trusted with the carrying of important despatches.
In 1863 he enlisted again and served in the
war until 1865, after which he went to Dallas
county, Tex. After a short time he w'ent to
Louisiana, and for a few months engaged as fore-
man on a large ranch in the vicinitv of Red river,

534

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

subsequently moving to a large farm in Missis-
sippi, near Fort Adams, and was thus engaged
until December of 1866. Soon after he returned
to his farm in Arkansas, where he farmed for
himself until 1870, when he went to California,
and has since been a resident of the Golden state.
His ranch is most complete in its arrangement
and management, and fitted with all the labor-
saving devices, fine house and outhouses. Every
tree on the place was planted by the owner.
There are two ranches, comprising in all ninety-
six acres, of which seventy acres are in walnuts
and the remainder in fruits.

Mr. Gooch married Alyde C. Shugg, a native
of California, and a daughter of James and Esther
C. Shugg, early settlers of the state, havingarrived
in the '40s. Of this union there are thirteen sur-
viving children. Mr. Gooch is variou.sly inter-
ested in the different enterprises for the upbuild-
ing of his adopted land. He is vice-president of
the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers'
Association, and has given general satisfaction in
the performance of his duties in that capacity. A
member of the Independent Order of Foresters
at Rivera, he has served as treasurer of the same.
In politics a Democrat, he is not an office-seeker,
preferring to leave to others the management of
the local political offices.

In the estimation of those who are privileged
to know him best, Mr. Gooch is a valuable addi-
tion to the vast colony of those who have sought
better conditions in the far west. He is public
spirited, energetic, and devoted to the welfare of
his friends and of the community at large.

I EWIS W. BLINN. Ranking with the fore-
I C most financiers and progressive citizens of
12 Los Angeles, Lewis W. Blinn is eminently
deserving of a place in the annals of this thriv-
ing, beautiful city. He has spared neither influ-
ence nor means in the promotion of its many in-
dustries and projects for improvement, and is
connected with .several of the most extensive
business concerns of this section of the Pacific
coast. The honorable position which he holds,
the esteem and confidence reposed in him by his
fellow-citizens, are due to the upright, consistent
course he has pursued, and his friends are as
numerous as his acquaintances.

Like a large proportion of the men who have
risen to prominence in America, Mr. Blinn was
born and reared upon a farm. His birth occurred
in Dresden, Me., December 22, 1842, and in that
locality he continued to dwell until he attained
his majority. His father, Francis Blinn, was an
agriculturist, as was the grandfather before him,
and the latter was a soldier in the war of 1812.
The mother of our subject bore the maiden name
of Catherine Tarr. Her people followed the .sea
for several generations, and were long established
in the state of Maine. As she died when Lewis W.
was young, he knows but little of the maternal
side of the family.

Lewis W. Blinn obtained an excellent educa-
tion in the public schools of his native village
and at the University of Maine. When the Civil
war broke out he desired to enlist in defense of
the Union, but was not strong enough physically
to pass the necessary examination for the service.
Partly on account of his health he concluded to
try a decided change of climate, and in March,
1863, he settled in San Francisco, where he at
once engaged in the lumber business. He con-
tinued to live in that city for nine years, at the
end of which period he went to Sacramento, and
carried on an extensive wholesale and retail busi-
ness there for the ensuing eight years, being the
manager of the Sacramento Lumber Company.
In 1880 he went to Tombstone, Ariz., and there
organized the L. W. Blinn Lumber Company, of
which he was manager. This company estab-
lished branch lumber yards at many points along
the Southern Pacific Railroad, the most eastern
one being at El Paso, Tex. Mr. Blinn removed
to Los Angeles in 1889, but retains a large inter-
est in the company just mentioned, and does an
extensive business in Arizona, particularly. He
has branch yards in this city and ten years ago
became identified with the San Pedro Lumber
Company also. He is a heavy stockholder in
this enterprise, besides being manager of the
company, which controls a vast trade. The mills
which supply them are several in number and
located in Washington and Northern California.
An exclusively wholesale business is carried on,
and shipments are made to points both far and
near. The offices of the company are situated in
the Douglas block, Los Angeles. Mr. Blinn is
vice-president of the We.st Side Water Company,

^^^-:^ S^^^^^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and occupies a similar office in the Geniiaii-
Aniericau Bank of this cit\', besides being a di-
rector of the Citizens' Bank of Los Angeles.

The success which Mr. Blinn has achieved is
truly remarkable, in view of the fact that he was
a poor 3'oung man, without capital or resources, a
stranger in the then but little developed west,
barelj' three decades ago. Had he been willing
to devote even a portion of his time to politics, or
had he j-ielded to the frequent urgings of his
friends, he might have held numerous official
public positions of more or less honor and emolu-
ment, but, in the main, he has adhered to his in-
dependent business ventures. In 1887 he was
elected to the territorial legislature of Arizona,
on the Democratic ticket, which part)- he has al-
ways loyally supported by his own ballot, Fra-
ternally he is a member of the Ma.sonic order,
belonging to the blue lodge, the chapter and the
commandery.

In 1867 Mr. Blinn married Miss Celia Little,
a native of Maine, and they have a son, Irving L.
The beautiful home of the family is located on
West Adams street, one of the finest residence
sections of the city.

(31 R. EVANS. During the past decade the
Li name of Mr. Evans has been well known
/ I, among those of progressive horticulturists
of Covina. It was during 1890 that he came
from Kansas to California and his first place of
residence was the northern part of this state, but
after a somewhat brief sojourn there he estab-
lished himself in Covina. From that time to the
present he has been connected with the progress
of the place and the advancement of its fruit-
growing interests. He is a charter member of
the Covina Country Club and is now one of its
directors. For six years he had charge of the
fruit packing department of the Seth Richards
orange grove, consisting of four hundred acres,
and situated at North Pomona. In 1899 he be-
came identified with Ruddock, Trench & Co.,
one of the largest firms of fruit shippers in South-
ern California, and he has since acted as their
Covina agent.

In the city of Baltimore, Md., Mr. Evans was
born November 19, 1861, a son of Rev. Frederick
and Kate (Perot) Evans, the former a native of

Wales, the latter burn on the island of Bermuda,
and of French descent. With his parents our
subject left Baltimore in early childhood, and
went to England, where he was reared and
educated in Herefordshire. His father was a
chaplain in the British Navy and served all
through the Crimean war, finally retiring from
the service when an old man, and establishing
himself in retired life in England, where he died
in 1889.

When almost eighteen years of age Mr. Evans,
of this sketch, returned to Baltimore, where he
secured employment as clerk in a commission
house. After a short time he went to Ellsworth
county, Kans., where he followed agricultural
pursuits for some time, being especially interefted
in stock-raising. In 1890 he came to California.
After spending two years in the northern part of
the state he came to Covina, of which he has
since been a resident. The ranch which he owns
and operates consists of twenty acres, mostly
under oranges. On this place he has an attrac-
tive home, presided over by his wife, Elma W. ,
daughter of Daniel H. Houser, of Lordsburg.
Fraternally Mr. Evans is a charter member of
Covina Lodge No. 362, I. O. O. F., and in re-
ligious views he is an Episcopalian, belonging to
the church of that denomination in Covina.
Notwithstanding his boyhood experiences in Eng-
land, he prefers the land of his birth, and is a
thoroughly patriotic American. In politics he is
a believer in Republican principles.

WALTER W. WHITE. One of the best-
improved ranches in the vicinity of Rivera
is that owned and occupied by Mr. White,
and consists of sixteen acres, all but five of
which are planted to walnuts, the balance being
in fruits. It was during 1883 that Mr. White,
with other members of his family, came from
Canada to Southern California and settled on the
property which he now owns. During the inter-
vening years he has witnessed the development
of this locality as a walnut-growing region and
has himself been a pioneer in that industry,
which has proved to be a profitable occupation
for many of the residents of Ranchito and the
Los Nietos valley. "

538

HLSTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORI)

lu Kent county, Ontario, Canada, Walter \V.
White was born March 7, 1848, a son of Daniel
and Isa A. (Dolsen) White, natives respectively
of Pennsylvania and Ontario. Daniel White was
four years of age when he was taken by his fa-
ther, William White, a native of England, to
Canada and there he grew to manhood, mean-
time attending Canadian schools. After making
his home in Ontario for many years, in 1883 he
moved to California and settled at Ranchito,
where he still resides. In spite of his advanced
age (being about eighty), he is quite active and
robust. Of his ten children, eight are now liv-
ing, viz.: Mrs. James Broadbent, of Ranchito;
Walter W., of this sketch; James J., Solomon C.
and Mrs. J. W. Ernest, who are living in Los
Angeles; Arthur A., of Rivera; Herberts., of
Ranchito; and Mrs. William Witherow, whose
home is in Ranchito.

The public schools of Ontario, supplemented
by reading, observation and self-culture, enabled
Mr. White to acquire a practical education and
fitted him for the responsibilties of life. From
boyhood he was familiar with agricultural pur-
suits, but since coming to California he has de-
voted him.self to specialties rather than to general
agricultural work. As a walnut-grower he is
well known in the Ranchito district. His suc-
cess has encouraged others to embark in this in-
dustry, which is now no longer an experiment, but
an assured success to all who are energetic,
judicious and progressive.

The marriage of Mr. White united him with
Emily Holmes, a native of Ontario, and by her
he has four children: Charles E., William E. ,
Edith E. and Carrie E. Mr. White is partic-
ularly interested in educational matters and has
endeavored to promote the welfare of the local
schools; for three terms he has served as a trn.stee
of the Ranchito school district, a position that he
has filled with characteristic efficiency and tact.
He is connected with the Methodist Episcopal
Church South, and in fraternal relations is a
member of the Independent Order of Foresters
Lodge at Rivera. Being a stanch believer in
Prohibition principles, he has identified him.self
with that party and does all in his power to create
a sentiment against the liquor traffic. He is a
member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut
Growers' Association, incorporated, which has

the distinction of being the largest organization
of walnut growers in the United States. He has
found the company an aid in the advantageous
disposal of the products of his ranch.

pGJlLLIAM T. EAST. Reared to agricul-
\ A / tural pursuits, and with a natural aptitude
V Y for developing and cultivating the various
products of the soil, Mr. East has transformed
his original apparently worthless soil into a con-
dition of utility and resource. His ranch near
Downey consists of fifty-one and a-half acres,
largely given over to the raising of Engli.sh wal-
nuts.

Having resided in California since July 5, 1866,
and in the meantime accomplished much towards
benefiting the general welfare, Mr. East is re-
garded as a typical pioneer of the early days.
Of Scotch descent he was born in Copiah county,
Miss., April 15, 1831, and is a son of Josiah and
Nancy (Ni.x) East. Josiah East was a success-
ful agriculturist and a valiant soldier of the war
of 1812. In his youth his son William had little
opportunity for acquiring an education, having
to work hard on his father's farm. During the
winter months, when the duties around the place
were lessened, he used to go to the early sub-
scription schools, and this schooling, added to
later research and a fondness for reading, con-
tributed to make him a well-informed man.

In 1858 he married Mary L. Long, who was
born in Louisiana and is a daughter of George E.
and Mary (Hendricks) Long, natives respectively
of Georgia and Louisiana. George Long was a
typical "forty niner" and spent the latter years
of his life in Los Angeles, where he died Febru-
ary 28, 1888. He had previously lived in Tulare
county, Cal., where for years he had been suc-
cessfully engaged in cattle-raising, and in con-
nection with which he had carried on a large
farming interest. In Los Angeles he was a prom-
inent and influential citizen, and was for years a
member of the city council and board of education.
In politics he was a Democrat. To Mr. and Mrs.
East were born five children, three of whom are
living: George E. , Edwin T. and Berta L. Charles
and Robert are decea.sed.

In 1850 Mr. East left Mississippi and moved to
Louisiana, where he engaged in general farming

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

until 1861. He then enlisted lor the war in the
First Louisiana Cavalry, C. S. A., under Gen.
John Scott, and later under General Forrest, and
fought in the battle of Baton Rouge, siege of
Vicksburg, siege of Port Hudson, battle of Cor-
inth and man}' minor skirmishes. After a serv-
ice of four years he was discharged and returned
to his farm in Louisiana.

In 1866 began a memorable trip for the faniil}'
to California. They started from New York
City June 11, setting sail for Aspinwall, and
crossing the isthmus, where the}- took steamer
for San Francisco, arriving July 5, 1866. They
first located in San Luis Obispo county, where
they carried on general farming and stock-raising
and in 1871 came to Los Angeles county, and for
five years resided in the San Antonio district. In
1877 hesettledon his present ranch near Downey.
Here he has earnestly labored to make it one of
the best of its kind in the county, and his success
is unquestioned. He is large-hearted and en-
terprising and is esteemed by all who know
him. In politics he is a Democrat. He is a
member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut
Growers' Association.

(cjAMUEL A. BRYSON is a member of one of
7\ the influential and prominent families of Los
V2f Angeles, and is a son of Hon. John Bryson,
ex-mayor, to whose biography upon another page
the reader is referred for an account of the family
histor}'. He has been a resident of this city dur-
ing the larger part of his life, and is consequently
familiar with local progress and in close touch
with local commercial enterprises. As manager
and agent of the Bryson block he is at the head
of one of the finest ofiice buildings in the west,
and by his careful judgment and keen oversight
he has made the property a fruitful source of
revenue.

The birth of Mr. Bryson occurred in Buffalo,
Muscatine county, Iowa, June 15, 1854. In
youth he received the best educational advan-
tages that local schools and advanced institutions
of learning afforded. His early occupation was
that of assistant to his father in the lumber busi-
ness at Essex and Red Oak, Iowa, after which he
managed the Bryson Gem opera house for two
vears. Coming west in the fall of 1881, he lo-

cated in Los Angeles, where he assisted his
father and two brothers, William and John, Jr.,
in the lumber business. Next he managed a
fruit ranch at Alhambra, Cal., for two years. On
his return to Los Angeles he became manager of
the Bryson block. Since he assumed this posi-
tion the work has required his undivided atten-
tion, giving him little leisure for outside interests,
although he has kept in touch with topics of cur-
rent importance and is well informed regarding
the problems our nation is called upon to solve.
October 5, 1876, Mr. Bryson was united in
marriage with Miss Alice Rebecca Buck. They
are the parents of three children, Bessie \'iola,
Joseph Sentman and Samuel Albeit, Jr.

0AVID H. ETTIEN. Many of the men who
have contributed to the upbuilding of South-
ern California are those who had, previous
to removing west, gained financial success in
professional or commercial activities in regions
east of the Rocky Mountains. They are of a
class at once aggressive yet cautious, and ener-
getic yet judicious. They possess the attributes
necessary to success. It is these men who, com-
ing to the Pacific coast after years of successful
labor elsewhere, have identified themselves with
this region and contributed to the development
of its resources. To the high character of its
settlers California owes much of her greatness.
This is especially true of Pasadena, one of the
garden spots of the country, and whose scenic
and climatic attractions have drawn to it people
of the highest class. Among these men we pre-
sent the name of David H. Ettien, who was for-
merly one of the best known attorneys at the
Kansas City bar, but whose recent years have
been devoted to the development of his large fruit
ranch and to his duties as a director of the North
Pasadena Land and Water Company.

A son of John and Susan Ettien, the subject of
this article was born in Dauphin county, Pa.,
July 21, 1846. When he was three years of age
his parents moved to Burlington, Iowa, and he
grew to manhood in that city, meantime attend-
ing the high school there and the Burlington
Baptist College. On completing his education
he began the study of law. In 1872 he was ad-
mitted to the bar of Iowa and opened an office in

540

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Crestou, where he built up a good practice and
remained for thirteen years. Finally, however,
he felt the need of a larger field for practice. In
1885 he moved to Kansas City, Mo., and became
general attorney for the Lombard Investment
Company, with whom he continued in that ca-
pacity until they closed out their business in
1897. Meantime, in May, 1894, he purchased
ranching property in Pasadena and his family
settled here, he joining them in 1897. He owns
seventy-five acres of land planted to oranges,
lemons, almonds and English walnuts. Of this
land fifty-five acres are in Duarte. Much of his
time is given to horticultural work, in which he
has been successful.

By the marriage of Mr. Ettien to Miss Rosa
Folsom, of Winterset, Iowa, Mr. Ettien has
three daughters, the eldest of whom is the wife
of Brax Lawrence, of Kansas City; the second is
the wife of William Johnston, of Santa Monica,
this state, and the youngest is with her parents.

It has been Mr. Ettien's aim throughout his
life to fulfill every duty as a citizen. He keeps
posted concerning politics, and gives his support
to the Republican party. During the Civil war
he was for twenty-nine months a member of
Company M, Ninth Iowa Cavalry, which en-
gaged in skirmishing among the guerillas. For
a time he was under General Steele, and later
with Gen. A. J. Smith, whom he accompanied
in the campaigns through Arkansas, Texas and
the Red river country.

GlRTHUR G. WELLS. Without doubt the
Lj general superintendent of the Santa Fe
/ I Pacific, Southern California and San Fran-
cisco & San Joaquin Valley Railroads at Los
Angeles is one of the most popular railroad
oflScials in the west. He possesses vast experi-
ence in his chosen calling, and may be said to
have literally grown up in the business, for from
his earliest recollections he has been familiar with
railroading in a practical form. His father, who
was a man of great ability and zeal in his line of
endeavor, was employed by the Grand Trunk
Railroad for many years and gave his son his
first ideas in relation to the proper con.struction
and operation of railroads.

Mr. Wells was born in Guelpli, Ontario, No-

\enibcr 18, 1861, and there his boyhood passed
quietly. He received the benefits of a high-
school education. In July, 1876, he started out
upon an independent career. His fir.st position
was in St. Joseph, Mo., in the machine .shops of
the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs
Railroad, where he served an apprenticeship of
nearly five years. He was then offered a posi-
tion in the office of the purchasing agent of the
Mexican Central road at Chicago. Later he en
tered the service of the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe Railroad as clerk to the superintendent
at San Marcial, N. M. From June, 1882, until
September, 1885, he was chief clerk of the gen-
eral superintendent of the Atlantic & Pacific
Railroad Company at Albuquerque, N. M. In
1885-86 he was employed as trainmaster of the
New Mexico division of the same railroad.

About this time a better opening presented
itself further east, and, returning to the central
states, he bscame assistant to the general mana-
ger of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad at Cin-
cinnati, Ohio, and acted in that capacity for
nearly four years. In April, 1890, he became
the general superintendent of the Ohio, Indiana
& Western Railroad, and subsequently was suc-
cessively superintendent of the Peoria, Indian-
apolis and St. Louis divisions of the Cleveland,
Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway, with
headquarters at Indianapolis. From September,
1893, until October, 1894, he wasa.ssistant to the
first vice-president of the Santa Fe system, and
from the beginning of 1895 "iitil July, 1897, he
.served as general superintendent of the Atlantic
& Pacific Railroad. For the past three years he
has officiated as general superintendent of the
Santa Fe Pacific and Southern California roads
at Los Angeles, and since October, 1899, has also
been general superintendent of the San Francisco
& San Joaquin Valley Railway. In his work he
has won the good- will of everyone with whom he
is associated. All the more surely by reason of
the comparative slowness of promotion in rail-
road circles he has forged to the front, and now
stands in an important position in one of the
leading industries of the country.

From the time that he received his right of
franchise until the national election in 1896 Mr.
Wells used his ballot in favor of the Democratic
party, but, possessing the courage of his convic-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

543

Uoiis, and having carefullj- weighed the grave
financial problems of the hour, he voted for the
Republican presidential nominee, William Mc-
Kinle}'. For several years, while a resident of
Albuquerque, he was president of the Commer-
cial Club, and wherever he has made his home
he has won hosts of sincere friends. In 1884 he
married Miss Gertrude Barnard, of St. Joseph,
Mo. , and thej' have two daughters, who are now
attending school in Los Angeles.

REV. DERIUS OVERHOLTZER. That
this family should have a representative in
the ministry of the German Baptist Breth-
ren Church (commonly known as Dunkards) is
only a natural sequence to their activity and zeal
in the denomination. Among the sons of the
late esteemed Samuel A. Overholtzer, one was
elected by the church to the ministry, and he it
is who forms the subject of this sketch. His at
tention is largely given to religious work, yet he
finds time to superintend his orange orchard in
the vicinity of Covina, and his work as a horti-
culturist is no less worthy of commendation than
that as a minister.

Some years after his parents came from Illinois
to California, the subject of this sketch was born,
November 30, 1870. His only recollections are
of the state of the Golden Gate. After receiving
the rudiments of his education in the public
schools of San Joaquin county, Cal., he entered
the Azusa valley school, where he continued his
.studies. His education was completed in Lords-
burg College, in the founding of which his father
had been an active factor. He was a boy of six-
teen when he accompanied his father to Covina,
and he has since resided near this place, among
whose residents he is known and honored as a
young man of bright promise, and an upright,
conscientious Christian man and citizen.

(lAMES J. TWEEDY. On the well-con-
I ducted and homelike ranch near Downey are
Q) many evidences of the enterprise and indus-
try of their owner, James J. Tweedy. That he
has an inherent liking for agriculture and horti-
culture is not to be wondered at, for his father.

Jackson Tweedy, a native of Virginia, was en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits for the greater
part of his useful life. His mother, Eliza (Hold-
field) Tweedy, was born in Alabama. In 1852
these worthy people left their farm in Arkansas
in the hope of bettering their prospects and crossed
the plains to California. For a short time they
lived at Stockton, but not realizing their expec-
tations they returned to Arkansas by way of the
Isthmus of Panama. Here James J. Tweedy was
born in 1854, and the following year his father
died, leaving the mother in sole charge of the
family. Young James was thus early thrown on
his own resources. When eight years of age he
accompanied his mother to Texas, where they
lived long enough to find out that it held no in-
ducements for a protracted residence and then
returned to Arkansas.

Until his eleventh year James Tweedy was
cared for by his mother, who died in 1865. His
grandfather, James Holdfield, was his guardian,
and Mr. Tweedy made his home there till he was
seventeen years old, when he started for Cali-
fornia. He lived in different parts of the state
until 1 88 1, when he settled on his present ranch
near Downey. He is the possessor of more than
fifty-eight acres of land, mostly under oranges
and walnuts. In its original state of purchase the
land was unimproved, and he has planted all of
the trees and made it the improved place that it
is to-day.

Mr. Tweedy married Eliza A. Sutton, a native
of Texas, and to this couple have been born five
children, who are of more than average intelli-
gence, and who are bound to make their mark in
the world. George A. is a graduate of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Boston
and is employed by the California state mining
bureau; Maude, Frances A., James K. and Mau-
rice are at home. In politics Mr. Tweedy is a
Democrat, but has broad and comprehensively
liberal views regarding the politics of the present
administration. He is deeply interested in the
cause of education, as evinced by the oppor-
tunities he has given his children and his work
for the general welfare of the county while serv-
ing for several years as a school trustee of his
district. Fraternally he is associated with the
Ancient Order United Workmen at Downey and
the order of the Maccabees. With his family he

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

i^ a iiieiiihcr of tlie Baptist Church and a dc-acun
ill the same. He is a member of the Los Nietcs
and Raiichito Walnut Growers' As.sociation.

EHARLES S. SANDERSON has been iden-
tified with all of the enterprises instituted
for the upbuilding of the community in
which he has re.sided since 1889. As one of the
trustees of the Pico school district, as director in
the Rincon Irrigating Company, and as commis-
sioner of the Banta Ditch Company he has ren-
dered conspicuous service.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, December iS, 1857,
he is a son of Rev. Norris and Adelia (Jones)
Sanderson, natives of Massachusetts. Norris
Sanderson was a minister of the Methodi.st Epis-
copal Church, and one of the early pioneers of
Santa Cruz county, Cal., to which he moved in
1864. His journey to Santa Cruz was via the
Nicaragua route and San Francisco, and upon
his arrival at his destination he engaged in agri-
culture and stock-raising. As occasion demanded
or the situation seemed to warrant he engaged
also in ministerial work. He died when his son
was ten years old, and the youth was left with
little save the heritage of a refined early training
and the example of a noble, useful life. Practi-
cally thrown upon his own resources he improved
his time until his sixteenth year by working for
the farmers in the vicinity of Santa Cruz, in re-
turn for which he received his clothes and was
permitted to attend tbe district schools. Later
he was employed in a foundry and machine shop
on Bear creek, in the Santa Cruz mountains, for
four years, after which he turned his attention to
agriculture, renting a farm in Santa Cruz county.
His venture was a success, and he then decided
to go to San Diego county, Cal. , where he home-
steaded a claim of one hundred and sixty acres
and also took up one hundred and sixty acres of
timber land from the government, upon which
he lived for seven years. In 1885 Mr. Sander-
son came to Los Angeles, and in 1889 settled on
the ranch which is now his home. His home
ranch embraces twenty acres, and he also owns
forty-five acres in the Rincon valley, twenty-five
of which are under cultivation.

Mr. Sanderson married Alice E. Hinman, a
native of Illinois and a daughter of Ephraim

Hinman, a pioneer of California. Ephraim Hin-
man crossed the plains in a wagon with his fam-
ily in the early '60s, .settling in Santa Cruz,
where he became prominently identified with the
educational and agricultural interests of the pio-
neers. As an educator Mr. Hinman was without
a peer during his residence in Peoria. His ad-
vanced methods of conveying knowledge, his
erudition and scholarly attainments, made him a
prominent factor in the intellectual life of the
middle west. Mr. Hinman is now living in Los
Angeles, Cal. To Mr. and Mrs. Sanderson have
been born seven children: Chester A., Harl A.,
Margaret A., Clarence, Hinman, Sophia and
Burdette. The last-named child was called after
the humorist of that name, Mr. Hinman having
been Robert J. Burdette's teacher while living in
Peoria.

Though a stanch Republican Mr. Sanderson
entertains very liberal views regarding the poli-
tics of the administration. He has never had
political aspirations, his time being completely
taken up with other matters. He is a member
of the Los Nietos Valley Pioneer Club. His
ranch is devoted mainly to the culture of English
walnuts, oranges and alfalfa. He is widely
known and appreciated for his manj- sterling
qualities and the generous spirit which impels
him to assist those in need, whether in a private
or public capacity.

EHARLES C. REYNOLDS. The Reynolds
family was established in America by an
Englishman, who in a verj- early day
cros.sed the Atlantic and settled in Connecticut,
later removing to Pennsylvania, and finally going
to New Jersey, where his last days were spent.
At Basking Ridge, that state, occurred the birth
of his grandson, John Reynolds, whose son,
Hezekiah S. Reynolds, was the father of Charles
C. Reynolds. During his early manhood H. S.
Reynolds left New Jersey and settled in Middle-
field, Mass., where he married Miss Nancy A.
Blush, a native of that town and a daughter of
Amasa and Anna (Durant) Blush, natives re-
spectively of Middlefield and Newton, Ma.ss.
Mrs. Anna Blush was a daughter of Thomas and
Elizabeth (Clark) Durant, the former a Revolu-
tionary soldier and a participant in the battle of

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Lexington; he ditd at Pittsfield, Mass., in 1831.
His widow attained the great age of one hundred
years and ten months, and until her death was
the recipient of a pension of $40 per month,
in recognition of her husband's services to his
countrj'.

For some years H. S. Reynolds engaged in the
woolen manufacturing business at Middlefield,
but, believing another location might be better
for business purposes, he removed to Springfield,
Mass., and established woolen mills in that place.
These he conducted for a number of years and
with fair success. While still in middle life,
however, he retired from business and his last
days were spent in the enjoyment of the com-
petency his industrious efforts had accumulated.
While visiting in Jersey City, N. J. , he died, at
the age of sixty-eight years.

The life which this narrative chronicles began
at Springfield, Mass., October 7, 1847. Being
the son of parents in moderate circumstances,
the boy was spared the privations of the poor and
the temptations of the wealthy. Early in life he
was trained to habits of industry and perse-
verance; and, grasping the truth that his future
success depended upon the foundation he laid in
his youth, he determined to start aright. When
he was seventeen he left Springfield and went to
New York City, where he secured employment
as clerk in the hardware store of Thomas Negus
& Sons. Through diligence he acquired a
thorough knowledge of the business. No detail
was too unimportant for him to overlook, but
every department was learned thoroughly and
well. His honest}" and energj' commended him
to his employers, and when he wished to make a
■start for himself in the world one of them was
ready to back him financially. With S. G.
Negus as a silent partner, he opened a hardware
store in Lewis, Cass county, Iowa, where for ten
years he carried on a profitable and growing
business. He became well and favorably known
to the people of that village and county, and held
a position of prominence in business circles. It
had been his intention to spend his entire active
life there, but illness in his family caused him to
.sever his business coiniections in Iowa and seek
the more healthful climate of California.

The fall of 18S0 found Mr. Reynolds in Los
Angeles, where, in partnership with Robbins

Little, he purchased the interests of B. F. Coulter
and R. F. Moore in the hardware firm of Harper,
Moore & Co., at Nos. 152-154 North Main street.
The first year was one of prosperity, but at the
end of that time a disa.strous fire temporarily
checked all business activity on the part of the
firm. The store was rebuilt at once, and since
then the history of the business has been one of
constant prosperity and growth. After a time
Mr. Little sold his interest to I. B. Newton, and,
owing to failing health, retired to Pasadena,
where he soon afterward died. The firm of
Harper & Reynolds Co., a joint stock company,
has continued in business prosperity to the
present day, and supplies hardware merchants,
as wholesalers, throughout Southern California,.
Arizona and parts of Mexico and Nevada. For
many years S. G. Negus has been identified with
the firm as their New York representative and
buyer and his connection with the business and
his wide business acquaintance throughout the
east has given the company an advantage, in
point of buying, over their California competitors.
It is said that Mr. Reynolds is the most practical
hardware man in Los Angeles. His experience
in the business covers a period of thirty-five
years, in different sections of the country; and,
being a man of keen discrimination and sound
judgment, he has utilized his experience for the
benefit of his business interests. Aside from his
intimate connection with the hardware interests
of Los Angeles he has been identified with other
local affairs, commercial and otherwise, and has
been an investor in city property, be.sides own-
ing an orange grove of twenty acres in the San
Fernando valley.

During his residence in Iowa Mr. Reynolds
became a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, but has not been active in the same
since his removal to the west. In national issues
and in local matters he maintains an independ-
ence of attitude and votes for the man he con-
siders best qualified to represent the people.
While in Iowa he served his village as a trustee.
However, he has preferred to give his entire at-
tention to business matters, and has no desire for
political or official prominence.

The marriage of Mr. Reynolds took place in
Lewis, Iowa, and united him with Miss Mary A.
Terrv, a member of one of the oldest families of

546

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Long Island, where she was born. The chiklrLii
of Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are: Wilfred T.,
Miriam and Winnie. The T'errys have been
identified with the history of that island ever
since the year 1662, when Thomas A. Terry was
given a grant to land there by the king of Eng-
land, and, removing to his new possessions,
fonnded a town on his property and became a
man of influence among his fellow-pioneers. The
father of Mrs. Reynolds, W. A. Terry, spent
much of his life on Long Island, but later settled
on a farm in Iowa, and now makes his home with
Mrs. Reynolds. His life has covered much of
the nineteenth century, whose wonderful changes
he has witnessed with the pride of a public-
spirited citizen and progressive man.

pCJlLLIAM J. WASHBURN. In tracing
\ A / the career of W. J. Washburn, president
YY of the Bank of Commerce, of Los Angeles,
one is impressed by the fact that he has risen to
his present position among the leading financiers
of Southern California solely by his own inherent
ability and correct bu.siness methods, that he is
indebted to no one, nor to any favorable combi-
nation of circumstances for his wealth and promi-
nence. Industry and concentration of purpose
have been his watchwords, and success has been
the natural outcome of these es.sential ideas.

Capt. William Washburn, the father of our
subject, was a native of New York state, where
for years he was engaged in merchandising.
Later he removed to St. Louis and there con-
tinued, as formerly, to carry on business until he
was well along in years. During the Civil war
he manifested his patriotism by enlisting in de-
fenseofthe Union and served long and faithfully.
During the latter part of the war he held the
rank of captain in a regiment which was in that
portion of the forces commanded by General
Grant, and he belonged to the division which re-
ceived the surrender of General Lee's army. His
life work well rounded, he was summoned to his
reward Novembers, 1898, and is survived by his
widow, whose maiden name was Mary R. John-
.son She, too, was born in the Empire state,
and now is making her home in Los Angeles.
One of her two sons, Charles A., is engaged in a
general insurance business in Denver.

W. J Washburn was born in Livingston
county, N. Y., September 30, 1852, and in his
youth pursued his .studies in the public schools
and in Lima Seminary. Upon attaining his
majority he located in St. Louis, where he gave
his attention to merchandising for fifteen years
with marked success. In 1888 he came to Los
Angeles and soon after was elected president of
the Bank of Commerce, which had been founded
but two years before under the title of the East
Side Bank. The Bank of Commerce, now con-
sidered one of the solid financial institutions of
this city, is centrally located at the corner of
Broadway and First street, and commands a large
and growing patronage. Under the supervision
and wise direction of its present president it has
steadily advanced, a safe and conservative policy
being pursued.

That Mr. Washburn's absolute integrity and
sagacit\' are undoubted may be seen by the facts
that he was appointed receiver of the City Bank,
which failed during the financial panic of 1893,
and served in a similar capacity for the Bankers'
Alliance. Besides, he is secretary of the Equit-
able Loan Society, and is vice-president of the Los
Angeles Stoneware Company. Politicallj- he is
a stanch Republican. He has served as foreman
of the grand jury of this county, and has dis-
charged his duty as a patriot and public-spirited
citizen. The cause of education finds in him an
earnest friend, and at present he is a member of
the Los Angeles board of education. Every citi-
zen here has reason to be proud of the splendid
school system we enjoy, and too much credit
cannot be given the members of the board, who
loyally uphold progress and advancement along
every line of educational endeavor. The traveler
from the north and east is surprised at the beauty
and attractiveness of our school buildings, which
indeed would do credit to any metropolitan city
in the land, and even surpass thousands of
■schools of the leading cities elsewhere.

The hospitable home of Mr. Washburn, at No.
4000 Pasadena avenue, is presided over by his
estimable wife, whose maiden name was Helen
E. Rowell. They were married in St. Louis in
1878. Both Mr. and Mrs. Washburn are very
popular in local society and have many sincere
personal friends. The Ruskin Art Club, one of
the large study clubs in California, has had Mrs.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

549

Washburn as its president for two years. She
was educated in the Normal school in Blooni-
ington, 111., which citj' was her home for raanj'
vears.

0AVID C. TEAGUE. No resident of San
Dimas is better known than Mr. Teague,
and this fact is but the natural sequence to
his close connection with various important local
enterprises and organizations. Since he came
here in 1878 he has been a factor in the develop-
ment of the rich resources of this region. Besides
having served as president of the Indian Hill
Citrus Union, he holds the following official po-
sitions: President of the San Dimas Citrus Union,
president of the North Pomona Deciduous Fruit
Association, president of the San Dimas Land
and Water Company, and president of the New
Deal Land and Water Company. The enumer-
ation of these offices alone suffices to prove his
close identification with local projects, his high
standing as a citizen, and his prominence in the
development of local water and fruit interests.

The record of Mr. Teague' s father, Crawford
P. Teague, of San Dimas, is presented on another
page of this volume. The family came to the
west when David was a youth, and he therefore
is familiar with the progress of the state. He
was born in Indiana October 23, 1847. When
he was 'four years of age, in 1851, his parents
settled in Davis county, Iowa, and there his boy-
hood days were passed. In 1865 he came with
them to California, settling in Tehama county,
but soon going to Sonoma county. In 1878 he
came to Los Angeles county, where he has
since made his home. For a number of years he
engaged in agriculture here. In 1888 he set out
a number of orange trees and also a few prunes.
The venture was so successful that he was en-
couraged to increase his number of trees, and
since then his time has been practically given to
horticulture. He has twenty acres of land under
oranges and apricots, in addition to which he has
thirty acres used for general farm purposes.

In 1875 Mr. Teague married Miss Annie Run-
yon, of Hickory county. Mo. She died in Sep-
tember, 1890, leaving five children, viz.: Walter,
Hattie M., Edith, Elmer and Russell.

In Masonry Mr. Teague ranks very high. He
is a member of Pomona Lodge No. 246, F. & A.

M.; Pomona Chapter No. 76, R. A. M.; and is
also a Knight Templar, belonging to Pomona
Commandery No. 37, K. T. The Covina Lodge,
A. O. U. W., numbers him among its members.
In him San Dimas has an unswerving friend,
who has always been eager to serve the best in-
terests of the town and generous in his contribu-
tions to the general advancement. In social
circles he is known and appreciated as a man of
liberal views and generous impulses, and whose
high character is worthy of the utmost confidence
of his a.ssociates.

(pAMUEL A. OVERHOLTZER. The record
\ ofthe latter half of the life of Mr. Overholtzer
\Z/ is, in some respects, a record of the history
of California and the development of its horti-
cultural interests. When he crossed the plains
in 1864 it required a toilsome journey of six
months, overland, to bring him to his destina-
tion. As yet the railroad had not spanned the
continent, nor had the telegraph wires brought
east and west into instantaneous communication.
Then, too, Indians were particularly troublesome,
being quick to commit depredations at a time
when the government, pluuged into a civil strife,
could not easily punish the offenders. One who
crossed the continent at that time truly took his
life in his hand.

As the name indicates, Mr. Overholtzer was of
German descent. He was born and reared in
Lancaster county. Pa., and married Maria E. Har-
nish, who was of German and English extraction.
Prior to his marriage he had accompanied his
parents to Ogle county. 111., and from there he
and his wife, shortly after their union, moved to
Carroll county, the .same state. In 1864 he
brought his family to California, traveling with
wagon and horses from Carroll county. 111., to
Sacramento county, Cal. In the latter county
he located and there he remained until his re-
moval, in 1867, to San Joaquin county, this state.
In the fall of 1886 he came to Covina, of which
he was an early settler. Here he embarked in
fruit culture, in which occupation he engaged
steadily until his death, April 14, 1900.

Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Overholtzer
eleven are now living, namely: Emma C, wife
of Jacob Schuldt, of San Joaquin county, Cal.;
William H., Michael N. and Isaac S., all of Co-

550

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

viua; Anna L., the wife of John S. Billheinier,
of Pasadena, CaL; Deriiis and Cecilia G., who
live in Covina; Samuel Andrew, who makes his
home in South Pasadena; Jesse Irvin and Edwin
Clarence, both of Lordsburg; and Carrie E., who
resides in Pasadena.

There were a number of enterprises in this dis-
trict with w^hich Mr. Overholtzer was intimatelj^
identified. He held official positions on two
different water boards of Covina, and for a num-
l)er of years was a director of the Covina Citrus
Association, in the organization of w^iich he has
been interested. He was also a director of the
Covina Valley Bank. In his work as a deacon
of the German Baptist Church he ever proved
himself faithful to his high trust, interested in the
welfare of his church and a sympathizer with all
worthy movements of a religious nature. In the
founding of Lordsburg College he was deeply in-
terested, and that institution in its early days
owed much to his zeal and intelligent aid. In
all of his personal relations he was kind, generous
and whole-souled, and his neighbors felt they
could call upon him for help in the hour of need.
His disposition was quiet and retiring. In his
labors as a horticulturist he showed practical
common sense and an ability to work to good
advantage. The fine property which he accu-
mulated and which he left to his children was
secured without aid, and was a creditable show-
ing for a man who began in life without influence
or capital, indicating well the sturdy nature and
unflagging industry of him to whom the success
was due.

pGjiLLIAM H. OVERHOLTZER, the eldest

\ A / son of the late Samuel A. Overholtzer, was
VV born in Carroll county. 111., November
21, 1862, and was scarcely two years of age when
the family settled in California. His earliest
recollections are therefore of the region of the
Pacific coast. Here his boyhood passed and his
education was obtained. He accompanied his
father in his various removals, and since early
manhood has made his home in Covina, where
he owns an orange ranch of twenty acres and is
also a director in the Covina Citrus Association.
Having made his home on his present ranch .since
1S92, he has employed the intervening years in
improving the property, and, as a result of his

wise supervision, the value of the land has been
trebled. From the time of attaining his majority
his sympathy has been with the Republican par-
ty. He has shown himself desirous of discharg-
ing every duty as a man and a citizen. His
influence is large and his standing high in the
community where he makes his home. In 1885
he married Miss Martha Finch, a native of Ten-
nessee, and by her he has eight children, all liv-
ing, viz.: Rose Blanche, Gracie, Anna, Myrtle,
Samuel, Pearl, Silas and loua.

GlLFRED D. KELLAM. The well-conducted
LI ranch belonging to Mr. Kellam is located
/ I near Rivera, and is twenty-eight acres in
extent. It is entirely given over to the cultiva-
tion of walnuts, to the study of which its pros-
perous owner has given much time and attention.

The Kellam family is of English extraction,
and among their members who settled in Amer-
ica were many prominent in various walks of life.
Alfred Kellam was born in Newcastle county,
Del., October 27, 1836, and is a son of Richard
and Mary (Beesam) Kellam, natives of Delaware.
Until his tenth year he was reared on his father's
farm, and attended the public schools as oppor-
tunity offered. The family then took up their
residence in Macoupin county. 111., and there he
continued in the duties of the average farmer lad,
and also attended the schools of the county. He
became a successful agriculturist and ably as-
sisted his father in the management of the farm.
He was married in Illinois to Susan Loyd, of
Indiana, a daughter of Samuel Loyd. Of this
union there are four children: George B., Will-
iam H., Maggie L. and Lillie M.

After years spent in farming and stock-raising
Mr. Kellam moved, in 1889. from Illinois to Los
Angeles county, Cal. ; and settled on the ranch
where he now lives. He has been prominently
identified with the advancement and improve-
ment of the neighborhood, and is especially in-
terested in the cause of education. For several
years he has served as trustee on the school
board, and in other ways has evinced a desire to
further the upbuilding of the locality. He is a
member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut
Growers' Association. Himself and family aie
active members of the Holiness Church, in which

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

551

he is an elder, and toward the support of whose
charities he is a liberal contributor. In politics
he adheres to Prohibition principles, and has done
much to further the cause of abstemiousness. A
conservative in thought and action, he is thus a
valuable addition to the oft too rapid growth of
enterprising communities.

pGJlLLIAM T. BARKER. This well-known
\ A / pioneer of the Azusa valley came to his
VY present ranch in 1883. Besides the cultiva
tion of his orange orchard, which contains seven
acres, he has a number of diversified and impor-
tant interests. He is road foreman of the West
Azusa district, also manager and a director of
the Central Well Compan}', and a director in the
Azusa Citrus Association. Through his service
as a director, the schools of Azusa have been ad-
vanced and their welfare promoted.

In Eldorado count}', Cal., Mr. Barker was
born June i, 1855, ^ son of Richard and Bettie
(Andrews) Barker, natives of England, who in
1849 emigrated to America and settled in St.
Louis, Mo., thence coming overland, with a train
of emigrants, to California in 1853, and arriving
at Diamond Springs, Cal., after a weary journej-
of almost seven months. Indians had been very
troublesome all along the line of travel, and had
stolen their cattle and other valuable possessions,
but had not molested the emigrants themselves.
For a time Mr. Barker made his home in
Eldorado county and followed mining. He was
similarly engaged at Placerville later, and while
there witnessed the execution of three men,
Mickey Fee, a notorious outlaw, being one of
them. From Placerville he went to Calaveras
county, Cal., where he engaged in mining for
.some years, and during that time not only saw
the execution of a noted negro desperado named
Ferguson, but was one of the jurors who in pub-
lic court condemned him. In 1869 he went to
Mount Diablo, but the next year proceeded to
Oregon, where he was interested in mining until
1872. Returning east he spent a short time in
Columbiana county, Ohio, and later made his
home in Pennsylvania and Illinois, thence going
back to the Buckeye state. In 1877 he returned
to Oregon. Four years later he again came to
California and resided at Mount Dial)lo for s(3nie

years. However, for some time past he has made
his home at Wellington, Vancouver Island,
British Columbia. He has two children, Will-
iam T. and Mrs. M. H. Spratt, of Wellington.

When about seventeen years of age our sub-
ject began for himself, his first place of emplo}-
ment being the mines of Clinton, Beaver county,
Pa. Next he went to Monmouth, 111., where
he was employed in the manufacture of sewer
pipe until 1877. He then settled in Coos coun-
ty, Ore. Three years later he removed to
Calaveras county, Cal., and from there, in 1883,
removed to his present ranch in the Azusa valley.
All of the improvements to be seen on his place
are the result of his energetic application and
determined effort. Fraternally he is connected
with the Woodmen of the World, Masons and
Odd Fellows, and, with his wife, holds member-
ship in the Eastern Star at Azusa. In 1883 he
married Miss Lucy Wells, who was born in Iowa,
and in her girlhood removed to Stockton, Cal.
Two children were born of their union, but the
son, Samuel R., is deceased, the other child
being a daughter, Bessie B.

30HN A. STEVENS, who ranks among the
pioneers of San Dinias, settled on his present
farm in December, 1879. At that time the
land was in its primitive condition. He took up
a homestead claim to one hundred and sixty
acres from the government, and at once began
the difficult task of placing the tract under culti-
vation and rendering it a profitable investment.
Much of the soil being suitable for fruit culture,
he engages in horticulture, and at the same time
he also carries on general farm pursuits.

At N3'ack on the Hudson, Rockland county,
N. Y., Mr. Stevens was born April 29, 1845, a
son of Abram J. and Hannah (Wallace) Stevens,
natives respectively of Rockland county and of
Glasgow, Scotland The Stevens family is of En-
glish extraction and was founded in America pre-
vious to the Revolutionary war by an Engli.sh
family, who, owing to religious persecution in
their native land, had gone to Holland, coming
from that country to America. They were of the
Puritan faith and possessed the religious fervor
characteristic of that people. Succeeding gener-
ations resided in New York state, from which our

552

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

subject's grandfather, John W. Stevens, enlisted
in the war of 1812. The father of the paternal
grandmother of our subject was a Revolutionary
soldier.

For some j-ears Abram J. Stevens followed car-
riage manufacturing in New York Citj-. In 1848
he moved to Fond du Lac county. Wis., and em-
barked in agricultural pursuits, buying a tract of
land on which he raised various kinds of fruits,
al.so farm produce, and at the same time carried
on general farming. He died there in 1895, when
in his eightieth year. When the family settled
in Wisconsin our subject was a child of three
years. He attended the public schools of that
county and grew to manhood with a thorough
knowledge of every department of farm work.
For several years he taught school during the
winter months. In 1876 he came to California,
after having for some years conducted a farm in
Wisconsin. At first he settled near Rincon and
engaged in farming, after which he purchased
the government land that to-day constitutes his
well-improved farm. He and his wife, who was
Annie M. Cowhan, of Fond du Lac county.
Wis., are the parents of six children: William
E. : Flora V., wife of L. J. Goff, of Glendora,
Cal.; Mabel C. ; Albert L.; Edgar E ; and
Charles W.

Public spirited, interested in measures for the
benefit of the people, ready to aid in worthy
movements, Mr. Stevens may indeed be called a
good citizen of his town and county. His vote is
cast for Republican candidates and principles, and
his sympathy is always with this party, to which
he has adhered since early manhood. In religious
connections he is identified with the Unitarian
Church of Pomona.

I UTHER MILTON POWERS, M. D., who
I C is well and favorably known in Los An-
|_2? geles, descends from sterling old southern
families, among whose representatives were sev-
eral who won fame and honors on fields of battle,
while fighting for the rights of the American col-
onies. His greatgrandfather, Ephraim Powers,
a Revolutionary patriot, was wounded in battle.
The maternal great-grandfather, James Murray,
was born in Scotland and there served in the
army; sub.sequcnt to casting his lot with the

colonies he enlisted in the American army and
helped to achieve our independence. He resided
in North Carolina, as did also the Powers family.
The paternal grandparents of Dr. Powers were
Kintchem B. and Tabitha (New) Powers, the
latter a daughter of a soldier in the Revolution-
ary war. They were lifelong residents of North
Carolina, where Mr. Powers died at the age of
eighty-five and his wife when about forty-one.
The doctor's maternal grandparents were Nicanor
and Mary (Williams) Murray, the former of
whom served in the American armj- during the
war of 18 1 2.

William and Lucy J. (Murray) Powers, the
doctor's parents, were natives of New Hanover
county, N. C. His father, who was a successful
farmer, died at the old homestead when eighty-
seven years of age, and the mother died when in
her seventy-ninth year. They reared to maturity
six children, five of whom are yet living. Two
sons, George G. and Nicanor W., enlisted in the
Confederate army at the outbreak of the war,
and the former died while a prisoner at Point
Lookout. Nicanor W. is still living and resides
upon the old homestead in North Carolina. Dr.
Powers was born in New Hanover county, April
5, 1853, and was reared on the home farm. His
educational advantages were excellent. He at-
tended Wake Forrest College, a well-known in-
stitution of learning, situated about seventeen
miles from Raleigh. After leaving college he
went to Wilmington, where he took up the study
of medicine with his brotherin-law, Dr. A. D.
McDonald. In 1877 he was graduated from the
medical department of Wa.shington University of
Baltimore, receiving the honors of his class.

Returning to North Carolina, Dr. Powers
opened an oflSce in Washington county and
formed a partnership with Dr. Henry G. Lewis,
which continued until the latter's death. In
1886 he removed to Norfolk, Neb., where he en-
gaged in professional work for fourteen months.
He arrived in Los Angeles, July 12, 1887, and
for some time had his office at No. 107 North
Spring street, after which he located at No. 114
North Spring. His ability as a physician has
been recognized in many ways. In Februar\',
1893, he was appointed health officer of Los An-
geles by the board of health, and was reap
pointed in 1897 ^"^ 1899. He has made a ster

^-W'^^^II^^^^^V-^^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

555

ling public official and is entitled to great credit
for the systematic, conscientious manner in
which he discharges his responsible duties. For-
merly he was identified with the North Carolina
Medical Association, and at present belongs to
the Los Angeles County, Southern California and
California Medical Associations. Every oppor-
tunity for widening his professional knowledge
he has eagerly embraced. He has been a regu-
lar reader of the leading medical journals, by
means of which he has kept in touch with the
latest developments in the science of medicine.
He has taken three post-graduate courses: At
Bellevue in 1881, College of Physicians and Sur-
geons in 1884-85 and the Polyclinic in 1885.

In political views Dr. Powers is a Democrat.
His first ballot was cast for the governor of his
native state and other state officials, and his
first presidential vote was deposited in favor of
Grover Cleveland. He is actively interested in
the progress and improvement of Los Angeles
and has an abiding faith in its great future. His
marriage to Miss Mary Ella Stevenson was
solemnized November 28, 188 1. They have two
sons and two daughters, and their pleasant home
at No. 829 West Seventeenth street bespeaks
the refined and artistic tastes of its occupants.

RUFUS LANDON HORTON. That for
many generations past the bar has attracted
vast numbers of the foremost men of the
age is a fact well attested by history, and that
from its ranks have stepped forth some of the
most illustrious statesmen and leaders of nations
no one doubts. At all periods since law became
reduced to a science its expounders have taken a
prominent place in the affairs of their day, and
their influence often has survived them for gener-
ations. In passing in review the members of the
Los Angeles bar the name of R. L- Horton shines
forth with the brilliancy of the possessor's genius,
and the following facts in relation to him will
doubtless prove of interest to his ho.sts of friends
here and elsewhere.

Though a native of Michigan, where his birth
occurred September 2, 1861, Mr. Horton was
reared to manhood chiefly in Ohio, to which state
his parents, Richmond B. and Anna M. Horton,
removed when he was a child of four or five years.
28

His father, whose possessions in Michigan in-
cluded large farms and mills, subsequently man-
aged and owned a large farm in the vicinity of
Wauseon, Ohio. His death occurred in 1894.
In the schools of Wauseon the youth received his
elementary educational training. After com-
pleting his high school studies he took a course
in the Dallas (Tex.) College, for he had accom-
panied the paternal family to that city a short
time previously, and later he was graduated in
the Lawrence Commercial College, of Dallas,
Tex. Subsequent to that event, which occurred
in 1880, he engaged in teaching school, and
finally was offered a position in the business de-
partment of Lawrence College.

In the meantime Mr. Horton had determined
to devote himself to the law, and, accordingly,
he gave all of his leisure to study along that line.
At length he resigned his position as a member
of the faculty of Lawrence College, and in May,
1887, came to Los Angeles. Here he studied in
the office of Judge Shaw, and made such good
progress that in April, 1889, he was admitted to
practice before the supreme court of the state,
having been admitted to the superior court
several months prior to that date. His career at
the bar has been of the highest honor, as, while
vigilant in his devotion to his clients' interests,
he has never forgotten that he owes a higher
allegiance to the majesty of the law. His
diligence and energy in the preparation of cases,
combined with the earnestness and loyalty with
which he defends the right as he understands it,
challenges the admiration of his legal associates.
He is forcible, logical and convincing as an ad-
vocate, and his knowledge of the law is accurate
and far reaching. An enumeration of even the
most prominent cases which he has handled with
marked skill would not lie within the scope of
this sketch, but perhaps we may be pardoned
for mentioning a few in which he figured most
conspicuously, and which were followed with
great interest by the public in general. These
were the cases of the contest of the last will of
Conception Aliniz, deceased, which consumed
fifteen days before a jury in its trial, and which
resulted favorably for Mr. Horton, counsel for
two of the contestants; the caseof Lauterback vs.
Voss, which was on trial one week; the case of
the Crescent Coal Company vs. the Diamond

556

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Coal Company; aud Methvin vs. the Fidelity
Insurance Company; the last-named case has
recently been decided in favor of Mr. Morton's
client by the supreme court en banc. He is the
attorney of several important estates in Southern
California and elsewhere, and enjoys an enviable
reputation for financial ability as well as legal
skill. His pleasant and centrally located ofBce is
in the Henne block. His services are retained
by many of the extensive business houses and
corporations of this city. Since his coming to
Los Angeles, several years ago, he has been
zealous in everything relating to the advancement
of the city, and has been of material assistance in
the good work in innumerable ways.

Largely on account of his former connection
with educational endeavor, perhaps, Mr. Horton
has always taken a commendable interest in
school affairs, and has served on the board of
officials having the Los Angeles schools in their
charge. Politically a Republican of no uncertain
order, he has frequently been honored by that
party. He is a great favorite with all who know
him, and is identified with the Chamber of
Commerce, Academy of Science, the Masonic
order, etc.

The attractive home of Mr. Horton at No. 351
South Alvarado street is presided over by his
charming wife, whom he married in this city
July 15, 1896. She is a daughter of Dr. Joseph
Kurtz, one of the leading physicians of Los
Angeles.

HENRY C. NORRIS. The founder of the
Norris family in America was Nicholas Nor-
ris, who left England in 1670 and came to
this country a stowaway on a sailing vessel.
Settling in New England he took up the respon-
sibilities of life in an un.settled, undeveloped re-
gion. For generations his descendants continued
to be identified with life on the Atlantic coast.
They proved themselves to be loyal, patriotic
citizens, ever true to the welfare of their country.
One of them, James Norris (our subject's grand-
father), was a .soldier in the Revolution. An-
other, James Norris (an uncle of our subject),
was a surgeon in the ITnited States navy for a
number of years.

Nicholas G. Norris, our subject's father, en-
gaged in manufacturing shoes in New Hamp-

shire, whence in 1850 he moved to Ohio; two
years later he died at Sandusky. While in the
east he served with the rank of major on the staff
of a governor of New Hampshire. He married
Elizabeth Blanchard.a native of Sandwich, N. H.
Their son, Henry C, was born in Sandwich,
N. H., May i, 1842, and was eight years of age
when the family settled in Sandusky, Ohio. At
fifteen years of age he went to Springfield, Ohio,
where for two years he was employed in a bank,
but resigned the position on account of ill health.
Next he became an express messenger on a rail-
road running between Springfield and Delaware,
Ohio, and continued in that capacity for a short
time, resigning at the outbreak of the Civil war.
In August, 1861, Mr. Norris went to Camp
Dennison, Ohio, and enlisted in Company A,
Second Ohio Infantry. On the day of his enlist-
ment he was detailed for clerical work at head-
quarters and continued with the adjutant-general
and the inspector-general for some time, also for
six months acted as division postmaster. How-
ever, ill health forced him to resign, and in 1864
he was honorably discharged from the army, after
a service of two and one-half years in the field.
After recuperating at his home in Ohio he went
to Nashville, Tenn., and accepted a position in
the quarterma-ster's department. Two weeks
later he was appointed cashier of the disbursing
office of the department, holding the position for
two and one- half years, under various officers,
and during that time disbursing $50,000,000 in
payment for the purchase of horses, mules,
forage, etc. Finally he resigned the position in
order to engage in the banking business in Nash-
ville, Tenn., and in the latter he continued for
eight months, a recurrence of poor health forcing
him to seek another occupation. For a time he
was an inspector in the internal revenue depart-
ment at Cincinnati, Ohio. He was in Chicago
at the time of the great fire and was engaged in
the planing mill business in that city. While
living in Chicago he married Felicia, daughter of
John A. Packard, who for many years was presi-
dent of the Frazer Lubricator Company of Chi-
cago, and a man of prominence in business circles.
By their marriage they had two sons: John P.,
deceased: and Harry C, who is married and has
two sons, Harry C. and John P.

The first time Mr. Norris came to California

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

557

was in 1875 aud he spent five years in Stockton,
returning to Chicago in 1880 and was employed
by the Frazer Lubricating Company, and also
assisted in the business of his father-in-law, who
was ill. For a number of years he was thus
identified with the lubricator concern. In 1893
he came to Southern California and the following
year bought and located at Laverne, where he
made a beautiful suburban home. Here he has
since resided, superintending the management of
his fruit ranch interests, yet finding sufficient
leisure time to enjoy every comfort this genial
climate affords. He is an active member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church of Lordsburg. Dur-
ing his residence in Stockton he served as a trus-
tee of the city schools and was active in local Re-
publican politics. While living there he identi-
fied himself with Stockton Lodge No. 23, A. O.
U. W., as a charter member.

0AVID C. McQUITTY, who was a pioneer
in 1850 in California, is now living at La-
verne, where he owns an orange ranch of
fourteen acres. He was born in Hickman county,
Tenn., on New Year's day of 1836, a son of
Andrew andMary W. (Craine) McQuitty, natives
respectively of St. Louis, Mo., and Virginia. His
father, who was born in 1808, descended from
Scotch ancestors, and spent his early manhood in
Missouri and Tennessee. At the time of the dis-
covery of gold in California he determined to
seek his fortune in the far west. Accordingly, in
1850, accompanied by his son David, he started
across the plains. With a party of Argonauts he
left Fort Leavenworth March 16, proceeding
until he reached Hangtown, August 16, after a
journey of six months in wagons. After a short
time in Sacramento, father and son sought a loca-
tion elsewhere, and settled in Amador county,
Cal., later going to other points in the state.

In 1863 our subject went to Nevada, but re-
turned the next year, and married, in Calaveras
county. Miss Mary C. Hubbard. Immediately
after his marriage he returned, with his wife, to
Austin, Nev., where he made his headquarters
for some years. In 1869 he went to White Pine,
Nev., which was then the center of the great
excitement caused by the discovery of silver
there. From that time until 1882 he made White

Pine his home, meantime engaging in gold and
silver mining, and also raising sheep, cattle and
horses, and carrying on general farm pursuits.
In 1882 he came to Los Angeles county, and for
four years carried on business here, then returned
to White Pine and resumed the raising of stock
and also mining. When he again came to Cali-
fornia, in 1896, he settled in Pomona, butin 1900
removed to Laverne, where he now resides. He
and his wife are the parents of four children:
Andrew G. , Lizzie, James and David.

The political views of Mr. McQuitty are in
sympathy with the Democratic party. During
his residence in Nevada he was elected on that
ticket to the lower house of the state legislature,
and made an honorable record, serving the best
interests of the state and his constituents. He
also held other positions of trust. In 1898 he
was a delegate from Pomona to the state conven-
tion of the Democratic party at Sacramento.
Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows
and the Masons in Pomona.

lARION F. DOUGLAS, a horticulturist
of Laverne, and a resident of this place
since 1887, is the owner of a farm of thir-
teen acres, planted to oranges and lemons. In
addition to the management of this property,
which of course requires much of his time and
attention, he also acts as secretary of the San
Dimas Land and Water Company. He is inter-
ested in public schools, and in the capacity of di-
rector of his school district has been helpful in
promoting the educational standard of this com-
munity.

Dodge county, Wis., was the native county of
Mr. Douglas, and August 31, 1852, the date ot
his birth. His paternal ancestors were of Scotch
lineage, while his maternal ancestors also traced
their ancestry to Scotland. He is a son of John
andSallie (Woodruff) Douglas, natives respect-
ively of New York and Vermont, the former be-
ing the son of a Scotchman who settled in Amer-
ica, and here spent his remaining days. During
his boyhood days he alternated work on the home
farm with attendance at the neighboring country
schools, and little of unusual importance charac-
terized those years of growth. In early man-
hood be married Olive Reid, who was born iu

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Dodge county, Wis., and died in Los Angeles
county, Cal., in 1891, leaving four children,
viz.: Jessie M., James R., Vernie and Helen.

For a number of years Mr. Douglas had charge
of the homestead on which he had been reared,
and in its management the years were busily and
prosperously passed. However, the climate of
Wisconsin, with its long, cold winters, proved
each year more trying, and he finally resolved to
settle in Southern California. In 1885 he came
to this state, and after two years in Pasadena
established his home nearLordsburg, atLaverne.
During his two years in Pasadena he wasengaged
in the real-estate business, and built eight or more
houses there. At the same time he bought and
sold sash, doors and glass, and was a member of
the firm of Douglas & Wilton, dealers in glass
and wood. For three years he held ofBce as
deputy county assessor of this county, in which
position, as in all he has held, he showed the ut-
most fidelity to every interest and the most un-
wavering integrity of character.

ICHAELN. OVERHOLTZER, the second
son of the late Samuel A. Overholtzer, was
born September 3, 1864, in Nevada, while
his parents were traveling from Carroll county,
111., to Sacramento county, Cal. His boyhood
years were principally passed in San Joaquin
county, and there the rudiments of his education
were secured, but later he was sent back to the
old home in Illinois and attended Mount Morris
College at Mount Morris. Returning to Cali-
fornia, he began to assist his father on the home
ranch. In August, 1886, he came from San
Joaquin county to Covina, of which he was one
of the very earliest settlers, there being but one
house in the town at the time of his arrival. He
has witnessed the development and growth of
the place and has himself done much pioneer
work in connection therewith. He personally
set out the first orange trees ever planted on the
Overholtzer ranch, owned by his father. He
was the first of the family to come to this locality
and his reports were so favorable that the others
were induced to follow him here. Their presence
and activity in local affairs have made them a
valuable addition to the citizenship of the place.
They have ever been alert in promoting needed

reforms or instituting practical changes. They
have fostered educational, religious and philan-
thropic, as well as horticultural interests, and
have been especially active in the German Baptist
Church, of which they are members.

By the marriage of our subject to Miss
Angeline Bollinger, a native of Ohio, he has five
sons now living, namely: Theodore A., Albert
J., John M., Andrew F. and Henry J.

The Covina Citrus Association numbers Mr.
Overholtzer among its members. Other well-
known enterprises have received his encourage-
ment and assistance, and, all in all, he has proved
himself a reliable and intelligent citizen.

J5)EORGE G. MATHEWS, whose home is in
|_ the Azusa valley, is of English descent.
^2J He is the son of Daniel and Mary P.
( Bouton) Mathews, natives of the state of New
York, and both persons of sterling worth and in-
tegrity. He was born June 7, 1840, in Jersey
City, N. J., where he lived until the removal of
his parents to Racine county. Wis., in 1843. At
that time the region was crude and undeveloped,
and the territory sparsely settled and little known.
In the early years of childhood and youth he de-
voted his time to agriculture and to rendering
himself generally useful on the farm. His educa-
tion was obtained in common schools, where he
applied himself with diligence and assiduity to
the acquiring of knowledge, and reaped as a re-
ward the success that comes to every true worker,
avoiding anj' deflection from the line of justice
and right.

After attaining his majority Mr. Mathews
chose as a means of livelihood the carpenter's
trade, which he pursued for several years, but
later he became a drug clerk, as well as clerk in
the postoffice at Burlington, Wis., where he en-
joyed the confidence and respect of the commu-
nity. Becoming tired of that occupation, which
was too confining for one of his active nature, he
again turned to agriculture, pursuing general
farming and stock-raising, which continued to
occupy his time until 1891. He then turned his
footsteps toward the west and removed to Cali-
fornia, settling on a ranch in the Azusa valley.
After establishing himself he directed his atten-
tion to liorticullure, especially to raising oranges.

]VfaAM/)i/

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

561

His proniptitiule, energy and decision have en-
abled him to force his waj' through numerous
irksome and dry details, and carried him onward
until he has reached a large degree of success and
prosperity, and has made his ranch practically
what it is to-day. He is a member of the A.C.G.
Citrus Association.

In 1896 Mr. Mathews married Mrs. Sarah
Thurston, a native of New Brunswick. In
politics he is a stanch Republican. He is ex-
tensively and favorably known to the business
men of this vicinity, is public-spirited and enter-
prising, and, as he has lived not alone for him-
self, but also for the good he might accomplish,
he enjoys the esteem and good-will that he
merits from his neighbors and fellow- men.

EHARLES C. WARREN. A resident of
California from his earliest recollection, Mr.
Warren has witnessed the development of
the state and has himself been a factor in its
growth and progress. No one feels a deeper in-
terest than he in the welfare of the common-
wealth. Since 1896 he has made his home about
three miles east of Glendora, where he owns a
ranch of one hundred and twenty- five acres,
about forty acres of the land being under fruit
culture, while the balance is devoted to general
farming. He also owns twenty acres of land
under horticulture, situated at Cucamonga, this
state.

In Portland, Me., Mr. Warren was born No-
vember 9, 1859, a son of Charles D. and Susan
B. (Barbour) Warren, natives of Maine, and the
former of English descent. In December, 1862,
the family, consisting of father, mother and two
sons, took passage at New York City on a
steamer bound for Nicaragua. They crossed
the isthmus at that point and then took a steamer
for San Francisco, where they arrived after a
tedious voyage. The most eventful incident of
the trip was the breaking of the shaft off Cape
Hatteras, which delayed the ship for many days.
After residing in 'Fri.scofor a time they removed
to Healdsburg, Sonoma county, but afterward
returned to their former home in San Francis-
co, thence went to Stockton, where our subject
reached years of majority and resided for a num-
ber of years. His father was a druggist by oc-

cupation and followed that business until his
death, which occurred in 1867; his widow, who
was born in 1830, is still living and makes her
home with her son Charles.

In the various removals of his parents our sub-
ject accompanied them, and attended the schools
of the towns where they resided. When fourteen
years of age he began to work for himself, since
which time he has worked his way forward to
the possession of a competence. At the age of
eighteen, in partnership with his brother, Henry
M., he purchased eighty acres of land near
Stockton, and there engaged in raising wheat
and in other farm pursuits, the two continuing
together for some time. In 1S83 he came to Los
Angeles county and settled in Pomona, where he
made his home for seven years. He then re-
moved to Cucamonga, making that his home and
horticulture his occupation. From there, in
1896, he removed to Glendora, where he now
owns the old Joy ranch, one of the oldest and
best known in the Glendora valley. He married
Miss Minnie Horn, near Stockton, Cal., and
they became the parents of five children, namely:
Leslie A., Herbert C, Mavro, Hal and Chester,
the latter deceased.

The educational interests of his community
are the objects of solicitude on the part of Mr.
Warren. He is a friend of the public- school
system and has served as trustee of the Alosta
school district in which he lives. His political
sympathies are toward the principles of the Re-
publican party, which ticket he votes in national
issues, but in local matters he votes rather for
the man than the party and maintains an inde-
pendence of views and action.

P\IELS P. JOHNSON, who has made his
ry home in Pomona since 1883 and is engaged
lis in horticultural pursuits here, was born in
Denmark February 3, 1843. He grew to man-
hood in the land of his birth. In 1866 he crossed
the ocean to America, taking passage via steamer
from Liverpool to New York and spending one
week on the water. From New York he pro-
ceeded direct to Chicago, but spent only a short
time in that city. Going to Wisconsin, he se-
cured employment there. Six years later, how-
ever, he went still further west, settling in

562

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Franklin couutj-, Iowa, where he began farm
pursuits. He was economical and persevering,
and slowly, but surely, he gained the success for
which he was striving. On first coming to this
country he had many disadvantages to impede
his progress. One of these was his lack of
knowledge of the English language, for, although
he had received an excellent Danish education,
his knowledge of English was limited, and it was
some years before he acquired familiarity with
our language and customs. He is a typical
representative of those steady, industrious Danes,
who seek a home in the United States and
undergo many hardships and conquer many ob-
stacles before they achieve the independence they
had sought.

In 1881 Mr. Johnson left Iowa and came to
California. At first he settled near San Francisco,
but in 1883 he came to Pomona and began the
work of a horticulturist, making a specialty of
oranges. He is well informed concerning citrus
fruits, and having made a study of them is able
to conduct his orchard judiciously and success-
fully. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd
Fellows' lodge in Pomona. He is not active in
politics, but during his residence in Iowa espoused
the cause of the Republicans and has since favored
their principles.

The marriage of Mr. Johnson united him with
Miss Anna M. Lasson, a native of Denmark.
They have an only son, John C, an enterprising
and rising young business man of Pomona, in
whose success his parents take the deepest in-
terest.

HENRY H. WILLIAMS. Not a few of the
residents of California are veterans of the
Civil war. At the time that fierce struggle
opened Mr. Williams was a young man living in
Iowa. When the first calls came for volunteers
he resolved to offer himself to his country, and,
as .soon as possible he volunteered in the Union
army. His name was enrolled in Company G,
Fourteenth Iowa Infantry, October 9, 1861. At
first he served as a bugler, but at the time of his
discharge he held the rank of corporal. With
his regiment he went to the front. He took part
in the memorable engagements of Fort Donelson
and Pittsburg Landing. During the latter con-
flict he was taken prisoner by the Confederates,

who confined him, successively, in various well-
known southern pri.sons. At last, however, he
was paroled and later exchanged. He rejoined
his regiment in time to take part in Sherman's
great Meridian raid and in the Red river cam-
paign, which ended in the pursuit of General
Price's command in Missouri. At the expiration
of his term of service he was honorably dis-
charged, in October, 1864, with a record which
speaks volumes for his patriotism and loyalty.

Mr. Williams was born in Miami county, Ohio,
December 9, 1837, a son of George S. and Maria
(Long) Williams, natives of Ohio. In 1853 he
accompanied his father to Tama county, Iowa,
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and
also in saw and grist milling. Afterward he con-
ducted a mercantile store at Belle Plaine, Iowa,
where he remained until his removal to Pomo-
na, Cal., in 1883. October 28, 1866, he married
Caroline R. Prill, who was born in Miami county,
Ohio, a daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Prill,
natives respectively of Virginia and Ohio. Their
family consists of two daughters, both living in
Pomona, one the wife of W. S. Bailey and the
other the wife of J. J. Henry.

In Grand Army matters Mr. Williams main-
tains a constant interest. He is a member of
Vicksburg Post in Pomona, and has twice been
honored by election as its commander. He is
also a member of the Odd Fellows' Lodge at Po-
mona. In politics he is a Republican. The
Pomona Fruit Growers' Exchange numbers him
among its representative members. He and his
wife are among the most respected residents ot
Pomona, where they are living in comfort, enjoy-
ing the fruits of lives spent in usefulness and
integrity.

GILBERT G. DAVIS. Years of activity in
Li kindred occupations have given Mr. Davis
I I an experience and a knowledge that enables
him to successfully prosecute the work of a wal-
nut and orange-grower. In 1895 ^^^ came to Cal-
ifornia, and five years later (January, 1900) he
settled upon a ranch of twenty-three acres near
Downey, where he has since made his home, giv-
ing his attention closely to a careful supervi.sion
of the laud and its improvement.

Descended from good old colonial stock, and a
grandson of John Davis, a Revolutionary soldier

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

5f>i

under General Washington, the subject of this
article was born in Montgomery count}-, Ky.,
March i8, 1828, a son of Simon and Mary
(Dooley) Davis. When he was five years of age
his parents moved to Missouri, and for some ten
years lived at New London, thence going to the
vicinity of St. Joseph, Buchanan county, the same
state. His education was received principally in
private schools in Buchanan county, although he
also for a time attended Chapel Hill College,
in Lafayette county, Mo. Under the instruction
of his father, who was a wool-carder and farmer,
he gained a thorough knowledge of both these
occupations, but after he was twenty-five years of
age he devoted himself to the latter, and no lon-
ger engaged in wool-carding.

While living in Missouri, in 1852, Mr. Davis
married Elizabeth Monfort, a native of Kentucky.
Five children were born of their union, namely:
Helen W., who is first assistant teacher in the
Los Angeles high school, and who is recognized
as one of the most efficient educators in this city;
Harry, deceased; Harvey, a member of the Los
Angeles police force; Howard, who is superin-
tendent of a large mill and lumber concern in
Carter county, Mo.; and Robert L., who is his
father's assistant in the management of the home
ranch.

After his marriage Mr. Davis moved to Mills
county, Iowa, but soon afterward went to Cass
county. Neb. , where he settled on a farm and
engaged in farming for ten years. His next lo-
cation was Idaho City, Colo., but his residence
there was of brief duration. Returning to Ne-
braska, he resumed farming. Soon, however, he
moved to the vicinity of Kansas City, Mo., and
embarked in market gardening and dairying,
which he continued successfully for twenty years.
His proximity to Kansas City gave him a mar-
ket for all of his products, and he had no trouble
in disposing of all that he raised, and at fair
prices. On selling out his garden he removed to
Kansas, and engaged in farming near Lawrence,
from which place he came to Southern California
in 1895. His success in life is due to his energetic
eflForts. He had no one to aid him in getting a
start in life, but earnestly worked his way for-
ward, until now he has an assured position.
Having given his attention closely to personal
affairs, he has not mingled in politics and has

never sought office. In politics he supports Dem-
ocratic principles. He is a man who justly holds
a high position in the community where he lives,
and is honored and esteemed for his recognized
worth of character and long life of business
activity.

gERNARDINO GUIRADO. To the resi-
dents of the Los Neitos valley Mr. Guirado
is well known as the proprietor of the
Pioneer store. He came to this town October
24, 1864, and opened a very small mercantile
establishment, which he called the Pioneer store.
From that time to this, a period of more than
thirty-five years, he has continued in business on
the same site, and his trade has gradually in-
creased until it is now no longer of diminutive
proportions. At the same time he is largely in-
terested in fruit and walnut-growing.

When the now flourishing city of Los Angeles
was an insignificant hamlet Mr. Guirado was
born there, May 20, 1845, a son of Raphael and
Vicenta (Urquides) Guirado, natives respectively
of Spain and Los Angeles. When a young man
Raphael Guirado emigrated from Spain to
Mexico, and in 1833 crossed into the United
States, becoming a pioneer of Los Angeles. He
soon became prominent, wielding a large in-
fluence among the Spanish and Mexican popula-
tion of this city. His education and culture
fitted him for leadership among men, and it was
but natural that he should have held a high rank
among his fellow-citizens. His only daughter,
Maria De Jesus, became the wife of Hon. John
G. Downey, who was one of California's first
governors.

The education of Bernardino Guirado was ob-
tained in common schools primarily, supple-
mented by a course in Santa Inez College at
Santa Barbara, Cal. In 1864 he removed from
Los Angeles to Los Nietos, where he has since
resided. He was one of the founders and incor-
porators of the Los Nietos Water Company, of
which he is now a director. The public school
system has in him a firm supporter. He has
served well and faithfully as trustee of the Los
Nietos school district, during which time he has
aided in the building of the Los Nietos public
school. No one appreciates more than he the
value of a good education, hence he leaves no

564

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

stone unturned in his efforts to advance the in-
terests of the schools. Politicallj' he is a Demo-
crat. Reared in the Roman Catholic faith, he is
a firm adherent of that church and contributes
regularlj' to its support.

Bj' his first wife, who was Miss E. Poj-orena,
Mr. Guirado had one son, Edward R. His sec-
ond marriage united him with Miss Lug, the only
daughter of the late J. M. Sanchez, of whom
mention is made in the sketch of Frank A.
Sanchez. One daughter, Margarita, blesses their
union.

Bernardino Guirado belongs to that class of
people who stamped the impress of their strong
character upon the pioneer life of Southern Cali-
fornia. His parents were cultured people, and
their influence was felt far and wide bj- all who
came in contact with them.

(lAMES H. DAVIS. After years of adven-
I ture as a sailor on the high seas, Mr. Davis
Q) came to California in 1859, selecting as his
future home the fairest spot he had seen in all of
his travels. Ten years after coming to the state
he established his home upon a ranch near the
present site of Rivera. During all of the inter-
vening years he has made his home upon this
place, and is therefore one ot the oldest surviving
settlers not only of this immediate vicinity, but
of the entire county of Los Angeles. Securing
fifty-one acres he has given his attention for some
years to the development of the property and has
brought it to its present high state of cultivation
and value as a walnut ranch.

Mr. Davis was born in Steuben county, N. Y.,
October 14, 1825, the son of Edmund H. and
Eliza (Davis) Davis, both natives of New York
state and of Welsh extraction. The family moved
from Steuben to Livingston county, N. Y., about
1832, and there James attended the common
schools of the day and place, which were far in-
ferior to the schools of the present age. Ht can
scarcely remember when he first resolved to go
to sea. From his earliest recollections life upon
the ocean appealed particularly to him and stories
of the sea were the ones most pleasing to his ear,
while marine pictures, of all views, most delighted
his ej-e. When he was fifteen he left home and
went to the seacoast, where he was given a position

on an ocean vessel. Beginning in a most humble
capacity, he soon won promotion by his obedience
to orders, his energy and industry. For five
\ears he sailed before the mast. In due time he
was made second mate and finally became cap
tain of a ship in the merchant marine service.
He also spent some years as commander of a
vessel engaged in whaling. For four years he
was master of a merchant marine .ship that sailed
under the Peruvian flag. He visited many of
the most famous ports in the world, rounded
Cape Horn seven times, and there is scarcely a
country in which he has not cast anchor. His
trips to China and the Philippine Islands gave
him a thorough knowledge of these countries,
and this information has helped him to a thorough
understanding of the situations there at the close
of the nineteenth century.

When he left the sea in 1859 Mr. Davis came
to California. For some years he made his
home in Los Angeles county, later was in San
Bernardino county, this state, and a portion of
1864 he spent in Montana. Returning to Los
Angeles he spent a short time there and then
came to the ranch that is still his home. He is
a member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut
Growers' Association and takes a lively interest
in all organizations for the benefit of the county.
His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth
Horton, was born in Tennessee and died at the
homestead in California, June 19, 1899, leaving
an only son, William.

["RANK GERLING, an old and respected
1^ settler of Pomona, comes of that German
I ^ stock which has done so much to make
Pennsylvania a great state and to populate the
far west with useful citizens. He was born in
the Keystone state, Berks county, January 27,
1834, ^ son of John and Catherine Gerling, also
natives of Pennsylvania. Until he reached his
majority he industriously passed his years work-
ing upon his father's farm and acquiring an edu-
cation in the schools of his native county.

After leaving the homestead, Mr. Gerling's
fir.st experience in the world of affairs was as a
brakeman with the Lake Shore Company. He
was in the employ of the Wabash Railroad in a
siniilnr capacity and subsequently was advanced

^<%2-.-t^^Z^C^ y^^C^-^^^^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

567

to be a passenger conductor. In 1876 lie came
to California to engage in gold mining at Forbes-
town, Butte county, and was thus engaged for
several j-ears. However, ill health forced him to
make a change of location. He went to Tucson,
Ariz. , where he remained for four years, being,
during a portion of that period, a conductor on
the Southern Pacific Railway.

When Mr. Gerling first came to Pomona, in
1884, the town had only a few hundred people,
Init its advance in population and prosperity has
justified the confidence which he then had in its
future; and to that growth his practical activity
has materially contributed. Since residing in
Pomona he has been continuously engaged in
horticultural pursuits. He is a Republican in
his political belief, and fraternally a Knight
Templar Mason. In every respect he has proved
himself a substantial citizen.

Mr. Gerling' s late wife, formerly Miss Sophia
Schroeder, was a native of Berks county, Pa.,
and her death, April 17, 1900, was deplored by a
wide circle of friends, while to husband and fam-
ily the blow was inexpressibly severe. The
children are Edgar S. and Katie E.

0ANIEL GIBLER. Horticulture is the prin-
cipal industry of Pomona, and the raising of
oranges and lemons the specialty of most
residents. Indeed, this statement is true not
alone of Pomona and the adjoining villages of
Claremont, Spadra, North Pomona, etc., but of
the most fertile sections of the entire county of
Los Angeles. One of the successful horti-
culturists of the county is Daniel Gibler, whose
orchard lies between Pomona and Claremont.
On this place, which is known as Rosemont, he
has made his home since December, 1892, mean-
time busily engaged in the cultivation of the land
and the care of his trees. He owns ten acres, a
part of which is in oranges, the balance being
planted to lemons. He has another orchard of
fifteen acres of oranges in San Bernardino county,
Cal. His methods of cultivation have proved
successful, as is proved by the appearance of his
land. Besides the management of his property
he has been vice-president and a director in the
Indian Hill Citrus Union, but at present is not
officially connected with the same.

In Carroll county, Ohio, Mr. Gibler was born
on the 4th of July, 1838, a son of Daniel and
Rachel (Keifer) Gibler, natives of Pennsylvania.
He was reared in Ohio, and his youthful years
were devoted principally to agricultural pursuits.
On reaching man's estate he started out for him-
self, selecting for his occupation the one with
which he was most familiar and to which he
seemed best adapted. For some years he con-
tinued to reside on an Ohio farm, but in 1877 he
moved to Illinois and settled in McLean county,
one of the finest sections for farming in the entire
state. There he remained, prosperously con-
ducting farm pursuits, and also for five years
carrying on a mercantile establishment in Bloom-
ington. From Illinois, in 1892, he came to Cali-
fornia and settled at Rosemont ranch, where he
has since resided. His life has been a busy one,
and has been devoted especially to the twin call-
ings of agriculture and horticulture, although he
has also had other interests, having been, as be-
fore stated, engaged in the mercantile business
for a few years, and besides this he was for five
years employed in the great plant of C. Aultman
& Co., in Canton, Ohio. He had always been
industrious and persevering, and is deservedly
successful.

I ARKIN Y. COOPER, who has resided in
IC Pomona since 1893, was born in Ozark
l2 county, Mo., April 29, 1843, being a son of
Absalom and Susan (Hedrick) Cooper, natives
of Ohio. When he was about sixteen years of
age he accompanied his father from Missouri to
Kansas and settled with him near Fort Scott,
where the family remained a short time. Their
next home was in Lyon county, the same state,
from which place they moved to Labette coun-
ty, and there the father died. The mother had
died in Missouri when Larkin was a child of only
four years.

The education received by Mr. Cooper was
such as the common schools afforded, supple-
mented by reading and practical business experi-
ence. While he was living in Kansas the Civil
war began. Fired with the spirit of patriotism
he determined to enlist in his country's service.
A few days before he was nineteen years an op-
portunity came for him to enlist, and on the 20th
of April, 1862, his name was enrolled as a mem-

sf^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

her of Company I, Second Kansas Cavalry, in
which he served for one year, being on detached
duty most of the time. From that regiment he
was transferred to Company H, Fifteenth Kansas
Cavalry, in which he continued for two years.
He served under General Conners in the Yellow-
stone expedition, during much of which time he
was engaged in skirmishing with Indians. He
continued in the army for a few months after the
close of the war and was honorably discharged in
December, 1865.

Returning to Lyon countj', Kans., Mr. Cooper
took up general farm pursuits and the raising of
stock. He remained a resident of Kansas and an
active agriculturist until 1S93, the year of his
removal to California. While in Kansas he
married Sarah E. Shockley, a native of Keokuk
county, Iowa, and a daughter of William and
Mary (Anderson) Shockley. They became the
parents of four children, but all are deceased.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are members of the
Pomona Methodist Episcopal Church and he is
an official in the same. Politically he gives his
allegiance to the Republican party. He is esteemed
by all with whom he comes in contact, and, with
his wife, holds a high place in the regard of the
best people of Pomona.

[~DGAR J. SHARPLESS. Through the ex-
rp ercise of his ability, and steady application
L to the work of developing his ranch in the
vicinity of Whittier, Mr. Sharpless has been
enabled to realize to a large extent his expecta-
tions in regard to a residence in this wonderful
land of brightness and resource.

A native of Marshall county, Iowa, where he
was born June 30, 1864, he is a son of Benjamin
and Deborah (Willets) Sharpless, the latter of
whom is deceased. Mrs. Sharpless was the
mother of six children. Benjamin Sharpless was
a well-known farmer and stock-raiser of Powe-
shiek county, Iowa, where he lived for thirty
years before coming to Southern California in
1887. He is now living in Whittier in the enjoy-
ment of all his faculties.

When two years of age, Edgar Sharpless was
taken by his parents from Marshall to Poweshiek
county, Iowa, where he grew to man's estate,
and diligently availed himself of the advantages

of the public schools. This training was supple-
mented by five terms of study at Penn College
at Oskaloosa, Iowa. During his youth, also, he
had occasion now and then to acquire considera-
ble knowledge of business, which he turned to
account in later years. In 1891 he came to Los
Angeles county, and has lived here almost ever
since. In politics he is a Republican. He has
.shown many evidences of his desire to assist in
all that pertains to the advancement and well-
being of his county and state.

October 24, 1895, Mr. Sharpless was united in
marriage with Miss Martha J. Crook, a native oi
Ironton, Sauk county, Wis. They have one son,
Peter Edgar. Mrs. Sharpless is a daughter of
Peter and Catherine (Parkinson) Crook, natives
of England. In 1892 Mr. Crook came to East
Whittier and bought forty-six acres of good land,
which he set out in walnut and orange trees.
He was successful as a horticulturist. For more
than thirty years before coming west he had been
a prosperous merchant in Wisconsin. Wherever
known he was honored and respected. His death
occurred March 3, 1898; his wife is now living in
Whittier. They were the parents of six children,
viz.: John; William; Sarah, wife of Lester Keith;
Anna, wife of L. Butman; Katie, wife of John
Jones; and Mrs. Martha J. Sharpless.

The Sharpless ranch consists of twenty acres,
mostly under walnuts. The residence is commo-
dious and comfortable, and the popular owner is
esteemed by all who come within the range of
his good will and kindly personality.

(JOSEPH J. BAYNHAM. Since the year
I 1S87 Mr. Baynham has made his home on a
Q) fruit farm north of Lordsburg and has given
his attention closely to the development of the
property. He is the owner of thirt}- acres of
fruit land, of which twenty acres are in his home-
stead. His specialty has been the raising ol
oranges, and the larger part of his land is set out
to this fruit, in the cultivation of which he has
become an expert. He has made a thorough
study of horticulture, aiming to master all of its
intricacies and to overcome all of the obstacles
that interfere with a horticulturist's success.

Mr. Baynham was born in Calloway county.
Mo., September 28, 1857, ^ ^on of Grief H. and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

569

Martha E. (Games) Baynliam, natives respect-
ively of Virginia and Kentucky. The Baynhams
descend from English ancestors and the Games
family originated in Ireland. During his boy-
hood our subject lived on the farm which his
father owned and operated and upon which he
gained his rudimentary knowledge of agriculture.
Upon reaching his majority he began for himself
in the raising of farm produce and of stock. He
continued to reside in Missouri and to carry on
agricultural pursuits until 1887, whenhechanged
his residence to California. His decision to
change his place of residence he has never had
reason to regret, for he has not only found a
climate far more equable than that of Missouri,
but he has also become the possessor of a valuable
fruit orchard. He has never been a politician
ruor cared to identify himself with any party, but
has voted for the men and measures in his opinion
best calculated to promote the welfare of the
people. Fraternally he is connected with the An-
cient Order of United Workmen in Pomona. His
life has been guided by the precepts of Christianity.
He has proved himself, in private and public
relations, a man of the utmost integrity and
highest principles of honor. He has long been
connected with the Baptist Church and for some
years he served as a deacon in the church at
Pomona. In 1883 he married Katie, daughter
of A. P. DeGrofF, and a native of Kentucky.
The four children born of their union are Charles
R., Willa D., J. Robnettand Henry Games.

I EWIS C. MEREDITH. The various in-

I I terests with which Mr. Meredith is identified
U have brought him into close association with

the history and development of horticulture in
Southern California. He came to this region in
1887 and the following year purchased a tract of
thirty-three and one-third acres of land, almost
wholly unimproved. This he planted to oranges
and lemons. In a few years the trees came into
bearing condition, thus greatly enhancing the
value of the property. Through his succes.sful
and industrious efforts the tract has been brought
to its present improved condition, and is now
recognized as one of the best fruit farms of
Laverne. In addition to its management he has
served as treasurer of the San Dimas Land and

Water Company for nine years, is a director in
the Indian Hill Citrus Union and a director of
the Pomona National Bank.

In Wayne county, Ind., Mr. Meredith was
born September 10, 1847, ^ son of James and
Mary (Molsbey) Meredith, natives of Pennsyl-
vania and members of the Society of Friends, our
subject being a Quaker by birthright. Both the
Meredith and Molsbey families are of English
extraction. In an early day David Meredith,
our subject's grandfather, removed from Penn-
sylvania to Indiana, and his son, James, became
a well-known farmer of Jay county, that state,
where he died. Lewis C. was seven years of age
when the family moved from Wayne to Jay
county, and his education was obtained in public
schools in the latter county, where he grew to
manhood. When twenty-three years of age he
left his Indiana home and went to Mills county,
Iowa, where he carried on general farming and
stock-raising for several years. During the
period of his residence there he returned to In-
diana, where he married Amanda Griest, of Jay
county. With his young wife he returned to
Iowa and took up farm work on the same place as
before. From there he moved to Nemaha
county, Kans., where he followed farming and
stock-raising on an extensive scale. From that
state he came to California in 1887 and settled
at Laverne, where he has since made his home.
In politics he is a Republican, but his time is
given so closely to horticultural pursuits that he
has no leisure for participation in public affairs,
hence has never been a candidate for office nor
sought local positions of trust.

I^JEN. EDWARD P. JOHNSON. Standing
|_ at the head of one of the most extensive
y^ business concerns on the Pacific coast, and
for many years associated with most of the ad-
vancement of Los Angeles, in whose growth and
prosperity no one of her citizens takes greater
interest. Gen. Edward P. Johnson is eminently
worthy of mention in the annals of Southern
California, where he has dwelt for about a
quarter of a century.

His father, Hon. John D. Johnson, came of
one of the old and respected families of Balti-

HIvSTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

more, Md., and main' of the line figured pronii-
iieiUly ill the early wars and struggles of that
state. He was born and reared in the city men-
tioned, and when he arrived at manhood he re-
moved to the then wilderness of Indiana, where
he established a home in the forest and cleared
and improved a valuable farm. He became
wealthy and influential in that section, and was
frequently called upon to occupy local positions
of trust, besides which he was elected to the
Indiana legislature, and faithfully served his con-
stituents. His wife, the mother of our subject,
was Miss Sarah Bromley, of Maryland, also of
an honored pioneer family there.

Gen. E. P. Johnson was born in Lawrenceburg,
Ind., on the banks of the Ohio river, February lo,
1843. He was reared upon his father's farm
and was educated in the common schools and at
Moor's Hill College, a Methodist institution of
learning. He had not yet graduated, however,
when, the Union cause seeming to be in great dan-
ger he abandoned his books and enlisted in the de-
fense of the stars and stripes. It was August 19,
1862, when he was nineteen years of age, that
he became a private in the Sixty-eighth Regi-
ment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and he con-
tinued to serve until the close of the war, being
mustered out with the rank of captain. He took
part in many of the decisive and important cam-
paigns of the war, and at the battle of Munfords-
ville, Ky., he was captured by the Confederates.
After being in their hands for about two months
he was exchanged at Chickamauga, after which
he fought in all the leading battles of the cele-
brated Atlanta campaign, later being assigned
with his regiment to General Thomas' army
corps, and under his leadership fought in the
engagement at Nashville. Always faithful and
reliable, he was admired and looked up to by his
comrades, and esteemed by his superior officers.

At the close of the war General Johnson settled
at St. Paul, Minn., where he was engaged in mer-
chandising until the Centennial year. He then
came to Los Angeles, a straggling town of per-
haps eight thousand inhabitants, and for several
years he engaged in mining and pro.specting in
this section of the Union. In 1884, the city hav-
ing made wonderful strides towards its present
beauty and greatness, the Los Angeles Furniture
Company was incorporated. General John.son

was one of the prime movers in this enterprise,
and was chosen as president of the company, a
position he has occupied ever since. The only
commentary necessary to his ability and wisdom
in the management of the business is a visit to
the great and truly wonderful furniture emporium
at Nos. 225, 227 and 229 South Broadway, said
to be the largest house of the kind in the south-
western part of the United States. The building
is a modern one, four stories in height, and filled
from basement to garret with beautiful furniture
and house furnishings, of every style and variety,
both in quality and price. From the start the
business has been a success, and no small share
of the credit is due to the efforts of the efficient
president. He is a director in the Los Angeles
National Bank, as he has been for man\' years,
is president of the Union Mutual Building &
Loan Association, and is financially interested in
many other local concerns.

Fraternally General Johnson is very popular
in the Grand Army of the Republic, to which he
has long belonged, in the Masonic order and in
the Loyal Legion. Actively interested in the
National Guards, he was honored by Governor
Waterman with appointment to the office of
brigadier-general of the California State Guard,
and was reappointed by Governor Markham.
Later he was placed on the retired list, but not-
withstanding this, he retains his earnest interest
in whatever effects the military forces. In his
political convictions he is a stanch Republican,
but in no sense has been a politician, as his many
other interests precluded his devoting much time
to this line, even had he been so inclined, as he
was not. The cause of education has found a
sincere friend in him, and for two years he acted
as a member of the Los Angeles school board.

At the close of the Civil war General Johnson
was united in marriage with Miss A. F. Blasdel,
of Lawrenceburg, Ind., his home town, the
ceremony being solemnized September 7, 1865.
They are the parents of four living children.
The two daughters are named, respectively, Sadie
and Gertrude, and the sons are Edward P., Jr.,
freight agent for the Grand Trunk Railroad Com-
pany, in this city, and Benjamin F., who holds
the rank of captain in the United States army,
and is in the quartermaster's department. Gen-
eral Johnson has afforded his children excellent

J..Q)^ ^"^^^^^^X^t^c^t^^^lT^^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

573

educational advantages, and he has just cause
for pride in each member of his familj'. He has
been fortunate in the acquisition ot wealth, and
has been liberal in its use and distribution.

I AWSON D. HOLLINGS WORTH, whose
I C pleasant home is situated near the corner of
12 Colorado and HoUister avenues, is one of
the oldest and most substantial citizens of Pasa-
dena. The family of which he is a member was
one of the first to settle in colonial America. He
descends directlj- from Valentine HoUingsworth,
who accompanied William Penn to America on
the good ship Welcome, and in 1682 settled
in Newcastle county, Del.; subsequently he was
intimately identified with the rise and progress of
the Society of Friends. He married Catherine,
daughter of Hugh Cornish, high sheriff of Lon-
don, who, during the reign of James II, was ex-
ecuted October 23, 1685. Eleven children were
born of their marriage. The eldest son, Thomas,
became a resident of Winchester, Va., and there
died about 1732. He was twice married. To his
first marriage a son, Abraham, was born Janu-
ary 19, 1686. The latter married Ann Robinson;
he died in 1748 and she a year later. They left
four children, of whom George married Hannah
McCoy, of Virginia; Margaret became the wife of
Benjamin Carter, of Virginia; Lydia married
Lewis Neill; and Isaac chose as his wife Rachel
Parkins, of Virginia.

Next in line of descent was George Holling.s-
worth, whose children by his first marriage were
Joseph, Isaac, Robert, Abraham and Ann. Jos-
eph was twice married, his first wife being a
Miss Frost and his second Margaret Hammer;
he made his home at Bush River, Va. Isaac
married Susanna Wright and settled in South
Carolina. Robert married Su,sanna Rice and
made his home in Winchester, Va. Abraham
married Margaret Wright and moved to Ohio.
Ann became the wife of a Mr. Brock. After
the death of his first wife George HoUings-
worth was again married. To his second
marriage the following-named children were
born: James, who married Sarah Wright;
Henry, whose wife was Sarah Cook; George,

who married Jane Henry; John, who was united
with Rachel Wright; Nathan, who died unmar-
ried; and Mrs. Susanna Mott.

The line of descent is traced through John
HoUingsworth, who married Rachel Wright
and died in Ohio in 1807. His children were:
James, who in 1818 married Esther Cadwallader;
Henry, whose first wife was Addie Skinner,
daughter of a Revolutionary soldier; Jane, Mrs.
John Cammack; Charity, wife of Jonathan Cox;
John, who married Mary Vestal; Nathan, whose
wife was Elizabeth Vestal; George, who married
Jane Henry; Hannah, Mrs. Samuel Cammack;
Joseph, whose first wife was Rachel Vestal and
his second, Adaline Bell.

The subject of this sketch was born in Warren
county, Ohio, June 14, 1823, a son of Henry and
Addie (Skinner) HoUingsworth. He spent the
first nine years of his life on his father's farm in
Warren county, and then accompanied the family
to Richmond, Ind., where he attended the com-
mon schools. Early in life he apprenticed him-
self to the millwright's trade, which he followed
until about 1847. December 19, 1844, he mar-
ried Miss Lucinda Maudlin, who was born in
Wayne county, Ind. Both were spared to cele-
brate, in health and happiness, the occasion of
their golden wedding, at which time their Pasa-
dena home was the scene of a family reunion,
some relatives coming from Iowa purposely to
attend the celebration. They were the parents
of six children, four of whom are living, viz.:
Henry T., who was the first postmaster and one
of the first merchants of Pasadena, and is now
living in Los Angeles; Arthur S.; Ellen, wife of
WiUiam Vore; and Jennie E., wife of Joshua
Reed Giddings, all of Pasadena.

In March, 1845, Mr. HoUingsworth and his
wife removed to Henderson county. 111. His last
work as a millwright was the erection of a mill at
Oquawka for his uncle. Soon afterward he
rented a farm in Peoria county and remained
there until 1853. He then crossed the Missis-
sippi river into Iowa and settled on a farm near
Iowa City. While he devoted considerable time
to raising grain he also gave much of his time to
the nursery business, in which he acquired such
a reputation that people came from long distances
for the purpose of securing a fine grade of nur-
sery stock. After a time he gave his entire at-

574

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

teiitioii to the production of fruit stock and made
his headquarters in West Branch, Iowa. In
1S76 he came to Pasadena, traveling ahnost the
entire distance bj- train, but staging the last one
hundred and thirt}' miles of the journe\-. At
once after reaching this place he bought ten acres
near the present site of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. This propertj- he placed under cultiva-
tion. He engaged in its improvement until ill-
health forced him to relinquish active labors.
After 3'ears of industrious and successful effort he
is now living in retirement. His course in life
has been so honorable and upright that ever}-
acquaintance has been made a friend and every
associate a well-wisher. It has been his princi-
ple to identif}- himself with public affairs, not
with a view to office-seeking, but for the purpose
of promoting the public welfare. He is a stanch
Republican in politics. His first presidential
vote was cast for Henrj- Clay. For several years
he served as a trustee of the Pasadena schools.
In religious belief he and his family are identified
with the Societv of Friends.

m HERMAN SMITH. Although the period
?\ of his connection, as superintendent, with
I2f the Whittier state school has been com-
paratively brief, Mr. Smith has won the com-
mendation of those interested in the institution,
for he has proved himself to be admirably quali-
fied for the heavy responsibilities of the position.
Possessing determination of will, decision of pur-
pose, keen intuition and broad information, his
appointment as superintendent of the school,
July I, 1899, was felt to be wise by all concerned.
The paternal ancestors of Mr. Smith came from
Scotland in an early day and settled in New
England. He was born at Skovvhegan, Me.,
December 24, 1850, a son of Obed W. and So-
phronia R. (French) Smith, also natives of
Maine. His paternal grandfather, Elijah Smith,
was the son of a Revolutionary soldier, and was
himself a soldier in the war of 181 2. It will
thus be seen that a patriotic spirit is one of the
family characteristics. When he was a boy our
subject was given the best educational advantages
within the means of his parents. He was educated
in the public schools and Maine Wesleyan Semi-
nary, Kent's Hill, Me., and after leaving school

he taught school for about four years. Thus, at
an early age, he learned habits of industry,
economy and perseverance.

On leaving Maine Mr. Smith went to Boston,
Mass., and for nearly eight years was engaged
in manufacturing, and as a commercial traveler.
For nine years afterward he was identified with
the Union Straw Works at Foxboro, Mass. Both
of these positions he filled creditably to himself.
In 1886 he cro.ssed the continent to California
and settled in Los Angeles, where, with the ex-
ception of one year, he continued to reside until
his removal to Whittier, in 1899. He soon be-
came well known among the citizens of Los An-
geles. His fitness for official duties was rec-
ognized by his appointment as deputy county
clerk of Los Angeles county, under T. E. Newlin,
who at the time was count}' clerk. That office
he filled for four years, and for two years he was
deputy city assessor of Los Angeles. In politics
he is a stanch Republican and always votes for
the principles of his party. Fraternally he is
connected with the Masonic lodge at Whittier,
the Knights of Pythias at Los Angeles, the In-
dependent Order of Foresters in Los Angeles,
and is a charter member of Tent No. 2, Knights
of Maccabees. By his marriage to Sarah E.
Smith, of Skowhegan, Me., he had two children,
but the daughter, Annie J., alone survives, the
son, Sherman C, having died in infancy.

/JJEORGE M. BULLOCK. Before coming to
l_ his present ranch near Rivera, in 1888, Mr.
[^ Bullock lived for a short time in what is
now Riverside county, having come from New
Hampshire in the spring of 1875. During the
latter part of the same year he took up his resi-
dence in the Los Nietos valley, and there owned
twenty acres, which he sold John Moyse. Later
he settled upon the ranch which has since been a
source of pride and revenue to him. His home
ranch is composed of twenty-four acres, mostly
under walnuts, and he owns a ninety-three-
acre ranch under walnuts and alfalfa, and partly
used for patronage. In addition, he is the pos-
sessor of twent}- acres of land at Santa Fe
Springs.

A native of Grafton county, N. H., he was
born February 18, 1S53, and is a son of Bradford

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

575

and Lovina (Gale) Bullock, natives of New
Hampshire. The Bullock famil}' is said to be of
English extraction. George M. was reared on
his father's farm and educated in the district
school and the high school of his neighborhood.
He assisted his father in his duties around the
farm and became an experienced agriculturist,
leaving the home interests only when he felt that
in the far west he could better his prospects for
the future.

Mr. Bullock was twice married; his first wife
was Mary Haynes, of Los Angeles county, and
to this couple were born seven children, six of
whom are living: Ella D., Fred G., Lela, Clar-
ence E. , Earl H. and Delbert. Tessie is deceased.
Mr. Bullock was married a second time, choosing
as his wife Elmira Conway, also of Los Angeles
county, but formerly of Minnesota. To this
couple have been born two children: Glen C. and
Evelyn L. Mr. Bullock is a member of the Los
Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Associa-
tion, and is also identified with other institutions
that have helped to develop the locality. Frater-
nally he is associated with the Independent Order
of Foresters at Rivera, Cal., being a charter
member of the same.

Mr. Bullock is one of the most esteemed of the
settlers around Rivera, and has during his resi-
dence here impressed his personality and influ-
ence upon the community.

HACOB frank LOBINGIER. There are
I few occupations so fascinating as that of
(2/ horticulture. Especially is this true in
California, where the horticulturist finds the
added charm of a delightful climate and beautiful
scenery. One of the best-known fruit belts in
Southern California is in the vicinity of Pomona,
and the men who have bought land here and
cultivated orchards are indeed fortunate. Since
1888 Mr. Lobingierhas engaged in fruit raising at
his present homestead on Cucamonga avenue, and
his orchard of twenty acres, with its rows of
orange, lemon and apricot trees, forms one of the
attractive pictures that this landscape affords.

As his name would indicate, Mr. Lobingier
is of Swiss ancestry. However, other races are
mingled in the ancestral history, notably the
German. Through his mother he is of Scotch,

Irish and French lineage. His father, Jacob,
was a native of Pennsylvania and for years en-
gaged in the manufacture of leather at Laurel-
ville, that state, of which place he was also post-
master and a leading citizen. As justice of the
peace he assisted in the settlement of matters of
law, and he held other local offices of trust.
His death occurred in June, 1887. His wife was
also a native of Pennsylvania and bore the maiden
name of Lillias Stewart. She is still living and
makes her home with our subject in Pomona. In
their family are two other sons, one of whom,
Quincy A., is superintendent of a ranch at Sunny-
side, Cal., and the other, A. Stewart, is professor
of surgery in the medical department of the
Colorado University and also is engaged as a
practicing physician and surgeon in Denver, Colo.
Mr. Lobingier was born in Westmoreland
county. Pa., July 13, 1859. He was reared in
Laurelville, that county, and received such ad-
vantages as local schools afforded. During his
youth he assisted his father in business, and after
his father's death he closed out the business and
prepared to move with his mother to California.
He has been identified quite closely with the
fruit-raising industry in Pomona and is one of the
well-known horticulturists of the neighborhood.
While he has never been active in politics, he
keeps posted concerning public affairs, is con-
versant with the issues of the age, and affiliates
with the Republican party. During his residence
in Pennsylvania he was connected with the
Christian Church. He is a man of public spirit
and progressive disposition, and favors all enter-
prises for the benefit of his community.

r"RANK RAYNES, manager of the Kerck-
rft hoff-Cuzner Mill and Lumber Company at
I ^ Pomona, and a resident of this city since
1892, is of English birth and parentage, being
born in Nottinghamshire in August, 1850. Com-
ing to America in 1 871, he proceeded direct to
California, and has resided in Los Angeles county
continuously since that time, with the exception
of two years spent in Tucson, Ariz., and has been
associated with the above firm in the lumber
business since October, 1884.

That he left England for this newer land of
California Mr. Rayneshas never had cause to re-

576

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

gret. He has become a thorough American in
sentiment and thought, still having affection for
his native country. In politics he has alwa} s
been a stanch supporter of Republican principles,
favoring sound monej-, protective tariff, etc. As
a resident of Pomona he is recognized as a pro-
gressive citizen, having served for four years on
the board of trustees and during that time proved
himselftobea strong advocate of measures for
the benefit of the city. The public- school system
has in him a firm champion, for he fully realizes
the value of a good education to those who would
succeed in life. His long residence in California
entitles him to menibershipin the Pioneer Society
of Los Angeles county, in whose ranks he is
favorably known.

0AMUEL W. ARBUTHNOT. The possibil-
2S itiesof life all do not realize. It is therefore
Q) especially helpful to study the life of a suc-
cessful man, one who has started without means
and worked his way steadily to a position of in-
fluence and financial success. Such a man is
Mr. Arbuthnot, of Pomona. When he was six-
teen years of age he was orphaned by his father's
death. At that early period of life he was obliged
to begin for himself. The education and oppor-
tunities that come to most lads he did not enjoy.
For that reason the success he has gained is
especially worthy of note. He stands among the
foremost horticulturists of Pomona, where he has
made his home since 1890. Besides the manage-
ment of his orchard and fruit interests, he has
been president of the Kingsley Tract Water Com-
pany and is now vice-president and a director of
the same. He is also treasurer and a director
of the San Antonio Fruit Exchange, and a
director of the Pomona Fruit Growers' Exchange,
also a member of its executive committee.

In Pittsburg, Pa., Mr. Arbuthnot was born
October 2, 1836, a son of Robert and Jane
(Holden) Arbuthnot, natives respectively of
Pennsylvania and Ireland. His paternal an-
cestors were of English and Scotch extraction.
When he was about five years of age his parents
removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio, settling in
Athens county, and remaining there about eight
years. Their next removal was made by wagon
to Iowa, where they settled in Belle Plainc.
There the father died and the son began the

battle of life for himself. He was a \oung man
when the Civil war cast its black shadow over
the country. In August, 1S62, he enlisted as a
member of Company F, Twenty-eighth Iowa In-
fantry, with which he went to the front. He
participated in a number of engagements, among
them the battle of Champion Hill, where he was
wounded in the left hand. The wound proved
to be a .serious one and he was obliged to remain
in the hospital nine months, after which he was
honorably discharged from the service.

Returning to Belle Plaine, Mr. Arbuthnot be-
came interested in the grain business there. A
short time afterward he removed toDysart, Iowa,
where for a number of years he carried on a grain
shipping business. Subsequently he went to
Correctionville, Woodbury county, Iowa, and
conducted a grain business for three years.
Leaving Iowa in 1890, he came to California
and established himself as a horticulturist in
Pomona. With his family he belongs to the
Presbyterian Church in this city. He is a mem-
ber of the Grand Army post at Pomona and takes
a warm interest in its work. His marriage united
him with Miss Sarah A. Hottel, who was born in
Bethlehem, Pa. They became the parents of
four children, three of whom are now living,
namely: Mrs. George H. Hobson, of Pueblo,
Colo.; Stata H. and Gladys R.

|5)E0RGE W. JOSLIN, one of Pomona's pros-
j_ perous and prominent horticulturists and a
vU resident of this place since 1892, was born
in Chautauqua county, N. Y., September 12,
1832, being a son of Samuel and Lydia Joslin, the
former of Welsh extraction, the latter of English
lineage. When he was six months old his parents
moved to Michigan and settled in Detroit, but
after a short sojourn in that city went to Oakland
county, the same state. In 1842 they removed
from there to Shiawassee county, where the
father carried on farm pursuits until his death in
1870. From that county, in 1S52, our subject
went to Saginaw and began the work of a con-
tractor and builder. Being capable and industri-
ous, he soon had all the contracts he could fill.
For some years he remained in the same town,
but afterward went to Muskegon, Mich., whire
liL- followed the same line ofbusiness for fourteen

^, /^ '^.^.x.L^^e^T-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

S8i

years. His efBciency as a builder caused him to
become well known in his section of the state.
In fact, it was through his enviable reputation in
his chosen work that he was offered the position
of master builder for what was then the Mar-
quette, Houghton and Ontonagon Railroad. He
accepted this offer and for twenty years gave his
attention to the discharge of the many duties
connected with his responsible position. On re-
signing as master builder, he removed to Cal-
ifornia and settled at Pomona, where he has since
resided. He is the owner of twenty acres of
fruit land, of which three acres are in apricots,
and the remainder principally in oranges. As a
horticulturist, he is painstaking and thorough,
and the result of his care is that his place is one
of the best improved in the vicinity. Having
given his attention closely to personal matters, he
has not had leisure, even if he had the inclination,
to mingle in public affairs, but he keeps posted
concerning politics, and votes with the Repub-
licau party usually, though inclined to be inde-
pendent. Fraternally he is connected with the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He pos-
sesses a philosophical turn of mind and is a logical
reasoner, a deep thinker, a close student and an
entertaining conversationalist. In religion he is
connected with the Temple of Brotherhood, and
in sympathy with the teachings of the Theosoph-
ical order. By his marriage to Sarah Treherne,
a native of London, England, he has one son,
Charles T. , now in Chicago, 111.

gENJAMIN P. FESSLER. In spite of the
comparatively brief duration of his residence
in California Mr. Fessler has already grasped
the intricacies of horticulture, and is intelligently
and successfully superintending his orchard of
ten acres in Covina. His specialty is the raising
of citrus fruits, the most of his trees being oranges
of a fine variet}-.

In Lebanon county. Pa., Mr. Fessler was born
September 19, 1836, a son of George and Cath-
erine (Phillipy) Fessler, natives of Pennsylvania
and the former of German descent. One of the
ancestors, Michael Fessler, was a brave soldier
in the Revolutionary war, and another member
of the family, Jonathan Fessler, served in the war
of 18 12. When our subject was a hny the schools
■29

were of a primitive character and were mostly
conducted on the subscription plan. The advan-
tages they offered were meager, but he was glad
to avail himself of them, and self-culture has
added to the knowledge there obtained.

When he attained his majority he began to
work at mechanical pursuits, which he followed
until he was about thirty-five years of age. Later
he carried on a saw mill in Madison county, Ind. ,
for almost eighteen years, after which he turned
his attention to agriculture in the same county.
There he continued for many years. Finally,
having heard favorable reports of Southern Cali-
fornia, he determined to establish his home here,
and January, 1895, found him in Covina, where
he has since resided. He is a member of the Co-
vina Citrus Association, and his interest is deep
and constant in matters pertaining to the welfare
of his locality and the development of its re-
sources.

Throughout his busy, active life Mr. Fessler
has had no leisure for political afifairs, nor has he
cared for official positions, hence he takes no part
in politics aside from voting at elections. He is
thoroughly independent, voting for men and
measures and not for party. He married Miss
Sarah Hoffman, of Lebanon county. Pa. Only
one child was born of their union, a daughter,
Katie, and she died in childhood.

Gl LLEN W. BURKE. Few of the horticul-
U turists of Pomona have been identified with
/ I its interests for a longer period than has
Mr. Burke. When he came to this locality, in
November, 1875, there were comparatively few
residents here. Where now may be seen fine
fruit farms, with beautiful homes and modern im-
provements, then, as far as eye could discern,
stretched a monotonous expaii.se of plain and
valley. He was one of those sagacious, far-see-
ing pioneers, to whom the present and future
generations owe so large a debt of gratitude. At
the time he settled here he was in early manhood,
and now, in the prime of life, be is enjoying the
fruits of his labors during the past quarter of a
century. He is making a specialty of oranges,
to which he has about ten acres planted and from
which he is in receipt of a neat income annuall)-.
In Jackson county, 111., Mr. Burke was born

582

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

March 20, 1855, a son of James L- and Margaret
(Duff) Burke, natives respectivelj' of North
Carolina and Tennessee. His maternal grandfa-
ther was a soldier in the war of 18 12. When a
young man, James L. Burke removed from the
south to Illinois and settled in Jackson county,
where he cleared and improved a farm. For a
time he also engaged in farming in Randolph
county, that state. The education of our subject
was acquired in the schools of Jackson county.
Much of his time was spent in farm work, and
while he was still a mere boy he gained a
thorough knowledge of agriculture, which infor-
mation has been of inestimable value to him in
the kindred science of horticulture.

On coming to Pomona Mr. Burke obtained
employment with Capt. A. J. Hutchinson, for
whom he worked eighteen months, receiving
$40 per month and his board. In this way he
made a start in life for himself His earnings
were carefully saved and formed the nucleus
used in the purchase of his present fruit orchard.
His attention has been so closely given to the
cultivation of his place that he has not mingled
in public or social affairs to any large extent.
Fraternally he is connected with the lodge of
Odd Fellows in Pomona. In politics he is a
stanch Democrat. His marriage united him
with Mary A., daughter of John E. Short, late
of Randolph county. III., but now deceased.
They are the parents of three children, Nellie E.,
Percv S. and Mollie M.

(pi LLEN W. NEIGHBOURS. Though a res-
/l ident of the vicinity of Downey since 1865,
/ I Mr. Neighbours was not then a new comer,
having previously lived in San Bernardino since
1853. A native of York district in South Caro-
lina, he was born December 12, 1824, and is a son
of James and Sarah (Allen) Neighbours, natives
of Virginia, and of English descent.

The early life of Allen W. was saddened by
the death of his father. When he attained to his
fifteenth year he went with his mother and other
members of the family to Mississippi, and shortly
after their arrival enli.sted in the Mexican war.
He was for a time under the command of General
Anderson, and sub.sequently assumed charge
of the medicine wagon with General Worth's

division, with whom he served until the second
day of the fight at Cerro Gordo, when he was
wounded and taken to a military hospital. This
hospital was called the Castle of Perote, and its
gloomy walls witnessed his confinement for sev-
eral weeks. He had previously been in the bat-
tle of Vera Cruz, but came out unscathed. After
being convalescent he served for the remainder
of the campaign, and had charge of and drove
the movable property of Colonel McKinnister,
which also contained the money belonging to the
quartermaster's department. He was in the bat-
tle of Churubusco and Contreras, as well as many
minor skirmishes, and also the capture and sur-
render of the city of Mexico. He was discharged
at Vera Cruz, and with others was shipped back
to New Orleans, from which point he returned to
Mississippi. There he remained for several years
busily engaged in carrying on his agricultural
pursuits and in the cultivation of cotton.

In 1855 Mr. Neighbours took his family across
the plains to Texas, settling about ninety miles
west of Austin, where for a short time he con-
tinued his general farming. Subsequently he
became a Texas ranger under Gov. Sam Hous-
ton, and put in his time protecting the interests
of people living on the borders of the state, who
were sadly molested and annoyed by the maraud-
ing Indians, particularly the Comanche tribe.
For about six years he served in this capacity
and then engaged with the Twenty-fourth Texas
Cavalry, C. S. A., under Colonel Wilkes, and
was in the battle of Post Arkansas, at which time
himself and the whole regiment were captured.
He was taken to Springfield, 111., and held a
prisoner for some time when he was released and
returned to his home in Texas.

In 1863 Mr. Neighbours crossed the plains with
an ox-team in a train of emigrants, facing dan-
gers of the most pronounced kind, and located at
the end of their journey in San Bernardino, Cal.,
finally going to the vicinity of Downey, which
has since been his home. He was one of the
earliest pioneers of the district, and has, during
the course of his life here, witnessed many
changes and improvements, the credit for which
is due in a large measure to his assi.stance and
interest in the development of the latent resources.
He was married twice; his first wife, Priscilla
Burrow, died in Arkansas. Her three children

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

583

were: Mrs. Celia Cheney, Mrs. Nancy Rose and
Mrs. Sarah Fuquay. Elizabeth McCann, his sec-
ond wife, was a native of Tennessee, and seven
of their children survive: James T., a policeman
in Los Angeles; William H. and John W., both
of Los Angeles; Mrs. Mary C. Borden, Mrs.
Margaret J. Burke, Mrs. Emma Saxe and David
Burrell Neighbours.

In national politics Mr. Neighbours is a Dem-
ocrat and interested in all of the undertakings of
his party. Vitally interested in the cause of ed-
ucation, he was chosen to serve for several years
on the school board as a trustee. He is a mem-
ber of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Grow-
ers' Association, incorporated. Essentially a
self-made- man, he has won the approval and
esteem of the entire community for his attitude
of enterprise and broad-mindedness as regards
matters pertaining to the well-being of the neigh-
borhood in which he resides. Mr. and Mrs.
Neighbours have a fine ranch of fifty- five acres
of land, about twenty acres of which are in wal-
nuts.

EHARLES W. BELL. There are very few
cities in the United States which, in beauty
of location and grandeur of scenery, can
rival Pasadena. Nestling at the feet of the snow-
capped mountains, the shadow of whose stately
heights falls like a benediction upon it; irradiated
by the beams of a never-darkened sun and re-
freshed by the soft murmur of the ocean breezes,
it seems a peerless gem of nature's own setting.
At the time Mr. Bell came to what is now Pasa-
dena he purchased a ranch which at this writing
is bisected by Broadway. The beautiful resi-
dences that now adorn the city had not then been
erected nor had the drives been laid out; but
there was the same sublime scenery as now, the
same incomparable climate and the same girdle of
mountains with their crowns of snow. With the
foresight that characterizes him, he determined to
establish his home here, and for the past twenty-
three years (since the fall of 1877) he has been a
resident of Pasadena, making his home at No.
726 St. John avenue, near the residence of ex-
Governor Markham.

Mr. Bell is of Scotch ancestry and parentage.
His father, Matthew Bell, was born in Edinburgh,
Scotland, and came to America in earlv life,

settling in New York state. At the opening of
the Civil war he conducted the old Eagle foundry
in Albany, as its foreman, and was a prosperous
business man; but, laying aside personal affairs,
he gave his time and service to his adopted
country, which he assisted in saving from dis-
ruption, although it was at the expense of his
business, which was lost to him on account of
his absence at the front. Entering the One
Hundred and Fourteenth Heavy Artillery of New
York, he was commissioned second lieutenant
and later was promoted to be first lieutenant.
While serving in the latter capacity he died in
camp, at the time that the capital city of Wash-
ington was almost captured by the Confederates.
His wife, who was Elizabeth Emma Gage, was a
descendant of Revolutionary ancestry; she was
born near Cooperstown, N. Y., and is now living
in Los Angeles.

The subject of this sketch was the only child
of his parents and was born in Albany, N. Y.,
June II, 1857. He was educated in public and
high schools and a military academy. On leaving
home, in September, 1877, he came to California
and purchased land on which he began ranching.
This place he sold just prior to the great real-
estate boom, and after he had resided on it for
four years. Meantime he had bought another
tract and commenced its improvement. At the
time of the exposition in New Oileans, in 1884
and 1S85, he was selected to secure a collection
of all the products of Los Angeles county and
superintend their exhibition in the building as-
signed for that purpose. For his success in this
work much credit is due him. The exposition
was visited by thousands of northern tourists and
many of these for the first time had their attention
called to the vast possibilities of fruit culture in
California.

In 1884 Mr. Bell was appointed assistant clerk
of the board of supervisors and later he was made
clerk, holding these two offices for some time.
Under Mr. Ward he held the position of deputy
clerk of the county, and his service in that
capacity was so satisfactory that in 1898 he was
elected to the office, which he has since filled with
efficiency. His election to these various offices
has been on the Republican ticket, for he is
stanch in his support of the principles of that
party. Fraternally he is a Mason and a Knight

5S4

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of Pythias. At this writing he is captain of
Company B, of the Ainericus Club of Pasadena,
a prominent political organization of the county.
In 1893 he married Miss Elizabeth M. Dillman,
of Sacramento, member of a prominent family of
northern California; one of her brothers is cashier
of the bank of D. O. Mills, and another is vice-
president and manager of the Capital Telephone
and Telegraph Company, of Sacramento, Cal.

(lOHN L. MEANS, bridge contractor and

I horticulturist, occupies one of the finest resi-
(2/ dences of Pomona, at the corner of Holt and
Garey streets. In 1892 he became a permanent
resident of this locality, having for twenty-two
years previously been a citizen of Grand Island,
Neb. , of which he had served as mayor.

A native of the north of Ireland, Mr. Means
was born in County Tyrone, April 16, 1840.
His parents, John and Madge (Taylor) Means,
were also natives of that locality, but their an-
cestors were of Scotch extraction. In 1849 the
family emigrated to America and .settled at
Dixon, 111., where the parents died and where
our subject was educated in the grammar and
high schools. From .sixteen to twenty years of
age he was apprenticed to the carpenter's and
joiner's trade. Later he was a master workman
and broadened the .scope of his trade until he be-
came a builder and contractor, the specialty
finally chosen being the construction of bridges.
Previous, however, to becoming a contractor, he
enjoyed a thorough experience as a foreman of
bridge builders, in the employ of several leading
Chicago firms, and became thoroughly estab-
lished in his chosen work. The Union Pacific
and Burlington & Missouri Railroad Companies
awarded him many important contracts, which
he filled with credit to himself and the satisfaction
of the company ; he also constructed numerous
bridges for the county and city.

In 1870 Mr. Means became a resident of Grand
Island, Neb. In 1892 he formed a partnership
with one of his foremen, who had been in his em-
ploy fifteen years. The firm of Means & Tully
continues to do a large business in every form of
bridge building, embracing wood and iron work
or a combination of each style.

As an active Republican Mr. Means was

prominent in the political and public affairs of
Grand Island. Twice he was a successful candi-
date for the mayoralty. He first purchased prop-
erty in Pomona in 1888 and four years later
brought his family here to reside. He now owns
more than two hundred acres of land, forty-five
of which are given up to orange culture. As
he is also the owner of his own water plant, his
ranch is especially complete and valuable; and,
retaining, as he does, his connection with the
firm of Means & Tully, he is certainly a busy,
successful and prosperous man. He enjoys the
full confidence of the people of Pomona, The
various interests which he has so ably conducted
have debarred him from a wide participation in
the afFairs of secret and benevolent orders, his
connection in this particular being confined to
the Masonic fraternity.

The present wife of Mr. Means was formerly
Miss Laura E. DeMoss, of Central City, Neb.
His first wife (deceased) was known before mar-
riage as Mary E. Jordan, of Springfield, 111. She
bore him five children, of whom two daughters
are living: Madge T. and Jennie L., the latter
the wife of Howard A. Broughton, a leading at-
torney of Pomona.

Pj JAY GILLETTE. While not one of the
I7I pioneers of the southeastern portion of Los
16/ 1 Angeles county, Mr. Gillette has made his
home here for a period sufficiently long to prove
his admirable qualities as a man and citizen. It
was in 1894 that he settled at Laverne, where he
still makes his home. He owns and occupies a
valuable tract of five acres, which has been
planted to fruit trees of the finest varieties, all in
good bearing condition. While his orchard is
not large, it is one of the best improved in the
vicinity of Lordsburg.

Mr. Gillette was born in Lorain county, Ohio,
November 14, 1S44, in a log cabin that stood
near the town of Wellington. His parents were
WiUiam J. and Sarah (Jackson) Gillette, the
latter of whom died when her son was an infant.
His father, a son of Marcus Gillette, a native of
the Nutmeg state, was born in Hartford, Conn.,
and moved to Wisconsin in 1845, settling near
Waupuii, where he remained for five years. He
then went to Jack.son county, Iowa, and pur-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

585

chased a tract of government land, upon which
he engaged in farm pursuits until his death.
Our subject was the oldest son in the family and
proved an able assistant to his father on the farm.
A resident of Jackson countj' during much of his
boyhood, he was early inured to the hardships
of pioneer life. The schools in the county at
that time were very inferior, but he has become
well informed by a systematic course of reading
added to practical experience.

About 1880 Mr. Gillette removed to Humboldt
county, Iowa, and there he resided for fourteen
years, meantime serving as postmaster at Unique
for five years. He was known there as a man of
great worth, and he stood high among his asso-
ciates. While not a partisan in politics he never-
theless has decided opinions of his own and has
supported the Republican party from Iroyhcod.
While in Jackson county he was active in the
Masonic blue lodge of Preston, and was also
identified with other enterprises and organiza-
tions of Preston, which village he assisted in
building up.

In Humboldt county, Iowa, Mr. Gillette mar-
ried Etta C, daughter of John G. and Emma
(Wickes) Lorbeer, natives respectively of Ger-
many and New York, and for years residents of
Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Gillette have nine children,
viz.: M. Jessamine, Frances W., William J.,
Chauncey A., Lawrence B., Mina E., A. Fay,
Edith and Earl.

rgEN. JOHNSTONE JONES, of Los Ange-
I— les, was born iiv Hillsboro, Orange county,
VJ N. C, September 26, 1848, and is a son of
Col. Cadwallader Jones, formerly a resident of
Columbia, S. C. His paternal grandfather, Cad-
wallader Jones, of Halifax county, N. C, in
early life was a lieutenant in the United States
marine service and in that capacit}' engaged in
the battle between the Leopard and the Ches-
apeake at the opening of the war of 1812. The
latter's father. Major Cadwallader Jones, of Vir-
ginia, served in Washington's armj', first as a
captain of cavalry and afterward as an officer
on the staff of General Lafaj'ette. At the early
age of twenty-two, in 1877, he was commissioned
captain.

Among the paternal ancestors of General Jones
were Cadwallader Jones, who came to Virginia

in 1623, at the age of twenty-two; Peter Jones,
who in advance of civilization had a trade estab-
lished with the Indians at Peter's Point (now
City Point), Va., in 1620, and commanded at
Fort Henry in 1675; Cadwallader Jones, who was
governor of the Bahamas in 1 6S9-92; and Peter
Jones, who founded Petersburg, Pa., in 1734.
The mother of Col. Cadwallader Jones was Re-
becca Edwards Jones, daughter of Gen. Allen
Jones, a leader of the Revolution in the colony of
North Carolina, chairman of the committee of
safety in that stormy period, member of the col-
onial congress, and friend and patron of the
famous John Paul Jones, who took the name of
Jones in honor of General Allen Jones. The head
of this branch of the family was Robin Jones, of
Wales, one of whose descendants was Robin
Jones, of Essex county, Va., attorney-general of
Virginia at one time. Through this branch of
the family. General Jones is related to the Polks
of North Carolina and Tennessee, Gen. W. R.
Davie, of Revolutionary renown, and the families
of Epps, Daniels, Eaton and Cobb in Virginia
and the Carolinas. These two branches of the
ancestry came directly to Virginia from Wales
and were patriots in the Revolution. In the
family there is now a sword which was one of a
hundred genuine Toledo blades presented by the
king of Spain to General Washington during the
Revolution and by the latter distributed among
his general officers, who in turn gave them to
meritorious officers of the line and staff. One was
presented by Lafayette to Major Cadwallader
Jones about 1780 and this sword has been worn
in each war of the United States by a lineal de-
scendant of Major Jones bearing the name Cad-
wallader Jones.

The mother of General Jones was Annie Isa-
bella Iredell, daughter of James Iredell, who was
attorney-general, governor and United States
senator of North Carolina, serving in the senate
with such intellectual giants as Webster, Clay
and Calhoun. His father, James Iredell, was
appointed associate justice of the supreme court
of the United States in 1790 by President Wash-
ington, and served for a number of years with
distinction. He died at the age of forty-six
years. He was the youngest judge ever ap-
pointed to the supreme bench. He was born in
Belfast, Ireland, in 1751. At the age of sixteen he

=;86

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,

was appointed collector of the port of Edeiiton,
N. C, bj' the British crown, and came to Amer-
ica. He was the son of Francis Iredell, a mer-
chant, and Margaret (McCuUoch) Iredell, of Bel-
fast, and a grandson of Rev. Francis Iredell, of
Dublin. The true name was originally Ireton,
and was changed at the restoration to escape the
fury of the royalists. Rev. Francis Iredell was a
descendant of General Ireton, who married Oli-
ver Cromwell's sister and commanded his army.
The head of the McCulloch (or McCullough)
branch was Sir CuUo O'Neil, first laird of Myr-
ton, Scotland, and standard bearer to King Rob-
ert de Bruce. He died in 1331. His son. Sir
Godfrey, assumed the surname of McCulIo.

The wife of Governor Iredell was Frances,
daughter of Dr. Benjamin Treadwell, of Long
Island, a noted physician of his day, and a lineal
descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullen,
of Plymouth Rock fame, and hero and heroine of
Longfellow's courtship of Miles Standish. Among
the ancestors along this line was Samuel Sea-
bury, first Protestant Episcopal bishop of the
United States, and great-great-grandson of John
Alden and Priscilla Mullen.

General Johnstone Jones was named after his
ancestor. Gov. Gabriel Johnstone, first colonial
governor of North Carolina. He was educated
at the Hillsboro (N. C.) Military Academy, and
the South Carolina Military Academy at Colum-
bia, S. C. At the age of sixteen, in November,
1864, he enlisted in the Confederate army as a
member of White's Battalion, South Carolina
Cadets, Brigadier-General Stephen Elliott's Bri-
gade, Hardee's Army, in which he remained un-
til the close of the war. After the war he was
clerk in a store of general merchandise in the
village of Rock Hill, S. C, kept by W. L. Roddy.
He then studied law under William K. Ruffin at
Hillsboro, N. C, was appointed deputy clerk of
the supreme court of North Carolina in January,
1 863, serving under William Bagley, clerk, the
father of Ensign Bagley, who was killed in the
late war with Spain; and under Chief Justice
Richmond Pearson, the grandfather of Richmond
Pearson Hobson, of Merrimac fame. He was
admitted to the bar in 1869, at the age of twenty.
The next year he went to Baltimore, where he
spent a year in the practice of law, Returning
south in 1872 he became editor of the Z)ff?^' CM-

srrirr, at Charlotte, N. C, but sold his interest
in the paper in 1874. During that year he was
elected secretary of the state senate; in 1875 was
secretary of the constitutional convention of
North Carolina; in 1876-77 edited the Dai/y
iVews a.\. Raleigh, N. C; and January 8, 1877,
was appointed adjutant-general of North Caro-
lina, with the rank of brigadier-general, by Gov-
ernor Zebulon B. Vance, who was afterward
United States senator. To this office he was re
appointed by Governor Thomas J. Jarvis in 1881
and by Governor Alfred M. Scales in 1885, his
third term expiring in January, 1889.

In 1884, while a resident of Asheville, N. C,
and adjutant-general of the state. General Jones
was elected a representative of the county of
Buncombe in the general assembly of the state.
In 1886 he was renominated, but was defeated
along with the entire county, congres.sional and
judicial ticket. In the legislature he was chair-
man of the committee on military affairs and a
member of the judiciary committee and several
others. In January, 1879, he attended the con-
vention of militia officers held in New York City
and aided in the formation of the National Guard
Association of the United States, being one of
the committee of three who drafted the constitu-
tion and by-laws of the organization. He was
afterward elected vice-president of the association,
which office he held until he removed to Califor-
nia in 1889.

The marriage of General Jones, at Charlotte,
N. C, in June, 1873, united him with Elizabeth
Waters Miller, daughter of Thomas C. Miller, an
eminent lawyer of North Carolina, and a descend-
ant of Gen. James Moore, a distinguished briga-
dier-general in Washington's army.

On account of the ill health of Mrs. Jones the
family came to California in August, 1889. In
San Diego General Jones entered into partnership
with James E. Wadham, a prominent young at-
torney of that city, and engaged in the practice
of the law. In September, 1890, he was nomi-
nated by the Democratic party of San Diego for
district attorney, and received eighteen majority
in the November election, out of a total vote of
seven thousand and thirty-four, he being the
only Democrat on the ticket elected in the county
that year. He filled the office for two )'ears; was
renominated by the Democrats in 1892, but suf-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RHCORU.

587

fered defeat owing to the fact that the Populists
had made a nomination for the office, which di-
vided the Democratic vote and gave the Republi-
cans an easy victory. However, he had the sat-
isfaction of running ahead of the presidential
ticket, Cleveland and Stevenson. In March,
1893, he formed a co-partnership with James L.
Copeland, ex district attorney of San Diego, and
Frank W. Goodbody, ex-deputy district attorney.
The partnership was dissolved in October, 1893,
and on the ist of November of that year General
Jones removed to Los Angeles and entered upon
the practice of the law in this city. In 1896 he
was nominated for the state senate in the thirty-
seventh senatorial district, comprising the larger
part of the city of Los Angeles, being the Demo-
cratic nominee, with the endorsement of the
Populists, Silver Republicans and Labor party,
and was defeated by Hon. R. N. Bulla, the Re-
publican nominee. In 1898 he supported Gage
for governor and Waters for congress, taking the
stump in their behalf and in numerous speeches
stating his reasons for so doing. January i,
1899, he was appointed assistant district attorney
by James C. Rieves and ably fills the office.

In the Spanish-American war General Jones
raised a cavalry regiment of twelve troops in ten
days after the declaration of war and tendered
their services to the president and governor. The
companies were located in the city of Los Ange-
les, and in Pasadena, Los Nietos valley, Nor-
walk, Whittier, Santa Ana and San Bernardino.
The organization was complete and numbered
twelve hundred men. He was elected colonel of
the regiment.

General Jones is a worthy representative of a
noble race. He may with justice point to a long
line of distinguished ancestors, to whose record
his own life has added lustre. Of every honor
conferred upon him he has proved himself
worthy. As an attorney and as a public official,
he has been a potent factor in every place where
he has made his home. Forceful and eloquent in
speech, profound in reasoning, and well informed
in literature, he is equipped for his profession,
and could "cross swords" with the best public
speakers. His voice has been heard on many
eventful occasions, and in defense of measures
and principles he believed to be just and right,
and his speeches have always indicated a thought-

ful and scholarly mind. He is a man of the
times, progressive and public-spirited, helpful to
his city, and filling a place but few could fill. His
has been in truth a well-spent life and a noble
career, and he has earned the high reputation
which he has as lawyer and statesman.

^HOMAS STENT, one of the leading archi-
( C tects of the United States and Canada for
\^ two-score years or more, is now living
retired in the enjoyment of a well-deseivtd rest
from toil at his pleasant home in Los Angeles.
Stately and beautiful public and private buildings
and residences which he has reared and designed
in dozens of cities and towns on this continent,
and in England, stand as monuments to his skill
and genius, and his fame extends from ocean to
ocean.

To the biographer there is always great pleasure
in tracing the successive steps which have led a
man from poverty and obscurity to a position of
wealth, success and influence, such as Thomas
Stent has long occupied, especially when he has
hewed his own way and conquered opposing
circumstances. The birth of our subject took
place in Wiltshire, England, February i, 1822,
and he first attended school at Warminster.
When eighteen years of age he was articled to an
architect in Bath, England, where he studied dil-
igently for four years, mastering every detail of
the business. He remained in Somersetshire
until the year 1855, building and designing a
great many houses and public buildings in that
section of England, and, among others, putting
up the town-hall and market at Yeovil, and
erecting a fine bank in the same place.

Believing that the New World offered better
chances to an active, ambitious young man, he
crossed the Atlantic in 1755, and, locating in
London, Canada, then a mere hamlet, he designed
and supervised the building of numerous houses
and public structures, in the meantime winning
an enviable reputation for integrity of word and
deed. In i860 he was honored by having his
plans for the proposed house of Parliament, at
Montreal, Canada, accepted, in connection with
Thomas Fuller, a fellow-pupil of Bath, England,
and accordingly he went to that city and super-
intended the erection of what now is justly

588

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

regarded as one of the finest group of buildings
in that country, and, indeed, in America.

Going next to Newark, N. J., Mr. Stent soon
became well known and in great demand as an
architect, especially for large and impcsing busi-
ness houses and public buildings. In Newark
he designed the Merchants' Insurance Building,
the Old Ladies' and Orphans' Home, and many
other edifices of more or less note, after which he
was appointed architect for the vast Astor estate,
and expended millions of dollars for the same.
Later he designed buildings which were erected
in New York City, Albany, Chicago, St. Louis
and many places of lesser magnitude, some
$25,000,000 passing through his hands in the
execution of his contract. He also designed
buildings for the Singer Manufacturing Company
at Chicago (the beautiful Singer building and
others now burned down) and also built for the
same company buildings in St. Louis and a
handsome residence costing upwards of $100,000,
for Mr. Singer, president of the company. The
New York state capitol building at Albany was
designed by two of Mr. Stent's business partners.

In October, 1844, Mr. Stent married Miss
Sarah Scammell, a native of Bath, and to them
eleven children were born. Four of the number
have entered the silent land, and the devoted
wife and mother passed to her reward at her
home in Newark, N. J. , when she was about fifty
years of age. One of their sons, Edward E.,
whose death occurred April 12, 1896, was con-
sidered one of the finest fresco artists on this
continent. He was born in Somersetshire prior
to his parents' removal to America. From his
boyhood he manifested signs of the true artistic
temperament and when seven years of age aston-
ished everybody with his ability to draw pictures
and designs. By intrinsic worth he forged his
way to the front, and when he was untimely cut
down in his prime, his loss was deeply felt by all
who knew him. He left a wife and two children.

In March, 1895, Thomas Stent located in Los
Angeles, with the intention of passing his remain-
ing years in this sunny clime. Though he is
retired from actual business, his advice frequently
is called for, and his wide experience and ability
render his opinion of great weight in all im-
portant matters connected with architecture.
The supervising architect for the citv of Los

Angeles often calls Mr. Stent into consultation,
and thus his judgment and material assistance
were rendered when the city jail was to be built,
and when fourteen of our splendid local school
l)uildings were erected. Fraternally he is a
Mason of long and high standing, and religiously
he and his family are identified with the Episco-
pal church.

When the architects of this entire country
competed for designs for the new state capitol
building of Montana, Mr. Stent received the third
prize out of the fifty-nine applications submitted.
He eventually made the state of Montana a
present of his plans, whereupon the legislature
passed a vote of thanks to him, which is still in
his possession.

0ANIEL ARBUTHNOT, treasurer of the
Kingsley Tract Water Company and a well-
known horticulturist of Pomona, has resided
in this city since February, 1888. He is a native
of Allegheny county. Pa., born January 23,
1838, and is a son of Robert and Jane (Holden)
Arbuthnot. While he was still quite young his
parents moved to Athens county, Ohio, and there
he passed the years of boyhood and youth. In
1 85 1 he accompanied the family to Benton
county, Iowa, and there he gained a thorough
knowledge of agricultural pursuits. As the
years passed by he established a position among
the reliable and prosperous farmers of the county,
and won his way steadily forward to a position
of influence and independence. Although his
education was limited, yet he had derived a large
fund of information through his habit of careful
reading and his practical experience. He is
therefore a well-informed man, possessing a
knowledge not only of agriculture and horticul-
ture, but also of other departments of knowledge
of an important nature. In 1888 he left Iowa
and came to California, since which time he has
followed the business of fruit-growing in Pomona.

In 1863 Mr. Arbuthnot married Matilda
Leavell, of Benton county, Iowa. They became
the parents of six children, namely: Samuel A.
(who is in South America), Melissa E., Clara E.,
Daniel G., Mary F. and Robert H. All but the
olde-st child are at home.

During the Civil war Mr. Arbuthnot served in
the Union army. He enlisted October 9, 1862,

G^^^yi^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

591

in Company G, Fourteenth Iowa Infantry, and
was sent with his regiment to St. Louis, Mo.
Soon after his enlistment he was taken ill, and,
being unfit for active duty, he was honorably
discharged after four months of service. He is a
member of the Grand Army post at Pomona and
takes an interest in its welfare.

In religion Mr. Arbuthnot is connected with
the Methodist Episcopal Church of Pomona.
He is a man whom all respect and esteem. His
position is that of a progressive man, who deserv-
edly enjoys the confidence of the business com-
munity. His orchard is not large, there being
eleven and three-fourths acres, but it is well cul-
tivated and brought to a condition to yield the
largest possible returns to its owner.

QETER H. TAYLOR. The life which this
L/' narrative chronicles began in Scotland Feb-
^2) ruary 14, 1836, and closed in San Dimas,
Cal., December 29, 1890. Between those two
dates is a record of hardships bravely borne, pri-
vations quietly endured and success worthily
won. With all the Scotch powers of endurance
Mr. Taylor worked his way perseveringly
through toil and privation to prosperity and
ease. His life was not long, as we count time,
but it was so in respect to the good he accom-
plished in his chosen field of labor.

When Mr. Taylor was a child of five years his
parents, Henry and Jeannette Taylor, came to
America and settled in New York state. There
he grew to manhood and learned the carpenter's
trade. During the Civil war he was employed
by the government as a carpenter and bridge
builder, and at the expiration of the rebellion he
returned to his old home, but not many years
afterward settled in California. His first location
was in the San Jos6 valley, and he also for some
years followed carpentering and building at San
Luis Obispo. Thence he came to Los Angeles
county early in the '70s, first settling at San
Dimas, which was practically a wilderness, pre-
senting little forecast of its present cultivation
and prosperity. In tliis locality he engaged in
carpentering and general farming. In 1878 he
removed to Etiwanda, San Bernardino county,
where he carried on a raisin business. His next
location was at Spadra. After two years he re-

turned to San Dimas, in 1889, settling where his
widow now resides. This continued to be his
home and the scene of his horticultural activities
until his death, shortly afterward.

January 10, 1884, Mr. Taylor married Mrs.
Nellie H. (Miner) Grindle, who was born in
Wiimebago county. Wis., a daughter of Hudson
A. and Electa E- (Greenman) Miner, natives re-
spectively of Vermont and New York, the former
said to have been of English extraction. Mrs.
Taylor and her two daughters, Mary Jeannette
and Lizzie Belle, have an attractive and comfort-
able home on their fruit farm, which comprises
thirty-seven acres, mostly under citrus fruits. In
the best circles of local society Mrs. Taylor and
her daughters occupy a high position, and their
friends are many in this region.

At the time of his death Mr. Taylor was serv-
ing as a school trustee of the San Dimas district,
in which work he evinced the deepest interest,
laboring in every way possible to promote the wel-
fare of the schools. His political views were de-
cidedly Republican, and he always supported the
measures and men of that party. He was a
Mason, connected with the lodge at Pomona, and
in his life exemplified the noble teachings of that
fraternity.

(lOSIAH J. HARSHMAN, who stands at the
I head of the celebrated cheese factory at
Q) Comptou, probably has done more towards
the development of the dairy industry in Los An-
geles county than any other man, and due credit
should be given him in the records of local prog-
ress. Even to the casual visitor the residents
of this favored section never fail to express their
gratitude to Mr. Harshman for having introduced
and carried to success one of the best enterprises
associated with the upbuilding of Compton and
vicinity.

Mr. Harshman was born near Wheeling, W.Va.,
in August, 1840, and is a son of Mathias and
Rachel (Ross) Harshman, who were born in
Pennsylvania and at an early day settled on the
Western Reserve in Ohio. The father, who was
a farmer, died at his old home in the Buckeye
state when sixty years of age, and the mother,
now in her eighty-fifth year, resides with a
daughter in Ohio. Of her nine children not one
has yet been summoned to the silent land. The

592

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

paternal graiulpareiits of our subjuct, Jacob and
Elizabeth (Mouiger) Harshnian, natives of Penn-
S3'lvania, spent their last jears in Ohio. The
father of Jacob was Mathias, a Pennsylvanian,
whose death took place in Ohio, and his father,
Andrew Harshnian, who came from Germany to
America in 1730, and who died at the age of one
hundred and seven, was one of the enterprising
early settlers of Frederick county, Md. Andrew
Harshman's father, the great-great great grand-
father of our subject, was born, and spent his
entire life in Germany, dying at the age of one
hundred and twenty.

Josiah J. Harshnian received a grammar and
high school education, and at the age of nineteen
taught for some time in his home district. Then,
on account of poor health, he traveled for five
years, uniting business with pleasure. In 1867
he bought an interest in a chee.se factory in
Trumbull county, Ohio, and for six years he was
actively engaged in business in that locality, but
in 1873 he removed to a farm which he had pur-
chased in Portage county. At the end of three
years he sold out and started for the west, and
upon his arrival here he concluded to locate per-
manently in Compton. He soon discovered that
the time was ripe for starting a cheese factory,
and that the industry was just what was needed
in this part of the county. He proceeded to put
his idea into practical form, and the factory, with
complete modern equipments, was in operation
by February, 1880. At first its capacity was five
thousand pounds of milk and everything seemed
prosperous; his entire debt had been cleared and
affairs were in a flourishing condition, when the
Santa Fe Railroad was put through and competi-
tion becoming greater, the business of the con-
cern slightly languished. Mr. Harshnian had
bought a ranch and had sold out his interest in the
factory, but it was found to be expedient to recall
him to the management of the business, for one
who is his equal in this branch is difficult, indeed,
to find. He had devoted his attention for four
years exclusively to his ranch, but he now "put
his shoulder to the wheel" and energetically
brought order and system into the business, as
he so well knows how to do. As the years pas.sed
he enlarged the capacity of the factory until
twenty thousand pounds of milk are handled each
day and many thousand dollars are paid to the

farmers of this region every month. Honorable
and ju.st in all his dealings with them Mr. Harsh-
man has earned an enviable reputation, and no
one has anything but praise for him and his reli-
able business methods. He is, indeed, regarded
as a public benefactor, for to his efforts and to
the large amounts of money which he distributes
regularly among his customers much of the pros-
perity of this community is assuredly due.

December 24, 1869, Mr. Harshnian married
Miss Jennie Cross, of Portage county, Ohio. Five
children have been born to them, namely: Lulu,
Nina, Ray V., Callie M. and Clyde. The family
take an interested part in the work of the Free
Methodist Church, and Mrs. Harshnian is a val-
ued member of the local society of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union. She is greatly
loved by all who know her, and in her home is
all that the hallowed names of wife and mother
imply.

Mr. Harshman cast his first presidential ballot
for James Buchanan, and continued to give his
support to the Democratic party until eighteen
years ago, when he became identified with the
Prohibition party. In 1896, when the chief issue
before the public appeared to be the money ques-
tion, he voted for W. J. Bryan. Though person-
ally undesirous of holding office, he has served
as a member of the city council of Compton for
several years, and has used his influence for good
government and progress, as he ever has done in
the past.

HENRY S. ORME, M. D. As a physician
and surgeon Dr. Orme has been eminently
successful, and his ability and painstaking
efforts have justly brought him a high place in
the medical profession. During the long period
of his residence in Los Angeles he has witnessed
the remarkable growth of this city from a strag-
gling half-Spanish village, with little to commend
it but its sunny skies and balmy air, to a pro-
gressive modern city, possessing the spirit of en-
terprise and of commerce. He has seen its old
adobes give place to residences that are the
crowning achievements of the finest architecture
of the country. One-story stores have been re-
placed by magnificent "sky-scrapers," and the
plodding burro has disappeared with the advent
of fine hor.ses, swift bicycles and the most recent

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

593

automobile. All the.se transformation.s, and
others too numerous to mention, he has seen dur-
ing the more than thirty- A-ears of his residence in
Los Angeles.

The genealog3' of the Orme family is as fol-
lows: The progenitor of American branches
was Archibald Orme, of Wiltshire, England.
His son, John, was the father of Archibald Orme,
Dr. Orme's great-grandfather, who was a colonel
in the American army during the Revolutionary
war. The colonel's son, John, married Sarah,
daughter of Col. Richard McAllister, of the
Revolutionary army. John Orme became a rice
planter in Mcintosh county, Ga. His son, Rich-
ard McAllister Orme, was editor of the Sout/icrti
Recorder, which for more than a half century was
a leading paperof Georgia. He married Jean Mon-
cure Paine, who was born in Virginia, a daughter
of Roois Paine, whose father was Samuel Paine,
of Boston, Mass. Richard and Jean Orme died
in Milledgeville, Ga.

Dr. Orme was born in Milledgeville, Ga. ,
March 25, 1837. His family possessing ample
means, he was given excellent educational ad-
vantages. In 1858 he graduated from Ogle-
thorpe University with the degree of A. B. He
then entered the medical department of the Uni-
versity of Virginia, where he gained his initi-
atory knowledge of medicine and surger}-. In
1861 he graduated from the University of New
York with the degree of M. D. He began the
practice of his profession in the Confederate
army, with the Fourth Georgia Regiment. Later
he was in charge of one of the large hospitals at
Atlanta, Ga., as assistant surgeon, later as sur-
geon, and after the close of the war he remained
in Atlanta to engage in private practice. From
there he came to Los Angeles, Cal., in 1868, ar-
riving here on the 4th of July. In 1873 he mar-
ried Mary C. Van de GraafF and they have one
son, Hal McAllister Orme, who was born March
4, 1879.

The high rank of Dr. Orme in his profession is
shown by the fact that for eight years or more he
has been president of the state board of health.
For several years he was countj' physician and
surgeon, and during his term of ofRce he was an
earnest advocate of the establishment of the
county hospital and county poor farm, although
his stand in these matters caused the loss of con-

siderable patronage. For this work he deserves
much credit. He assisted in organizing the Los
Angeles County Medical Society, of which he
was elected president at one time, and he was
also honored by election as president of the Cali-
fornia State Medical Society. He is actively
connected with the American Climatological As-
sociation, the American Public Health Associa-
tion and the American Medical Association. Jn
hygiene he is considered an authority, and ever
since the establishment of the medical college of
the University of Southern California he has
filled that chair.

The Masonic connection of Dr. Orme form an
important chapter of his life. He has been ofiEci-
ally connected with various degrees of the order.
He has been grand master of the grand lodge of
California, grand high priest of the grand chapter,
grand master of the grand council, grand com-
mander of the grand commandery of Knights
Templar of California, and has filled various of-
fices in the Scottish Rite. He assisted in the or-
ganization of the majority of the Masonic bodies
in Los Angeles that have sprung into existence
during the past thirty years, and has filled the
principal offices in all.

r"REDERICK K. ADAMS, secretary and
rft manager of the Pomona Fruit Growers' Ex-
I ' change, at one time president and secretary
of the Pomona board of education, and all in all
one of the leaders in this section of the county,
is a native of Monroe county, N. Y., born Feb-
ruary, 18, 1854. His parents, Caleb K. and Laura
(Keeler) Adams, were natives of New Hamp-
shire and Connecticut respectively. Although
he was the youngest of six children, at the death
of his father, in 1869, he virtually assumed charge
of the household. For two years thereafter he not
only bore its responsibilities, but continued his
studies in the neighborhood schools. The family
then removed to Rochester, N. Y. , the farm hav-
ing been sold, and there he pursued a course in the
Williams' Business College. For several years
he was employed as a bookkeeper in Rochester,
and later he operated a steam laundry for about
a decade.

Owing to ill health Mr. Adams was obliged to
relinquish his business interests in the east and

594

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RFXORD.

seek a more congenial climate ami a different oc-
cupation. In 1889 he came to Pomona and pur-
chased an orange grove of twelve acres, of which
he is still the proprietor and manager. At the
same time he at once evinced an active interest
in the public and educational affairs of this citj-.
For two years he served as president of the board
of education, and for four 3'ears was its secretary.
Since settling in Pomona he has been identified
with the Pilgrim Congregational Church, of whose
board of trustees he is now president.

For some two years Mr. Adams was in the
employ of the Pomona Fruit Exchange, and was
its secretary most of the time, and turned his
attention to increasing its success. In 1898 the
name was changed to the Pomona Fruit Growers'
Exchange, since which year he has not only
been secretary, but manager as well. In politics
he is a Republican. Personally he is an able,
straightforward and popular man. In 1879 he
married Lucy Beebee, who was born in Michi-
gan, and by whom he has two sons, Charles K.
and Howard E.

RILDORF ALMIND. When a man of an-
other nationality comes to the United States,
and, surmounting the great obstacles of a
foreign language and customs and competition
with native-born citizens, achieves success, he
is eminently deserving of credit and praise. Kil-
dorf Almind, who is well and favorably known
in Long Beach and vicinity, was born near one of
the very oldest cities of northern Europe, Odensen ,
Denmark, Januarj- 25, 1853, and, as he was left
fatherless when four years old, he was early
thrown upon his own resources to a large extent.
His father, Anders Almind, bore an exceptional
record as an educator, as for forty-two years he
taught in one school in his home town and at
the end of that period was retired with a pension.
He was a quiet, kindly man, devoted to his
studies and chosen work, and everyone who knew
him loved and respected him. He passed to his
reward in the village which had been his life-
long place of residence, his age at death being
sixty-five years. His wife, the mother of our
.subject, was Miss Anna Marie Hjaresen in her
girlhood. She was born in the same locality as
her husband and passed her entire life there, dy-
ing when about fifty years oM.

Kildorf Almind is one of eight children, three
of whom survive. He was twenty years old when
he determined to cast in his fortunes with the
people of this fair land, and proceeding to Illinois,
he obtained a place as farm hand in the vicinity
of Gibson City. At the end of four months he
went to Wisconsin, where he was employed at
different kinds of labor, chiefly on farms and in
lumbering. In the fall of 1875 he came to Cali-
fornia, of whose advantages he had learned con-
siderable, and locating near Pasadena, he worked
for some four years on ranches. Economical and
diligent in all of his undertakings, he soon ac-
cumulated a little capital, which he invested in
a small farm, and then he energetically set about
the improvement of the property. Within a few
years he transformed the place into a beautiful,
productive homestead, and his next venture was
the purchase of a ranch in Cucamonga. In 1882
Mr. Almind gained the confidence of E. E. Porter,
P. M. Green, Benjamin Eaton and Adolph Petz,
of Pasadena, and became a member of the Hermo-
sa Land Company of Cucamonga, where he was
the pioneer settler. He owned one-fifth of nearly
five hundred acres, and by improving his prop-
erty and keeping it for eight years he realized
a handsome profit, which was the foundation of
his success in California. After he sold his
Cucamonga property he bought a ranch in Tulare
county. This property he still owns. Later he
bought his beautiful country place near Long
Beach. It is situated about three miles from the
town and is considered one of the prettiest home-
steads in this section. In addition to his farm
he owns a handsome substantial business block
in Long Beach, and other valuable property.
During the last two years he has been successfully
engaged in the hardware business in Long Beach.
In the truest sense he is a self-made man. He
cheerfully accords to his devoted wife a share of
his prosperity, for she has been a real helpmate
to him, and has nobly shared his anxieties and
cares. It was in 187S that he married Miss
Frances Carroll, who was born in Ohio, April 28,
1845. Her father, Emmet Carroll, a native of
Frederick, Md., was a merchant tailor and later
a farmer in Iowa; he is now a citizen of Port
Townsend. Mrs. Almind is a lady of fine in-
tellectual and social attainments, and for fifteen
years was successfully engaged in teaching

^Jfa^id.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

597

school. She was thus employed in one of the
pioneer schools of Pasadena, where, as well as
in Long Beach and other places where she has
dwelt, she stands high in the estimation of all
who have known her. She is a graduate of the
Iowa State University of Iowa City. Mr. and
Mrs. Almind have two children, Andres E. and
Anna L. ; the former is a student in the Berkley
University.

The first presidential vote cast by our subject
was given to R. B. Hayes, and for several years
thereafter he gave his allegiance to the Repub-
lican party. Later he concluded that temperance
legislation was the paramount i.ssue before the
people and therefore he transferred his influence
to the Prohibition party. With his wife he holds
membership with the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and she also is identified with the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union.

ARCUS L. SPARKS settled in 1891 on
the ranch which is still his home, near
Lordsburg, in the Pomona valley. He
owns about eighty-six acres, of which some forty
are cultivated to oranges and lemons. Among
his acquaintances he is recognized as one of the
successful and progressive horticulturists of this
section of the state, with whose interests his own
have been so intimately associated.

Descended from a long line of southern an-
cestors, Mr. Sparks was born in Wilkes county,
N. C, March 30, 1853, a son of Joseph and Mary
Sparks, the former of whom is deceased, while
the latter, at the age of seventy-five, is making
her home with her son Marcus. It may here be
appropriately stated that Mr. Sparks is of patriotic
blood, both his paternal and maternal great-
grandfathers having been soldiers of the Revolu-
tion. At the age of fourteen he removed with
his parents to Linn county, Kans. , and remained
there until 1875, when he came to California,
settling in Butte county. For five years he re-
sided in that locality. From 1880 until 1891 he
lived in the vicinity of Pomona. In the latter
year he settled on his present homestead, which
he had purchased in 1890.

Mr. Sparks received a fair education in the
North Carolina schools, private and public, but
by far his most effective training has been acquired

in the school of everyday experience. In this
school he has proved himself an apt expert,
therein gaining a breadth of knowledge that no
text book can furnish. His information is
broad, and extends beyond his immediate busi-
ness pursuits into the realm of national current
issues and matters of general importance. In
politics he may be said to be an independent
Democrat. Fraternally he is in affiliation with
the Ancient Order of United Workmen.

Miss Nancy M. Michael, a native of Pennsyl-
vania, became the wife of Mr. Sparks. They
had four children, three of whom are now living,
viz.: Mrs. Levi Ehrcsman, of Lordsburg; Elsie
and Eva, at home. The family are connected
with the Baptist Church.

3 ESSE H. ARNOLD. Los Angeles is a city
of surprising growth, and great real-estate
transactions are being made here nearly
every day in the business world. Property is
continually changing hands and large amounts
of eastern capital are being invested here more
and more as the possibilities of the country and
the increasing demands of the large population of
this section of the state are becoming recognized.
Quite naturally, therefore, a large class of busi-
ness men, accustomed to handling real estate,
have been engaged in this line of enterprise here
for many years, and prominent among them is
Jesse H. Arnold, who is ranked high as a citizen.
The father of our subject, John Arnold, was
one of the pioneers of Missouri, where he was
actively occupied in agricultural pursuits from an
early period in the history of that state. He par-
ticipated in the famous Black Hawk war and was
a veritable frontiersman, rugged and industrious,
kind-hearted and generous to, all who applied to
him for aid or hospitality.

Jesse H. Arnold was the only child of John and
Margaret Arnold, though each had other chil-
dren by previous marriage; he was born in How-
ard county. Mo., July 15, 1842, and his boyhood
days were quietly passed in that section of the
state and in Boone county. He received a com-
mon school education, later attended the Boone
County Academy, and then pursued his higher
studies in the ITniversity of Missouri, where he
was duly graduated and received the A. B. de-

598

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

gree in iS6i. When be was about twenty years
of age be stai;tedout upon his independent career,
and going to Sacramento, Cal., remained there a
short time and then went to Virginia City, where
be was occupied in mining and prospecting until
1867. He then returned to bis native state, and
in 1868 married Miss Elizabeth Cochran, a native
of Boone county, Mo. After marriage he pur-
chased a farm, which he carried on successfullj-
until 1875. That year he went to Pueblo, Colo.,
where be engaged in a flourishing mercantile and
forwarding business for two years, with Field &
Hill.

Once more, in 1S77, Mr. Arnold came to Cali-
fornia and remained here about twelve months.
The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad being under
construction toward Alamosa, Colo., he returned
to that state and re-engaged in business with Field
& Hill, who had removed to La Veta, then tem-
porarilj' the terminus of this railroad. He re-
mained with them, moving their store from old
terminus to new, with the advance of the railroad,
till Alamosa was reached. He then left them
and went in advance along the projected route of
the railroad to Conejos, Colo., where he estab-
lished and conducted a large and profitable mer-
cantile business for two years or more, till the
railroad had passed beyond. The superior at-
tractions of California, however, finally overcame
all inducements to remain away, and in 1880 he
returned here and located in Orange, Orange
county, where he conducted a general merchandise
business for nearly fifteen years. He met with
well-deserved success, and by sterling qualities
of character won the respect of all with whom he
had commercial or other dealings. He was pub-
lic-spirited and liberal, and every enterprise cal-
culated to promote the general welfare of that
communit}' received his active co-operation and
generous financial aid. He was one of the
organizers of the Bank of Orange, and was a
director and its vice-president till he removed to
Los Angeles in 1895.

Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have reared a family of
five children to become worthy citizens, and may
justly be proud of them, for, without exception,
they are fine, promising young people. Paul
and David L., the two sons, are both university
graduates, and are capable, efficient teachers of
mathematics. The former is now teaching in

Belmont school, at Belmont, Cal., and the latter
in Pomona College, at Claremont, Cal. Martha
M., Mary E. and Alice E. are the daughters.
Martha M. is a student at Los Angeles Normal
school and will finish the kindergarten course in
June, 1900. Alice E. graduated with class honors
from the Los Angeles high school, and is now a
student at Stanford University, where she ex-
pects to complete the four j-ears" course. Marj'
E. is at home with her parents. Her education
was finished at Southern California University.

In his political views Mr. Arnold is a Jeffer-
sonian Democrat and a firm believer in sound
money. He has never been an aspirant for pub-
lic office, politics having but little charm for him.
Fraternally he is a Mason. He is a member of
the Christian Church. His beautiful residence is
situated on South Hope street.

QATRICK J. WATSON, who is one of the
L/' well-known young agriculturists of Los An-
yS geles county, owns and occupies a valuable
ranch situated about midway between Compton
and Wilmington and not far from the old home
place where he was born and reared. He is an
energetic farmer, and manages his afifairs with
discretion and sound judgment. In his character
may be seen combined the traits of his ancestors.
He has the pluck and energy of the typical
American, the courtly grace and dignity of the
Spanish, and the cheerful, companionable disposi-
tion of the Irish race. Hence it may be pre-
dicted of him that the success he has already
gained is but typical of what future years hold for
him.

Mr. Watson was born on the Manuel Domin-
guez homestead March 17, 1866, and is a
sou of James Alexander Watson and Maria
Dolores Dominguez de Watson. He was given
good advantages in his youth, being sent first to
St. Vincent's College and later taking a course
in Ste. Clara College. In this way he was well
prepared for the duties and responsibilities of
an active life. On his return from college he
began to assist in the management of the home-
stead, and is now carrying on a general farming
business, making a specialty, however, of the
raising of stock. He is also one of the owners of
the great copper mine known as the "Lucky

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

599

Boy" ill Lower California, and is interested in
mines in Colorado. His entire life has been
passed in the immediate vicinity of his present
home, and he has therefore a circle of acquaint-
ances that is limited only by the population of
this region. His friends are many. He was
united in marriage, October 17, 1894, with Miss
Mamie O'Farrell, of San Francisco, an estimable
lady, who shares with him in the esteem of
associates.

GlLEXANDER MONCRIEFF, proprietor of
LI the Fine Orange Grove, Pomona, although
/ I comparatively a recent settler in the locality
is accounted one of its most prosperous horticul-
turists and public-spirited citizens. He is a
native of Perthshire, Scotland, and was born
February 10, 1855, being the son of Alexander
and Euphemia (Cunningham) MoncrieflF, also
natives of Scotland. He was reared to man's
estate in the shire named and received his educa-
tion in the boarding school and university at St.
Andrew's.

Mr. MoncriefF is descended from an old and
prominent family which numbers a long line of
famous lawyers, his father himself having been
one of the foremost of the Scottish bar. However,
his tastes were not in the direction of professional
life. After completing his university education
he entered the employ of L. & R. H. Robinson,
stock brokers of Glasgow, with whom he re-
mained for three years. Several years thereafter
he passed in Assian, India, as superintendent of
his father's large tea plantation three hundred
and seventy miles from Calcutta. Ill health com-
pelled him to return to Scotland. In 1883 he
came to America. Settling in Owatonna, Minn.,
he decided to enter the study of law, and had be-
gun reading under Burlingame & Crandall, when
his election as justice of the peace swerved him
from a legal career. For ten years he continued
as justice, with honor to himself and to the satis-
faction of the people, who held him in high esteem.
The fall of 1894 found Mr. MoncriefF a resident
of California. He purchased eight acres of rich,
loamy land, adjoining the property of D. L.
Davenport, and formerly owned by the latter.
Twelve years previous Mr. Davenport, a high
authority on orange culture, had selected the
piece as the most desirable in the entire Kingsley

tract, and had planted five of the eight acres to
navel oranges. Mr. Moncriefl's purchase has
therefore proved most profitable and there are few
orchards more admired than his. It is estimated
that the 1 900 crop will amount to eighteen hundred
boxes. The balance of the orchard is devoted to
lemons, deciduous fruit, and young orange trees.
The residence is luxurious, artistic and home-like,
both within and without, while the large packing
house, barn and other modern accessories to the
successful prosecution of fruit culture are striking
evidences of the owner's Scotch thrift and taste.
He also owns considerable property in Claremont
and Riverside, and is fully alive to the best pub-
lic interests of the county. He is a member of
the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.

In politics he is a Democrat. He and his wife
are identified with the Christian Church. He is
also connected with the Fraternal Aid Society,
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Mod-
ern Woodmen of America. Before marriage Mrs.
Moncrieff was Mi.ss Mary L. Rosecrans, of Owa-
tonna, Minn. The children of the family are
Flossie C, Alexander R. and Albert R.

(lAMES L. LQOMIS, deceased, formerly a
I leading citizen of what is now North Pomona,
(2/ was a native of Ashtabula county, Ohio, and
was born on the 4th of July, 1830, being a son of
James and Betsey (Hickok) Loomis, natives of
Massachusetts and New York respectively. The
years of boyhood and youth he spent on a farm in
his native county, near the village of Jefferson.
He received his education in the common schools
of the locality and in Hiram College, where one
of his fellow-students and most intimate friends
was the late President Garfield.

When about twenty-one years of age Mr.
Loomis removed to Wisconsin and at Black
River Falls continued his work as a school teacher,
which he had begun in Ohio. He subsequently
removed to Merrilan, where for several years he
combined the occupations of private banker and
general merchant, at the same time serving as
postmaster. He was honored with a number of
local offices, among others that of town super-
intendent of schools. Through energy and fair
dealings with all he became known as a prosper-

6oo

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ous business man and an enterprising, able and
broad-minded citizen. From the age of thirteen
until he was fifty six he was a member of the Bap-
tist Church, but on coming to Pomona, in 1886, he
united with the Methodist Episcopal Church of
this place and afterward served as a member of its
official board. In politics he was a Republican,
with Prohibition sympathies. Personally, he was
a kind husband and father, an obliging neighbor,
a public-spirited citizen and a highly esteemed
member of society, and his death, which occurred
September 16, iSgo, was therefore a loss to the
citizenship of the community.

The marriage of Mr. Loomis took place April
6, 1857, and united him with Kate Jean, a native
of Union county, Ind., and a daughter of Joseph
and Sarah (Teal) Jean Her paternal ancestors
were French. Her father was a native of North
Carolina and her mother was born in Marj-land.
The only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Loomis, Jean,
is a graduate of Pomona College at Claremont
and now a teacher in the Pomona public schools.
Both mother and daughter are earnest, active
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Their homestead at North Pomona contains more
than eleven acres of land, upon which are raised
oranges, apricots and prunes.

6] M. EDELMAN is one of the well-known
Lj architects of Los Angeles. He has his of-
/ I, fice in Blanchard Music Hall building on
South Broadway. His services are in demand
in the planning of buildings both public and
private. He is the son of Rabbi Abraham W.
Edelman, who resides at No. 1343 Flower street
and who has long been prominent and active in
Jewi.sh circles. It was after his parents settled
in Los Angeles that the subject of this sketch
was born, August 19, 1862. His primary edu-
cation was obtained in the local schools and after-
ward he entered the city high school, from which
he was graduated June 19, 1878.

While still a mere lad Mr. Edelman had shown
considerable ability in drawing and designing,
and it therefore seemed advisable for him to
cultivate these talents and select an occupation
in which they might be utilized. Deciding to be-
come an architect he went to San Franci.sco and
entered the office of a leading architect of that

city, where he carried on his studies for .several
years. After having gained a thorough theoreti-
cal knowledge of architecture he began to gain
experimental practice in the same. In order
that he might have every advantage this coun-
try affords, he went to New York City and
carried on his studies there, having the advantage
of a study of the methods of the leading architects
in the United States. Afterward he traveled
over the country, visiting all of the principal
cities, where he studied methods of architecture
in the construction of business blocks and private
residences.

Returning to Los Angeles, in 1885 Mr. Edel-
man began work at his chosen calling in this
city, and here he has since remained, meantime
building up a patronage that is valuable and con-
stantly increasing. He has drawn the plans for
many of the most substantial buildings in the
city, among them the Sprfng street public school,
Jewish Temple, Music Hall building, the county
jail, several public schools, as well as other sub-
stantial business blocks and elegant residences.
He is a member of several societies and organi-
zations, among them being the Chamber of
Commerce, Merchants and Manufacturers' As-
sociation, director of Concordia Club, director of
Masonic Temple Association, director of Colum-
bia Building and Loan Association and is a past
master of Los Angeles Lodge No. 425, F.
& A. M.

GILBERT W. ROCHE, the efficient manager
rj of the Pasadena Consolidated Gas Company,
/ I was born in Chicago, 111., July 5, 1848,
being a son of Walter P. and Sarah (Wilson)
Roche, natives respectively of St. Louis, Mo.,
and Indiana. His father w^as a manufacturer of
tobacco and cigars in Chicago, where he settled
about 1845 and with which he was for years
identified. Finally retiring from business, he
settled at Blue Island, a suburb of Chicago, and
there his death occurred in April, 1896. He was
of French lineage, his father having come to this
country from France and settled in St. Louis.
The Wilson family is said to have been of Eng-
lish origin.

At the age of eight years our subject was taken
to Blue Island by his parents. Afterward he at-
tended the .schools of that town until he was

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

603

sixteen, when he entered Chicago University and
engaged in study there for two and one-half
years. Subsequently he engaged in agricultural
pursuits. However, that occupation was not
congenial, and he soon secured employment in a
dififerent occupation. For ten and a-half years he
was employed in the Chicago postoffice in various
departments. In 1887 he resigned from the
government employ and came to Pasadena, ac-
cepting a position as secretary of the Pasadena
Gas & Electric Light Company. As such he
continued for nine years, during eight years of
which time he was treasurer of the company as
well as secretary. Resigning these positions in
1896, he returned to Illinois and for two and one-
half years made his home at Blue Island. Dur-
ing 1898 he returned to Pasadena, since which
time he has been manager of the Pasadena Con-
solidated Gas Company. He is a methodical,
systematic business man, giving the closest atten-
tion to every detail and thoroughly mastering the
large business that is under his supervision.

Mr. Roche married Alice J. Kile, of Blue Island,
111. He has three sons, Harrj' M., Fred W. and
Frank K. Fraternally he is connected with the
Masonic order and the Royal Arcanum at Blue
Island.

GllvFRED P. GRIFFITH. During the past
Ll decade no name has been more intimately
J I connected with the development of the
Azusa valley and its water interests than that of
Mr. Griffith, a well-known horticulturist. As an
illustration of what men may do for themselves,
even when their opportunities for improvement
are meager, his biography repays study and in-
spires the young to emulation. Starting in active
life without capital we see him to-day one of the
foremost men of his locality, the owner of a large
acreage, the leader of many important enterprises
and a factor in the financial, business and social
life of his community.

A resident of the valley since 1891 Mr. Griffith
was born on the island of Cuba June 24, 1845,
but was reared in Philadelphia, Pa. His parents,
Richard and Sarah (Harris) Griffith, were na-
tives respectively of Wales and Pennsylvania.
During his boyhood he was a pupil in the Phila-
delphia public schools, but at the age of sixteen
he left school and began to make his own way in
30

the world, securing first a position in a large es-
tablishment devoted to the saddlery hardware
and carriage furnishing business. Later he was
made a traveling salesman for the firm. His en-
tire connection with that concern continued about
ten years, and no employe was more highly re-
garded than he. He also occupied positions of
trust for St. Louis, Philadelphia, Baltimore and
Cincinnati firms. From the latter city he came
to California and bought the ranch of thirty acres
forming the nucleus of his present property. To
his original purchase he has since added until he
now has about two hundred and fifty acres, much
of the tract being under cultivation to citrus and
deciduous fruits.

The improvement of his fruit farm by no means
represents the limits of Mr. Griffith's energies.
For a number of years he served as vice-president
and a director of the Azusa Valley Bank and he
is now vice-president and a director of the Azusa
Irrigating Company. He also holds the respon-
sible offices of president of the Glendora- Azusa
Water Company and the Azusa Valley Lemon
Curing Company. At the time he became con-
nected with the Azusa Irrigating Company it
comprised less than one-half of its present acre-
age. In 1892 he assisted actively in the reorgan-
i/cation of the compan}^, which under his leader-
ship increased its acreage to nearly four thousand
acres within the district. During his early con-
nection with the company as director he boldly
championed what, in his judgment, was right,
against any opposition that appeared and by his
indomitable energj- succeeded in the plans he laid
for the development of the company's conduit,
which during the term was changed from thirty-
five miles of mud ditches to an equal length of
cement or vitrified conduit. With the subsequent
development of the water interests he has been
closely connected. The question of irrigation,
which has been one of the most vexing problems
confronting the horticulturists of California, he
has grasped in all its details, and by his keen
foresight and sound j udgment he has been a leader
in the .solution of this problem in his own neigh-
borhood.

Educational matters have received the encour-
aging aid of Mr. Griffith. ReaHzing the great
value of a good education he has done all within
his power to advance the school interests of his

6o4

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

countj' and stale. For seven years he was a
trustee of Los Angeles Universit^^ during which
time his sj'mpathy and cooperation were always
to be relied upon in the institution's behalf. For
three years he has served as a trustee of the Citrus
Union high school, and during this time he has
been honored with the offices of president and
vice-president of the board.

By the marriage of Mr. Griffith, which united
him with Miss Alice Black, of Baltimore, Md.,
he has one son, Elbert B.

0CTAVIUS MORGAN. To one interested
in the growth of cities, centers of a great
and flourishing population, the heart of a
locality's commerce and culture, Los Angeles pre-
sents a unique spectacle. In view of the fact that
a score of years ago the place, largely Mexican
in population, comprised only ten or twelve
thousand inhabitants, and that to-day it has at-
tained to ten times that number, it is evident that
few cities have been so remarkable from the
builder's standpoint in the same length of time.
Indeed, the visitor from the north and east is as-
tonished beyond measure at the stately office
buildings, the imposing churches, schools and
public structures, and the miles and miles of
beautiful residences, each embowered in rich
verdure and flowers. Small wonder is it that
architects and builders have been attracted here
from all parts of this and foreign countries, and
the sharp competition and rivalry which have,
perforce, existed have doubtless led to the al-
most unparalleled excellence of the various
edifices erected here, especially within the past
decade. *

Octavius Morgan, a member of the well-known
firm of Morgan & Walls, is a native of Canter-
bury, Kent, England, his birth having occurred
October 20, 1850. He is one of the twelve chil-
dren, two of whom are now deceased, of Giles
Chapman and Caroline (Adams) Morgan. The
father, who was born in Faversham, Kent, de-
parted this life in 1861, and the mother, whose
birth took place in Hern Hill, Kent, England,
died in 1899, aged eighty-two years.

In his youth Octavius Morgan received the ad-
vantages of the local schools, and attended the
Kent Academy. Having chosen architecture as

his life work he went to Canterbury, where he
studied with F. A. Gilham and made thorough
preparation for his future. Coming then to Los
Angeles he embarked in business, at first as a
draughtsman with the firm of E. F. Kysor, and
at the end of two years, or in 1876, became part-
ner. He has been a member of the present firm
of Morgan & Walls since 1888, and has offices at
No. 232 North Main street, over the Farmers and
Merchants Bank. They make a specialty of put-
ting up large office and mercantile structures, hos-
pitals, hotels and public buildings, and among the
scores of structures of this type the following
named may be mentioned: The Catholic Cathe-
dral of Santa Vibiana in this city, built in 1877;
the St. Vincent de Paul Infirmary of this city,
erected in 1883; the Nadeau Hotel and Childs'
Opera House put up the same year; the Los An-
geles Abstract building (fire-proof), the Los An-
geles Orphans' Home and the Redondo Hotel,
all constructed in 1887: the Hollenbeck Home
for Aged People, the BuUard building, in 1895;
the Van Nuys Hotel, in 1896; and the Los An-
geles furniture building. Nelson Storey and
Barker furniture buildings, etc. These exam-
ples are selected from a list of hundreds, many of
which are equally notable, but these will .suffice
to show the varied types of architecture, and the
several manifestations, as needed in the diflferent
purposes for which buildings are designed. Mr.
Morgan is past master of his craft, and is a care-
ful, painstaking business man, strictly reliable
and trustworthy. During his long career as a
business man here he has retained the confidence
of all who have had dealings with him, and may
well be proud of the fact that he does business
for men in Los Angeles to-day who employed
him a quarter of a century ago. He has inde-
fatigably endeavored to promote the interests of
the city in every possible manner.

Socially Mr. Morgan stands high, and in the
various clubs and fraternities with which he is
identified, is justly popular. He belongs to the
Hollenbeck Lodge of Ma.sons and to Golden Rule
Lodge No. 160, I. O. O. F". , and is the president
of the Odd Fellows' Hall Association. He also is
the president of the Soutiiern California Chapter
of the American Institute Architects, and former-
ly served in a similar capacity in the Engineers
and Architects Association of Southern Cnlifor-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

605

uia. From the time that the Temple Street Cable
Railway was started he has been one of its direc-
tors, and he also is a director in the Fraternal
Building and Loan Societj-. He has been a mem-
ber of the California Club for several years, and
is a life member of the Los Angeles Athletic Club
of this city. Politically he is a believer in the
policy of the Republican party and uses his ballot
accordingly.

In 1884 Mr. Morgan married Margaret S.
Weller, daughter of J. and Mary (Perkins)
Weller, natives of Virginia, in which state their
ancestors settled at an early day. Mrs. Morgan,
who was born in Ohio, was reared upon her
father's farm. Our subject and wife have two
children, Octavius Weller and Jessie Caroline
Morgan.

fgEORGE F. COSTERISAN, who, by com-
1— mon consent of his profession and the gen-
VU eral public, stands in the foremost ranks of
the architects of the United States and occupies a
distinctive position in Los Angeles and Southern
California, is a native of Pennsylvania. His
birth occurred upon his father's farm February
5, 1846, and when he was in his fourteenth year
he accompanied the family to Wisconsin. For
some years he attended the schools at Baraboo,
and when the great Civil war was being waged
he enlisted in the defense of the Union as soon as
he arrived at the required age. From August,
1863, until the close of the war, nearly two years
later, he was a member of Company F, Third
Wisconsin Cavalry, and made a creditable record
for fidelity and braver}*.

As a boy Mr. Costerisan worked for a local
architect by the name of Palmer, and upon his
return from the war he studied the business un-
der Mr. Palmer's direction for a year or more.
Then, going to Chicago, he was employed by
C. P. Randall, an architect, for two years, and
thus completed his apprenticeship to the craft.
Prior to this, however, he had attended the Kim-
ball Institute at Baraboo, Wis., for two winters.
His first independent work of any magnitude was
the supervision of the building of the Algona
(Iowa) court-house, after which he went to De-
corah, in the same state, and opened an office,
remaining there until 1878. During this period
he designed and built numerous structures in

various parts of his state and Minnesota and
Wisconsin. Among them was a large mill at La
Crosse, a church at New Hampton, Iowa, a sem-
inary at Fort Dodge, schools at Janesville, Wis.,
Fort Atkinson and Waupun, a high school at
Cedar Rapids, an asylum at Faribault, Minn.,
and one at Rochester, that state.

In 1878 Mr. Costerisan removed to Eureka,
Nev., where he opened an office, and during the
following year he superintended the building of
a court house and large grammar school there.
The steady tide of immigration to the west and
its great promises for the future attracted him,
like others, and in 1879 he went to San Fran-
cisco. Thence he prospected in Northern Cali-
fornia, and, finding an excellent business open-
ing at Port Kenyon, Humboldt county, he con-
ducted a dry-goods store there for two years.
Subsequently he established an office at Eureka,
Cal., and during the ensuing four years designed
and constructed several schools, churches and
business blocks. In December, 1886, he came to
Los Angeles, where he was associated with dif-
ferent architects much of the time until April,
1890, when he yielded to a growing conviction
within his mind that for the immediate future
there was a better prospect for him in Salt Lake
City. Proceeding to that ambitious and flour-
ishing metropolis he supervised the building of
three schools, the cost of which aggregated
$127,000. He remained at that place for about
four years, and in November, 1894, returned to
Los Angeles. His son, M. Ray Costerisan, was
in partnership with him for about four years,
and, being a fine electrician, he is now employed
in that capacity by the Globe Manufacturing
Company, of the town of Globe, Cal. For a year
he held a position as chief electrician in the Henne
block, in this city, and he is undoubtedly des-
tined to become a leader in his line.

Since his return to Los Angeles Mr. Costerisan
has disposed of a large volume of important busi-
ness, and to indicate the fine class of work which
he carries to successful completion a few of the
structures lately erected under his supervision
may be noted. He had laid the foundations of
his present fame prior to going to Salt Lake City
by the designing and management of the build-
ing of four grammar schools here, and at Fresno
and Bakersfield he was interested in the erection

6o6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of two beautiful high schools, the former costing
$65,000 and the latter $18,000. The Lincoln
school, of Pasadena, costing $20,000; the Ven-
tura high school, costing $15,000; the Santa
Monica high school, costing nearly $20,000; the
San Fernando high school and university; the
Long Beach high .school, costing over $15,000;
and many others designed and built under his
charge, are splendid "monuments to his skill and
superior taste. All are modern and models of
comfort and convenience, beauty and utility be-
ing united in a wonderful manner. The limits of
this article forbid further mention of his accom-
plishments along other lines of his profession.
Suffice it to say that he is justly entitled, by
virtue of long and arduous work and undoubted
genius in his chosen field of enterprise, to a fore-
most place among the architects of this gener-
ation.

Mr. Costerisan married Miss Rose Powell in
Decorah, Iowa, December 17, 1872. They have
one son and one daughter, M. Ray and Cora May.
The family are identified with the Episcopal
Church. Mr. Costerisan is a Mason, and was
associated with South Gate Lodge, F. & A. M.,
and Utah Chapter No. i, R. A. M., of Salt Lake
City. He also joined Enterprise Lodge No. 15,
I. O. O. F., and Unity Encampment No. 9, of
Salt Lake City. Besides, he is a Knight of
Pythias. Politically he was a Democrat until
Harrison was a nominee for president, since
which time he has been loyal to the Republican
party. His first vote was cast while he was in
the army on a raiding expedition to Spring River,
Mo. , and was in favor of Lincoln for a second
term.

r"RANK E. ADAMS. In all those matters
JM tending toward the development of the high-
I ^ er interests of Pomona, Mr. Adams has been
an important factor since he came to this city in
1890. Having engaged in teaching during a
short period of his life, he realizes theimportance
of providing our schools with the best equip-
ments, and he has used his influence toward that
end. For four years he was a trustee of the Po-
mona public schools and for one year held office
as president of the Pomona board of education,
these positions enabling him to carry into e.Kccu-
tion many helpful plans in the interests of the

schools. He is also a member of the board of
trustees of the Pomona public library, which is
one of the most complete institutions of its kind
to be found in Southern California. While aid-
ing in the progress of movements for the public
good he has not neglected his private business
interests. Horticulture, the principal occupation
of this locality, is the one which he successful!}-
follows. Since the organization of the Pomona
Co-Operative Union he has officiated as its presi-
dent and he is also a director in the .same, as
well as in the Pomona Fruit Growers' Ex-
change. It will thus be seen that his interests
are varied and important.

The family of which Mr. Adams is a member
was established in America in a very early day,
and among its most distinguished repre.sentatives
were John Adams and his son, John Quincy
Adams, presidents of the United States. Our sub-
ject was born at Oneida Castle, Oneida county,
N. Y., May 6, 1852, a son of Silas and Elvira
(Snow) Adams, natives of New York, and de-
scended from Massachusetts families. He pre-
pared for college at Whitestown Seminary, near
Utica, N.Y., from which institution he graduated
at nineteen years of age. He then entered Am-
herst College and took the complete cla.ssical
course, graduating with the class of 1S75 and re-
ceiving the degree of A. B. Immediately after
his graduation he was offered and accepted a po-
sition as teacher of languages in Falley Semi-
nary, Fulton, N. Y. Soon, however, he resigned
the chair and gave his attention to the study of
law with Judge R. H. Tyler, of Fulton, with
whom he read for about eighteen months. From
there he went to Honolulu, Sandwich Islands,
having accepted the chair of languages and math-
ematics in Oahu College, Honolulu. This im-
portant chair he filled for three years. In 188 1
he returned to Oneida county, N. Y., but after a
short visit there, in 1882 went to Humboldt,
Iowa, establishing a mercantile business under
the firm name of Ray & Adams, which was con-
ducted for eight years. At the same time he
served as a member of the board of education in
that town. From there he came to Pomona in
November, 1890. He is identified with the Pil-
grim Congregational Church of this city, in which
for a time he held the office of deacon. His ])o-
litical views bring him into affiliation with the

4JI

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

609

Republican party, whose candidates he supports
with his vote and his influence. He has a pleas-
ant home in Pomona. His wife, Mrs. Carrie E.
Adams, is a daughter of Rev. W. L. Jones, at this
writing a resident of Pomona. They are the par-
ents of three children, Myron F., Carolyn A. and
Eugene S. Adams.

of several lots in Los Angeles. In his political
views he is independent, supporting the men and
movements he believes best calculated to promote
the public welfare, irrespective of party ties. As
an honored pioneer he commands the respect and
confidence of his associates and acquaintances.

(TOSEPH FRIZELL, who resides at Spadra,
I came to Northern California in 1859 and to
(2/ the southern part of the state ten years
later. A descendant of Scotch ancestors, he was
born in Franklin county, Mass., March 2, 1837,
a son of Marcus and Cynthia (Potter) Frizell,
also natives of the Bay state. During boyhood
he worked on the home farm, where he became
inured to hard work and also acquired a thorough
knowledge of agricultural pursuits. His educa-
tion was meager. From the time he was seven-
teen he had no opportunity to attend school, for
his time was required constantly on the home-
stead. Notwithstanding disadvantages he is now
a well-informed man, for he has been a close ob-
server and a thoughtful reader.

In 1857 ^^i"- Erizell started out in the world
for himself He left home and went to Minne-
sota, which was then attracting attention as a
possible center for wheat raising. The country
was undeveloped. He took up a tract of land
and began to clear a farm, but did not feel suffi-
cientlj' attracted by the prospects to remain there.
In 1859 he started acrossthe plains for California,
leaving Goodhue county, Minn., with a large
party bound for the west. The men joined two
other parties, and with ox-teams and wagons
pursued their journey, crcssing the Missouri
river at Omaha, Neb., on the 3d of June and
arriving at Yreka, Siskiyou county, Cal., on the
30th of December, 1859.

As his object in coming west had been to pros-
pect and mine, Mr. Frizell at once turned his at-
tention to that occupation. He remained in
Siskiyou county for ten years, coming to South-
ern California in 1869 and settling in El Monte.
In 1873 he removed from there to Tuenta, where
he remained until his removal to Spadra in Au-
gust, 1880. Here he has since made his home.
Besides his property in this place he is the owner

30HN WESLEY GAINES. During the
long period of his residence in California
Mr. Gaines has won and retained the esteem
of his associates and the respect of his acquaint-
ances. He owns and occupies a farm two and
one-half miles east of Compton, where he follows
general farm pursuits and also carries on a stock
business. A native of Kentucky, he was born in
Madison county, August 17, 1827, and is a son
of John W. and Sarah (White) Gaines, natives
respectively of Virginia and Kentucky. His fa-
ther, who was a millwright and farmer by occu-
pation, died in Missouri, and his mother died in
Kansas when about eighty years of age. Of their
twelve children only two are now living: John
Wesley and Benjamin Franklin. Mrs. Gaines
was a daughter of Nathan White, who served in
the colonial army during the entire period of the
Revolutionary war.

The early years of our subject' s life were passed
on a farm, and he received his education in coun-
try schools. At the outbreak of the excitement
in 1849, caused by the discovery of gold in Cali-
fornia, he determined to try his fortune in the far
west. Accordingly, in 1850, he set out on the
long journey with an ox-team. After a journey
of three months he arrived in the mining district
of Nevada City, where he was engaged in mining
for two years. About 1855 he settled in Santa
Clara county. For eighteen years he followed
the carpenter's trade. In August, 1871, he set-
tled on a sixty-acre farm near Compton, and here
he has since made his home.

While in San Jos6 Mr. Gaines cast his first
presidential vote, supporting Buchanan. He
voted with the Democrats until about 1892, when
he became an adherent of the Populist party,
being strongly in favor of the free and unlimited
coinage of silver advocated by this party.

In Gilroy, Santa Clara county, Cal. , Mr. Gaines
married Miss Mary Camp, who was born in New
York, and accompanied her parents to California

6io

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in childhood. Twelve children were born of their
union, namely: William A.; Weslej-; Edith, Mrs.
L. P. Abbott, of Los Angeles; Sophie Lee; Ed-
ward F.; Lillie Belle, wife ofR. R. Briggs; Lou-
isa, wife of David Henderson; Robert E., Na-
than, Margaret, Clara and Laura G.

nOHN PARKINSON. In a city where there

I is such a vast amount of building done each
(2) year as in Los Angeles, great opportunities
are presented to able, enterprising architects, in
which class John Parkinson takes high rank.
His experience has been very extensive for one
who has scarcely reached middle life, and he
represents the most progressive element of his
profession.

One of the native sons of England, he was
born in Lancashire, December 12, 1861, and was
reared to manhood there, receiving a liberal edu-
cation. Upon leaving the common schools he
attended a mechanical and technical institute in
Lancashire, and also served an apprenticeship to
a leading contractor and builder, putting into
practical use the principles he had learned in
school. He remained in the employ of one con-
tractor in his native town for six years, at the
end of which time he decided to trj^ his fortunes
in the United States.

In 1889 John Parkinson arrived on the Pacific
coast, and, going to Seattle, where there ap-
peared to be a good opening for an ambitious
young man, he established an office, and em-
barked in business. The building in which his
office was situated was destroyed in the great
fire which devastated the city in 1889, but new
buildings were in demand as the result and he
was constantly bu.sy. Among the notable struct-
ures which he designed were the Butler block,
costing $160,000; the Seattle National Bank,
erected at a co.st of $240,000, and many other
buildings, representing over $2,000,000. In ad-
dition to this he designed buildings for towns and
villages in different parts of the state of Wash,
ington. In March, 1894, he removed to Los
Angeles.

Among many of the substantial buildings in
Los Angeles that he designed was the Homer
Laughlin building, one of the most thoroughlj-
fireproof office buildings in the United States. In

this city, a.s in the north, he has won success and
pre-eminence, and his future is very promising.
He was a charter member of the Seattle branch
of the American Institute of Architects.

The first presidential vote cast by Mr. Parkin-
son was for Benjamin Harrison, and at the same
election (1892) he used his ballot in favor of the
Republican nominee for fir.st governor of the
state of Washington. He is a stanch Republi-
can, and is loyal to the land of his adoption.
The marriage of Mr. Parkinson and Miss Meta
B. Breckenfeld took place in Napa county, Cal.,
December 25, 1889. They have two children,
namelv: Mary D. and Donald B.

(I ESSE Y ARNELL has been one of the most
I active and progressive pioneers of Los An-
Q) geles. He is a native of Licking county,
Ohio, and was born near the line of Muskingum
county, June 20, 1837. He learned the printer's
trade in a newspaper office at Zanesville, Ohio,
where he remained, engaging in the newspaper
business, for about three years. In 1862 he came
to California, settling at Placerville and purchas-
ing a controlling interest in the Placerville Dni/j
N('7cs, which he successfully conducted until
1866. He then came to Los Angeles and started
the U^eek/j Republican , which, after publishing
fora year, he sold. The material of the plant was
finally merged into that of the Evening Express,
which enterprise was organized and put on foot
by Mr. Yarnell and his brother George, together
with George Tifi'any, John Painter and Miguel
Varilla. This they finally sold and Mr. Yarnell,
with T. J. Caystile and W. W. Brown, started
the ]Veekly Minor. Later Nathan Cole came to
Los Angeles and established the Daily Times,
which he afterward sold to the Mirror Company.
Finally Col. H. G. Otis and his associates incor-
porated the Times-Mirror Company and merged
the two publications in one, the outgrowth of
which is the present Los Angeles Daily Times,
one of the most ably conducted dailies on the
Pacific coast.

Under Mr. Yarnell's direction the Weekly
Mirror thrived and became influential through-
out Southern California, forming the splendid
foundation on which was built the Daily Times.
After selling the Mirror he associated him.self

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

6ii

with Commodore Riifus R. Haines and Julius
Martin in the establishment of the IVcsfcn/
JVave, which was conducted in the interests of
the cause of Prohibition. For one year they con-
ducted this paper, then sold it, after which it was
merged into what is now the California Voice,
the representative Prohibition paper of the Pacific
coast. He also took a prominent part in the or-
ganization of the old firm of Kingsley & Barnes,
now widely known as the Kingsley, Barnes &
Neuner Company, and he was a partner in the
original concern. He was one of the incor-
porators of the first cable street railroad in Los
Angeles, the old Second street line that started
at Second and Spring and terminated on Belmont
avenue. This enterprise had a most salutary in-
fluence upon the development of that hill-region
of the city.

During his active life in Los Angeles Mr.
Yarnell was more or less identified with the ex-
pansion of the city by the laying out of additions
and the subdivision of tracts of land. He was
one of the original incorporators of the Indiana
colony, the outgrowth of which successful enter-
prise is a portion of the present beautiful city of
Pasadena. He also helped to re-establish the
Troy Laundry Company of Los Angeles, which
has grown into a strong money-making institu-
tion, and of which he was secretary for eight
years. His close identification with the material
growth of the city has made him a very busy man
indeed. He is now president of the Porter Land
and Water Company, of the Richfield Land and
Water Company, and is also interested in oil
development in Southern California.

At Placerville, Cal., in 1865, Mr. Yarnell
married Miss Susan Caystile, daughter of Thomas
and Eshter (Lea) Caystile. They have four
daughters and one son. Mr. Yarnell is a strong
adherent of the cause of Prohibition and has for
years been an influential member of the Prohibi-
tion party in the state. Three times he has been
selected to serve as a member of the National
party committee from California, twice he served
on the state committee and frequently has been
elected chairman of the county organization. He
has held one of the highest ofiices in the state
organization of Good Templars and for twenty -
five years has been an active member of Merrill
Lodge, I. O. G. T.

The qualities which characterize Mr. Yarnell
are his by inheritance. He descends'from gen-
erations of keen and talented men, and through
his mother is a direct descendant of Oliver Crom-
well and a near relative of ex-President Zachary
Taylor. He is a type of the best class of pio-
neers; a man of exalted ideas of right, of un-
swerving integrity and strong individuality.

RUM AN BERRY was the second permanent
settler in Whittier, having located here in
vhen a barley field covered the ground
on which now stands the prosperous town. He
is a native of far off Someret county, Me., where
he was born December 18, 1852. His parents,
William and Lucy (Andrews) Berry, were also
natives of Maine, as were many of his ancestors.
William Berry was a soldier in the Civil war,
and the grandfather, Levi Berry, was a soldier in
the war of 1812.

Truman Berry passed his youth on his father's
farm in Maine and was a diligent lad, who readily
applied himself to the tasks allotted him, and who
was therefore of valuable assistance in the manage-
ment of the farm. He also studied with zest at
the public schools, which opportunity was sup-
plemented by a course at the Concord (Me.) high
school. Having thus fitted himself for an active,
independent life, he decided to start out for him-
self and in 1S89 undertook the journey to
Socorro, N. M., where he engaged with marked
success in the transfer and livery business. Not
being satisfied with the future prospects of his
surroundings, he next moved to California and
located in East Whittier, where he became inter-
ested in the upbuilding and improvement of the
crude conditions then existing here. At the
present time he has a fine ranch given over to
the cultivation of oranges, lemons and English
walnuts and covering ten and one-half acres. In
addition he owns a ranch of fourteen and one-half
acres in English walnuts.

Mr. Berry married Louise Holbrook, a native
of Maine, and to this couple has been born one
daughter, Georgie I. Mr. Berry is variously
interested in a political and fraternal way. He
is a Republican, but entertains broad and com-
prehensive views regarding the election of men
to public office. He is a member of the Inde-

6l2

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Wliitlier, and
also a member of the order of Maccabees at
Los Angeles, and the Fraternal Brotherhood and
Woodmen of the World at Whittier.

Mr. Berry's progressive, enterprising spirit
has met with a heart}^ response from his fellow-
townsmen, among whom he is esteemed for his
devotion to the interests of the community, and
for his unfailing willingness to lend time and
money for the accomplishment of the needs of
friends, associates or the public at large.

r" VERETT L. BLANCH ARD. Just fifteen
j^ years ago Everett L. Blanchard took up his
L. permanent residence in Los Angeles, and
from that time until the present day he has been
foremost in every enterprise and improvement
calculated to advance the prosperity of this thriv-
ing city of the sunny southland. He has been a
witness of the most remarkable period of its
growth, perhaps, and has seen the humble adobe
buildings one by one give place to imposing
structures that would do credit to any eastern
metropolis. He has beheld the transformation of
arid wastes and the brown hills into fertile, blos-
soming groves and gardens, in whose midst have
been reared stately mansions and beautiful homes
of every variety of architecture. And in all of
this marvelous work he may feel that he has had
a share, owing to the nature of his business, for
he has bought and sold land extensively and has
been actively associated with many local enter-
prises.

Mr. Blanchard is a native of Maine, his birth
having occurred in the town of Cumberland,
forty-four years ago. His boyhood was spent
upon a farm, and in the pursuits common to
country life he developed into a strong man,
physically and mentally. His education was such
as could be obtained in the schools of the neigh-
borhood and in Greeley Institute, whither his am-
bitious young feet took him in order that he might
taste deeper of the wells of knowledge. When
he arrived at the age of twenty-two years he em-
barked in the mercantile business, in partnership
with a brother, and it was not until 1885 that he
left his native state in the far east to come to the
shores of the western ocean. He had prospered
in a business way, but he was not satisfied until

he had tried his fortunes in the west, where he
was certain that greater things awaited him. He
located in Los Angeles and e.stablished himself in
the insurance and real estate business, in the
former of which he has since continued with wis-
dom and ability.

In all of his transactions Mr. Blanchard has
maintained the utmost justice and regard for the
rights of others, and in every instance where he
has bought or sold property he has retained the
esteem of the persons with whom he dealt. To
this fact, doubtless, and to his general high
standing in the community, is due his being
chosen as a representative of the people in the city
council. He was elected to that responsible of-
fice in the fall of 1895, and has been re-elected
twice since, the present year being the third term
of his retention as a public official. He is affili-
ated with the Republican party, but never has
been a politician in the modern sense. Fra-
ternally he is a Knight of Pythias and prominent
in the ranks of the Masonic order. At the age of
twenty-two he was united in marriage to Miss
Porter, a lady who was born and reared in the
same town as himself. They are the parents of
three daughters, and their home is a happy and
attractive one.

I EL CAMPBELL is a leading citizen and
fruit-raiser of Pomona and resides at the
corner of Garey and Orange Grove avenues.
A man of broad western experience when he be-
came a resident of this city in 1891, he at once
identified himself with important enterprises here
and is a citizen in whom the community has im-
plicit confidence. He is at this writing a director
in the Pomona Fruit Growers' Exchange.

As the name implies the Campbell family is of
Scotch extraction. Mr. Campbell was born in
Van Buren county, Mich., December 18, 1842, a
son of William and Elvira (Raymond) Camp-
bell, natives respectively of Michigan and Penn-
sylvania. He was reared in Michigan and passed
the years of early youth in an uneventful man-
ner. While still a mere boy he determined to
seek his fortune in the newly-discovered mines of
Colorado. In 1859 he left home and friends and
traveled overland to the Rocky mountain region,
where he remained for three years. In 1863 he

^^^>*=

•^

^SM

'■,,.

'•^i^'^^^r ^^^^^^^

^^#''4'

yji^fH^^^^^Bk

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

went to Idaho, where tor a long time he engaged
in placer mining and also carried on various
mercantile pursuits.

During that period of his life Mr. Campbell
was an active and influential politician. He was
honored for three terms with the office of sheriff
of Alturas county, which he filled with satisfac-
tion, not only to his own party (the Republican),
but to all public-spirited citizens.

His next change of location was to Grand
Ronde valley. Union county, Ore., where he en-
gaged in the twin industries of agriculture and
dairying. He still holds a choice farm in that
locality, although his home and his chief inter-
ests are at Pomona. Fraternally he is a member
of the local Masonic lodge. In the Episcopal
Church of Pomona he holds the ofiice of senior
warden. His wife is a native of Wisconsin and
before marriage was Blanche Jameson.

EAPT. SAMUEL J. MILLER. There are
few of the horticulturists of Southern Cali-
fornia whose period of residence in this part
of the world exceeds that of Captain Miller, who is
the well-known president of the A. C. G. Lemon
Association of Glendora. It was in 1863 that he
first came to the Pacific coast, and for a number of
years made his home in Santa Clara, after which
he resided some nine years in Compton, and in
1881 he came to Glendora, which has since been
his home. He is therefore not only a pioneer of
California, but also of Glendora, where he owns
a ranch of forty acres, planted to fruits. He also
owns fifty acres of mountain water-bearing land.

In Jefferson county, N. Y., Captain Miller was
born September 18, 1836, a son of Samuel and
Sarah (Howe) Miller, natives of New York. His
grandfather, Samuel Miller, fought in the battle
of Sacket's Harbor, and was also in the land
force at the time Commodore Perry fought the
battle of Lake Erie. His father, Nathaniel Mil-
ler, was a Revolutionary soldier, and fought in
the battle of Long Island and the siege and sur-
render of York town. The Millers are of Eng-
lish-German extraction, while the Howes are
Scotch.

When seven years of age our subject accom-
panied his parents to Cass county, Mich. When
they left New York for Michigan they came up

Lake Erie on the first propeller ever run on that
lake. When he was nineteen years of age he
went to Kansas, joining a free-state company,
with whom he drilled for three months. He then
went to Platte county. Mo. , and engaged in saw-
milling and lumbering. After the outbreak of
the Civil war he organized a company, which
was later known as Company H, Thirty-ninth
Missouri Cavalry. He was unanimously chosen
captain of the company and received his commis-
sion as such. The organization of the company
was entirely the result of his own efforts. He
was in a hotbed of Confederacy, and was forced
to do all of the work secretly, as, had it been
known he was raising a company for the Union
army, the results would have been serious for
him. His company was engaged in garrison
duty in Missouri, and served froni the spring of
1862 until March, 1863.

Immediately after being honorably discharged
from the service Captain Miller came to Califor-
nia, accompanied by his family, with team and
wagon, making the trip across the plains with a
large band of emigrants from Leavenworth,
Kans.,to Santa Clara, Cal. Four months and
ten days were spent on the way, and many hard-
ships were endured by the pilgrims, for at that
time Indians were particularly savage and were
constantly attempting to steal cattle, waj-lay trav-
elers, etc. Finally, however, Santa Clara was
reached in safety. For a number of years he
farmed there, and he was similarly engaged in
Compton. In 1881 he came to Glendora, since
which time he has given his attention to raising
lemons, apricots and oranges. He was one of the
organizers of the A. C. G. Lemon Association
at Glendora, Cal., and is now president and a
director of the same; also a director of the Glen-
dora and Covina Citrus Association.

By his first wife, Lucy A. McComas, Captain
Miller had two sons: Charles R. (deceased) and
William H., of Glendora. His present wife was
Emma W. Winsor, of Providence, R. I., daugh-
ter of Alfred and Ann Maria (Budlong) Stone,
both natives of Rhode Island.

Interested in Grand Army matters, Captain
Miller is actively connected with the post at Po-
mona. For thirty-three years he has served as an
elder in the Christian Church, and he is now a
leading officer in the church at Glendora. His

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

sympathies have lung been with the cause of Pro-
hibition, and both by example and precept he has
endeavored to inculcate temperance principles in
the rising generation. He is a worthy citizen,
and deservedly stands high.

QHARLES henry bush came to Califor-
\C nia in March, 1870, from Mendota, 111. He
U was born in Northampton county. Pa.,
March 5, 1835, a son of Michael Opp and Lncre-
tia (Luckenback) Bush, natives respectively of
Pennsylvania and Holland. His father, who
was a watchmaker and jeweler by trade, remained
in the east until advanced in years, and then
moved to Bloomington, 111., where he died about
18S1. His wife died in Pennsylvania in 1840,
leaving six children, of whom four survive.
Three of these are in California, Charles Henry;
Amandus Lawrence, of Escondido; and Mrs. Ma-
tilda TuUis. While still a boy our subject learned
his father's trade in Sidney, Ohio, where the
family lived for several years. At the age of
eighteen he went to Bloomington, 111., and em-
barked in business for himself. He was enter-
prising, industrious and capable, and soon became
popular with the people. In his place of busi-
ness he had a free reading room, where daily
newspapers and the current literature of the day
were kept on file. This movement was under
the auspices of what was known as the White
Hat Club. He made his home in Bloomington
during a period characterized by some of the most
exciting and interesting events in our national
history. Among his friends and customers he
counted some men who were of national fame,
including Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas,
Judge David Davis and Leonard Swett. He re-
calls with much pleasure the fact that Mr. Lin-
coln was accustomed to call at the club room
regularly each morning, where, after reading the
papers, he indulged in a few minutes' chat with
Mr. Bu.sh upon subjects of national interest.
After Abraham Lincoln had won one of the most
famous law suits in the state of Illinois, which
attracted national attention, Mr. Bush had the
satisfaction of predicting to Mr. Lincoln that in
eight years he would be president of the United
States, which prediction was literally fulfilled.
After having engaged in business in Bloom-

ington for some \ ears Mr. Bush disposed of his
interests there and came to California, settling in
Los Angeles and opening a jewelry store in the
Downey block. He remained in the same loca-
tion until 1881, when he moved across Main
street to his present number, 318. He is a thor-
ough business man, genial, capable and intelli-
gent, and holds a high place among the members
of the Society of Los Angeles County Pioneers.

During all of his active life Mr. Bush has been
devoted to the welfare of the country, a true
patriot as well as a public- spirited citizen. At
the time of the Civil war he made five unsucce.ss-
ful attempts to secure admission into the Federal
army, but each time was rejected on account of
disabilities. Finallj', however, he was successful
in securing an appointment as commissary at
Cairo, 111., where he remained until the close of
the war. One of the most interesting and highly
prized souvenirs in his possession is a pass signed
by Ulysses S. Grant, then colonel in the army,
granting him permission to go to the front to see
the bovs in blue.

30SEPH PERRY SYLVA. California is re-
markabl}- cosmopolitan, and numbers among
her population representatives of almost
every country. Perhaps to this very fact the
state owes its signal prosperity, for its citizens
thus possess an unlimited range of qualities- —
the attributes of every nationality. The subject
of this article is one of the natives of Portugal
who have cast in their lot with the people of this
favored clime. He was born August 24, 1845.
When he was twenty-one years of age, in 1866,
he sailed to the United States, and arrived in
San Francisco.

In June, 1867, Mr. Sylva came to Wilmington,
and for several months was employed on the
wharf by the Banning Company. He then
worked on the railroad for the same firm from
the autumn of 1869 until January, 1877, i" '^^^
meantime carefully .sa^•ing a large part of his
wages. At the commencement of 1877 ^^ ^°i"
barked in merchandising, and opened a general
store in Wilmington. He has continued to act as
the proprietor of this store ever since — twenty-
three years — during which time he has enjoyed a
large patronage and has won the good will and
confidence of the public. He is regarded as a

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

617

strictly just aud honorable merchant, and bj- his
square dealing he has risen to a position of esteem
in the communit)-.

Ever since becoming a citizen of this thriving
place Mr. Sylva has taken an interested and
patriotic part in local enterprises. That he stands
high in the estimation of his townsmen has been
manifested time and again when he has been
called upon to occupy positions of honor and
trust, and never has he disappointed them in the
discharging of the duties thus imposed upon him.
He has been active in local politics, and, besides
serving as a member of the school board and clerk
of that body for several years, he has been the
postmaster of Wilmington for some time.

Fraternally he is an enthusiastic member of the
Odd Fellows and Masonic orders, and, moreover,
is identified with the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. Of the eight children born to his
marriage, six are yet living.

EHARLES H. BUTTERFIELD came to his
present ranch in East Whittier in 1893.
His life had previously been somewhat on
the roving, adventurous order, his various lines
of occupation being remotely separated. A native
of Orange county, Vt., he was born March 30,
r842, his parents, Welbee and Eliza (Brown)
Butterfield, being also natives of Vermont. The
family is of English extraction, the ancestors who
came to America arriving during the latter part
of the last century. Welbee Butterfield was a
.soldier in the war of 18 12 and served his country
with courage and fidelity.

Until his twentieth year Charles H. Butterfield
lived on his father's farm among the Vermont
hills, going to the small school-house as oppor-
tunity offered during the winter time and imbib-
ing into his nature some of the ruggedness and
force of his surroundings. During his twentieth
year he went to New Hampshire, but soon re-
turned to Vermont, where he remained until the
spring of 1864. He then made arrangements to
go to Idaho. The trip was a memorable one,
prolific of novelty and adventure. Their train of
eight wagons wended its way slowly over the
plains, consuming in the long jaunt five months.
When the caravan reached Nebraska City Mr.
Butterfield bought four yoke of oxen, which he

drove the rest of the distance to Boise City, Idaho.
Arriving there, he engaged with a mercantile
firm as a clerk for some time, then went to Mon-
tana and interested himself in placer mining.
Not being inclined to make the far west his home
at that time, he returned to New Hampshire,
going down the Missouri river to Sioux City,
Iowa, on a flat boat. From Sioux City he went
by train to Dover, N. H., and, upon arriving
there, he was employed in a last manufactory as
a carpenter, remaining in this capacity for over
twenty years. In 1888 he came to California,
and, after a residence of a few weeks in Pasa-
dena, moved to Ventura county, where he staj-ed
until 1893. He then took up his residence on
the ranch which is his present home.

Mr. Butterfield married Mary E. Clancy, of
Dover, N. H., and of their three children but
one survives, Edward C. , who is living at home.
A Democrat in politics, Mr. Butterfield has
been prominently identified with many move-
ments of his party. While living in Dover, N.
H. , he served as selectman from ward 2 and as
clerk of the same ward, and was also a candidate
of the New Hampshire legislature. Fraternallj'
he is associated with the Knights of Pythias at
Dover, N. H., and is a member and present mas-
ter of Whittier Lodge No. 323, F. & A. M., and
is past chancellor of Olive Branch Lodge No. 6,
K. of P., at Dover, N. H. He is also a member
of the Royal Arch Masons and the Knights Tem-
plar at Dover. Mr. Butterfield is appreciated for
his many fine traits of mind and character, for
his enterprise, liberal mindedness and general
interest in the public welfare.

EHARLES BRODE. Los Angeles is noted
for her self-made men — men who by reason
of their enterprise and industry have risen
from comparative obscurity to positions of influ-
ence and prominence in the city of their adop-
tion— and Mr. Brode, a pioneer of 186 1, is one of
this class. He was born in Prussia, Germany,
February 6, 1836. In his native country he
learned the trades of baker and confectioner. He
was an ambitious young man, aspiring to accom-
plish something in the world; and, learning of
what he presumed to be better opportunities in
another country, he left the fatherland and em-

6iS

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

barked for Australia to seek his fortune in the
gold fields of that country. However, his success
was somewhat indifferent. He made a living at
the business, but not a fortune. He remained
there until 1861, when he decided to tr}- his luck
in America, and accordingl}' came to San Fran-
cisco. Thence he went almost immediately to
Nevada and for six years worked in the mines of
that territory and in Montana and Idaho. In the
fall of 1867 he left Idaho and came to Los An-
geles, arriving here January 19, 1868. He first
took up the occupation of a nurse, and in that
capacity was employed among some of the lead-
ing families of the city. Later he worked as cook
in the old Bella Union hotel, where he remained
for eight months.

Naturally of a frugal disposition and habits,
Mr. Brode saved his earnings and so became the
possessor of money enough to enter business for
himself. Accordingly he opened a grocery at
what is now Nos. 217-219 South Spring street,
under the name of the Spring street store. The
new business venture prospered, and its owner
proved a successful merchant. For upwards of
twenty years he continued in business, until he
was visited by a disastrous fire, which burned his
entire establishment to the ground. How^ever,
being a judicious and cautious business man, he
was fairly well insured and sustained but a nomi-
nal loss. vSoon thereafter he erected a substan-
tial business block on the same site, and this
building he has since rented, having himself re-
tired from active business. He possesses those
natural traits that characterize all successful busi-
ness men. His early life was such as to impress
upon his mind the value of money, and the suc-
cess he has attained is due to his industry, econ-
omy and energy.

Mr. Brode has been twice married. His first
wife, whom he married in Los Angeles in 1863,
died in 1872, leaving two daughters: Emma,
who is now the wife of Theodore Freese, a wine
merchant; and Louise, widow of Henry Burning,
who was a wholesale wine merchant. By his
second marriage, which took place in 1873, Mr.
Brode has four children: Alexander C, Walter
C, Leon C. and Hilda C, all at home, the fam-
ily occupying a beautiful residence at No. 1229
South Olive street.

In fraternal relations Mr. Brode is connected

with the Turners and the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He has been an active member of
the chamber of commerce. With other pioneers
he takes a warm interest in the w'ork of the Los
Angeles County Society of Pioneers and is a reg-
ular member of the organization. He is a genial,
courteous gentleman and a popular citizen.

p GJlLLIAM H. CARPENTER. Among the

\ A / highly esteemed citizens and pioneers of
V V Comptou none occupies a more distinctive
place than William H. Carpenter, who dates his
residence here back to 1877. He is a native of
LTtica, N. Y. , his birth having occurred July 20,
1855. Until he was in his ninth year he lived in
the city, and his educational advantages were of
the best. He completed his higher .studies at
the Liberal Institute in Clinton, N. Y., and soon
began laying plans to try his fortunes in the west.
Leaving home when in his twenty-first year,
Mr. Carpenter came to the Pacific coast, and, set-
tling near Bakersfield, where his father had
located three months previously, he continued to
dwell there until October, 1877. LTpon leaving
there he came to Compton, where he has been en-
gaged in agricultural enterprises ever since. He
is one of the most successful ranchmen of Los
Angeles county, and has won his way to wealth
and an influential position by honest industry
and sound judgment and business sense. For
some fifteen years he has owned and operated a
threshing machine, and for several years he
farmed two thousand acres of land in Orange
county, in addition to his local enterprises, but
five years ago he abandoned that great under-
taking. At present he leases and manages two
ranches of one thousand acres each, situated about
one mile south of Compton, and also owns a large
stock ranch of two hundred and sixty-four acres
located two miles east of the town. He gives
employment to from twenty-five to forty men,
and keeps reliable foremen to oversee the special
departments of vvork. He raises some fine graded
live stock and keeps everything about his farms
in a manner which does him great credit.

December 18, 1881, Mr. Carpenter married
Mary, daughter of William Malott, one of theold
and honored early settlers of this locality. Six
children were born to this worthy couple, but the

^1^/,^,.-.^-/^-^=—

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

619

two daughters, Mabel C. and Helen L-, are de-
ceased, the former having died when ten years
old and the latter when twenty-two months old.
The four boys, William O., Arthur L., Lawrence
E. and Raymond F., are bright, promising youths
and apt students. The family attend the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church, Mrs. Carpenter being a
member of that denomination.

Politically Mr. Carpenter is a Republican, and
has been sent as a delegate to several state and
county conventions. Fraternally he is a Mason
and Odd Fellow, in the first mentioned order hav-
ing been treasurer of his lodge for the past five
years, and in the latter having been noble grand
three terms, and at present is serving his fourth
term as treasurer. He has deeply at heart the
welfare of his community, that of his chosen state
and of the country at large, and strives to promote
the public good in every possible manner.

the same time he aids other enterprises and or-
ganizations in whose value he places confidence.
In 18S8 he married Miss Jennie Finch, by whom
he has one daughter living, Cora L. Two other
children, Ethel May and Charley A., died of
diphtheria in early childhood.

<ySAAC S. OVERHOLTZER, who makes his
I home near Covina, is a member of one of the
J^ best-known families of this region, his father
having been the late Samuel A. Overholtzer, a
pioneer of San Joaquin county and later of Co-
vina. He was born in Sacramento county, Cal.,
October 14, 1866, shortly after his parents had
settled in that county as pioneers from Illinois.
As a boy he assisted his father at home and at-
tended the public schools of San Joaquin county.
It being the desire of his father that he should
have the best advantages po.ssible, he was sent
back to Illinois, where he attended Mount Morris
College, an old and thorough institution of learn-
ing in Ogle county.

Returning to California, Mr. Overholtzer per-
manentlj' settled in the vicinity of Covina in
1886. He is regarded as one of the rising young
horticulturists of the neighborhood. From his
father he has inherited the traits of energy and
determination that, combined with industry and
good judgment, are to their possessor the open
sesame that furnishes admission to the select
ranks of the successful.

From his earliest recollections Mr. Overholtzer
has been a firm believer in the principles of the
Republican party and the doctrines of the Ger-
man Baptist Church. Both of these organiza-
tions receive his support and assistance, and at

EHARLES E. NORTON. Not to every am-
bitious man does success come, no matter
how zealously he labors and bends his en-
ergy to that desirable end, but in the preponder-
ance of cases concentration of purpose, when
united to integrity and sagacity, will cause the
goddess of fortune to smile benignantly. In
starting out to fight the battles of life C. E. Nor-
ton, realizing that he must work if he would win,
resolved to be ready for "that tide in the affairs
of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to
fortune," and his success is now a matter of his-
tory, as he is generally accounted to stand in the
front ranks of the business men of Los Angeles.
His father, L. Norton, whose death occurred
at the old homestead in 189S, was one of the
most prosperous and extensive farmers of Lorain
county, Ohio. He owned a finely improved
homestead there, and devoted his entire attention
to its management for many years prior to his
death. In his early manhood he was interested
in the foundry business, both in the Buckeye
state and in the south, thus laying the founda-
tion of his future prosperity. For a wife he
cho.se Adeline Matthew, a native of New York
state, and three sons and a daughter were born
to them. With the exception of the subject of
this sketch the children are residents of Ohio.

C. E. Norton was born in Lorain county, Ohio,
September 14, 1865, and when he was of a suit-
able age commenced attending the common
schools. He was reared on his father's farm, and
at the age of nineteen years embarked upon an
independent career. Engaging in the wholesale
fruit business in Ohio, he continued in that line
of activity until 1887, when he removed to Los
Angeles. Here he became interested in the real-
estate business in partnership with his brother,
Grover E., but for some time has conducted his
transactions alone. He loans money in large and
small amounts and carries on a thriving business
in real estate in this city and vicinity. Los An-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

geles has grown woiiderfullj' since he cast in his
lot with its inhabitants, and he has great faith in
the vastlj' wider opportunities which are in store
for it. He was instrumental in having a number
of additions to the citj' laid out, and is considered
one of the most enterprising real estate dealers
here. Among others, he subdivided and laid out
in lots the Kenney tract of land and the Work-
man ranch, now considered excellent residence
locations.

In view of the fact that a few j-ears ago Mr.
Norton was a poor man, without capital or influ-
ence, his success has been quite remarkable.
Energy and correct methods of doing business,
absolute integritj- of word and deed, have been
important factors in his career, and have made
his name a synonym for progressiveness. He
takes great interest in everything pertaining to
the upbuilding of this community, and uses his
influence and means for the beautifying and im-
proving of the city. In national affairs he is
affiliated with the Democratic party, while in
local matters he is independent, voting for the
candidate or measure which he esteems worthy,
regardless of party lines. In manner he is cour-
teous and affable, readily making friends, and,
what is better, he has the faculty of retaining
them, once made.

(p\ W. SEPULVEDA. Even the most casual
LI visitor to Southern California becomes fa-
I I, miliar with the surname, Sepulveda; and,
if po.ssessed of any imagination, his fancy turns
to the past and visions pass before his mind of the
period when Los Angeles county was divided
into a few great ranches, the proprietors of which
were much like the patriarchs of Palestine — at
the head of almost an army of servants, whose
duties included the care of va.st flocks and herds,
which were driven long distances at certain sea-
sons of the year for pasturage and water. There
also recur to his mind many of the stories he has
heard of these days of long ago — those days which
furnish California with a romance especially her
own, of which the fine, though now crumbling,
missions are the most fitting monument.

Dolores Sepulveda, the grandfather of A. W.
Sepulveda, was one of the old land-holders of
Los Angeles county, his vast estates extending
along the sea coast from San Pedro to Redondo

Beach, and for miles back into the foothills.
Often has it been proved on the pages of history
that "envy loves a loft}' mark," and, while Mr.
Sepulveda was looked up to by the majority of
those who knew him, his very prominence was
probably the indirect cau.se of his untimely death.
While on his way to Sacramento to obtain a pat-
ent to his ranch he was killed by some Indians
who had stealthily awaited his coming. Much
of his property was handed down to his sou, Joe
Diego Sepulveda, who was born on the old ranch
near San Pedro in 1813. The latter, as he grew
to maturity, followed in his father's footsteps as
a financier and business man, handling his vast
possessions with ma.sterly abilitj*. He owned
his share of one-fifth of thirty-nine thousand
acres of land in one body, and over the hills
roamed his great herds of cattle and flocks of
sheep. During the war of the United States with
Mexico he was loyal to the country which des-
tiny had decreed was to be the victor in the con-
flict. Besides contributing generously of cattle
and horses, money and provisions from his own
private stores, he fought in the American army
and materially aided in extending the dominion
of the United States to the blue waters of the
Pacific. He died on his ranch in 1869, aged
fifty-seven years, honored and respected by all
who knew him. His wife was Maria Desalda,
daughter of a wealthy Spanish officer, who lived
in San Diego.

On the ancestral estates A. W. Sepulveda was
born September 28, 1854. When a mere boy he
moved with the family to San Pedro, and there
he has .spent most of his life. Since he was fif-
teen years of age he has practically been inde-
pendent, but his father having taught him lessons
of industry and wisdom, he has heeded his early
training and has been judicious in the expenditure
of the capital which passed into his hands at the
death of his father. He still owns large tracts of
land in Los Angeles, besides property in the sur-
rounding country. His education was thorough.
He maintains a deep interest in everything which
relates to the development of this, the land of his
forefathers, where he beholds thousands of thriv-
ing people living on the hills and in the valleys
that once supported only as many sheep and
cattle. In political affiliations he is a Democrat.

The marriage of Mr. Sepulveda and Miss

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRArHICAL RECORD.

621

Maria Ramath was solemnized in 1882, and they
have one daughter, Eperanza. Mrs. Sepulveda
is a member of an old family who owned ex-
tensive possessions in California, and several of
whose members figured prominently in the Mex-
ican war.

jOlCHOLS MERCADANTE. It is doubtful
nV if there is a city of its size in the United
lis States whose pioneers number so large a
percentage of prosperous self-made men as do the
pioneers of Los Angeles. To this class belongs
the subject of our sketch. He is a native of the
state of Naples, Italy, and was born in the town
of Sapri, May i, 1848. During that same year
his father, Peter Mercadante, left Italy and came
to California, where he remained for four years,
meantime acquiring a fortune of about $22,000
in the placer mines of Tuolumne. With this
sum he returned home and there remained until
1 86 1, when he again came to this country via
Mexico, bringing with him his two sons, Vicente
and Nichols, the latter being at the time a lad of
thirteen years. The father engaged in wine
making near Los Angeles for about six years.
He then again returned to his family iu Italy,
where he remained until his death, in 1878, at
seventy-two years of age.

At the time of his father's second return to
Italy our subject was still a mere youth, but,
being left alone, he was obliged to assume the
responsibilities of life for himself. He was blessed
with a strong constitution and a brave heart,
together with an ambitious desire to succeed in
life. He tried mining in its various branches,
but with indifferent success. In this way he
passed seven years. The Central Pacific Rail-
road was at the time in course of construction
and he worked for that enterprise. Later he
went to the timbered regions of Sonoma county
and worked at lumbering. March 15, 1869,
found him in Los Angeles. He embarked in the
restaurant business on Main street, where the
St. Charles hotel now stands. This was one of
the first restaurants of the city. Later he con-
ducted a fruit store on the corner of First and
Main streets, in the J. Kurtz block. In this
business he continued for ten years. For the
next three years he operated the Queen restau-
rant on Main street. In 1894 he sold all his

business interests and purchased the property at
Nos. 427-429 San Pedro street, upon which he
erected a unique and commodious rooming house,
with spacious stores on the first floor. This
building is fifty feet long and one hundred feet
deep, two stories in height, architecturally beau-
tiful and artistic, well lighted and conveniently
arranged in its interior. Here Mr. Mercadante
resides with his family and conducts a prosperous
business. He and his wife have seven children,
five daughters and two sons, viz.: Josie, Mary,
Tinelli, Nichols, Philomena, Rosa and Edna.

The success gained by Mr. Mercadante may be
attributed to his own personal efforts, his indus-
try, his temperate and frugal habits, and his loy-
alty to his convictions of right. He has the
respect of the entire community in which he has
so long lived and where his success has been
attained.

EHARLES GOLLMER. Much of the civil-
ization of the world has come from the Teu-
tonic race. Continually moving westward,
they have taken with them the enterprise and
advancement of their eastern homes and have
become valued and useful citizens of various
localities. In this countr}- especially they have
demonstrated their power to adapt themselves to
new circumstances, retaining at the same time
their progressiveness and energy, and have be-
come loyal and devoted citizens, true to the best
interests of their adopted country. In Mr. Goll-
mer, of Los Angeles, we find a worthy repre-
sentative of this class.

A native of southern Germany, he was born
in Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, May 10, 1851, and in
the spring of 1868 he cros.sed the Atlantic, land-
ing in New York City. Later in the same year
he came to San Francisco, Cal., by way of Nica-
ragua, and for seven months he there worked at
the carriage-maker's trade, which he had pre-
viously learned in his native land. In Novem-
lier, 1868, he came to Los Angeles and entered
the employ of John Goller, the pioneer wagon
and carriage maker of the city, and remained
with him for three years, after which he worked
for Roeder & Lichtenberger for a time. For fif-
teen years Mr. GoUmer and his brother engaged
in the same line of business on their own account,
and were the first American carriage painters in

622

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Los Angeles. As a busines.s man he has been
emineutlj- successful, and by his fair and honor-
able dealings has gained the confidence of all
with whom he has come in contact.

In 1872 Mr. Gollmer married Miss Alice
Grabe, a native of New York and a daughter of
Louis Grabe. They have four children: Karl,
Robert, Minnie and Gertrude. Mr. Gollmer is a
Mason, one of the founders of the Los Angeles
Turn Verein, and is a prominent member of
other German social organizations. He has a
large circle of friends and acquaintances, who
esteem him highly for his sterling worth.

PI AVID MAXIMILIAN RAAB. Prominent
mI among the numerous sterling citizens whom
IcJ Germany has furnished to Southern Cali-
fornia is the gentleman whose name heads this
sketch. He is well known in Los Angeles coun-
ty and particularly in South Pasadena, where he
has made his home for three decades, actively
connected with local development and commercial
growth, and enthusiastic in his belief that this
county will ultimately be pre-eminent among the
counties of the Pacific coast.

Born at Wetzlar, near Frankfort, Germany,
March 16, 1842, David M. Raab is a son of
Philip and Justina Raab, who passed their entire
lives in the Fatherland, the former dying at the
age of sixty-six years and the latter when in her
seventy-seventh year. The most noted of their
children was Prof Henr},- Raab, a prominent ed-
ucator, who was for two tenns superintendent of
public instruction in Illinois. The boyhood days
of our subject passed uneventfully, and until
fourteen he was occupied in the acquisition of
an education. When he was seventeen he deter-
mined to .seek his fortune in the new world.
Sailing from Bremen and landing in New York
City, he proceeded to Illinois. For a short time
he remained in St. Clair county, after which he
went to St. Louis, Mo. Next he went to south
ern Missouri, thence back to Illinois, where he
engaged in farming, and afterward was appointed
assistant keeper of a toll gate on the turnpike
leading from Belleville to St. Louis.

Ill 1863 Mr. Raab crossed the plains to Boise
City, Ida., and Idaho City, where he engaged
in surface mining for tlie ne.\t three years, but

was not very successful. He then continued his
westward journey and, arriving in San Francisco
in 1866, was employed in a distillery for two
\ears. In 1869 became to Los Angeles county
and in 1870 to Pasadena. For some years he was
with that fine old pioneer, B. D. Wilson, from
whom he bought his present homestead of sixty
acres, just outside the city limits of Pasadena.
Here he has prospered. Under his able super-
vision the ranch has been brought to a high
state of cultivation. Few country homes in the
lovely vale of San Gabriel are more valuable or
attractive.

After having devoted his attention to the fruit
business for thirteen years, Mr. Raab in 1888
embarked in the dairy business. In 189 1 he
began to handle milk and creamery products.
Since then the accommodations of Oak Hill dairy
depot have been increased year by year. Modern
machinery has been introduced. The entire
system of conducting the business is unique and
interesting. It would be difficult to find a dairy
more thoroughly equipped than this. The neat-
ness and system which prevail under his strict
surveillance bring him many new customers
every year. Recently he has taken as a partner
in his business his younger son, Carl, a young
man of good business ability and pronounced
energy, and, as the time approaches when he
can lay aside some of his numerous financial re-
sponsibilities, it is his purpose to have his junior
assume more of the cares of the business. He
has made a specialty of handling pasteurized
cream and milk and fancy dairy and creamery
butter.

The first wife of Mr. Raab, whom he married
in San Francisco, in 186S, died in 1882, and of
their four children two sons are living. June 26,
1884, he married Miss Augusta Trapp, daughter
of Dr. A. H. Trapp, of Springfield, 111., a pio-
neer of St. Clair county. 111. By her he had four
children, two now living.

Since becoming a voter Mr. Raab has been a
Republican in national issues, but in local elec-
tions he is independent. He believes that the
office should be given to the most worthy candi-
date, independent of political ties. His influence
is on the side of whatever is calculated to benefit
the community, regardless of partisan feeling.
For several terms he served as a school trustee

;^^\

♦vlf/

^,/^%J^^M^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

625

and as a trustee of the corporation of South
Pasadena. For both these positions he is ad-
mirably fitted, as he is deeply interested in the ed-
ucation of the young, the maintenance of the
law and good government, and public improve-
ments. He is an honored member of the So-
ciety of Los Angeles Pioneers.

SRAWFORD P. TEAGUE. As early as the
fall of 1878, when the now flourishing town
of Sail Dimas was known as Mud Springs,
Mr. Teague, with two of his sons, settled at this
place, becoming a pioneer of a new and unim-
proved section of country. He was at the time
a member of the Mound City Land and Water
As.sociation, located at Azusa, which had pur-
chased over 4,000 acres of the Daltou homestead
at Azusa and an undivided one-third interest in
the San Jose ra»cho; also the addition in the San
Jose rancho, making 13,666 acres. The corpora-
tion made the first payment of $35,000 on the
land, and then, within a year after buying the
property, went into liquidation. Being thus
thrown upon his own resources, Mr. Teague
leased a tract of land at Mud Springs (now San
Dimas), on which he remained for some years.
In the spring of 1887 he purchased thirty acres, a
part of the old San Jos6 tract, and to the develop-
ment of this he gave his attention, setting out a
large number of citrus fruit trees and paying
close attention to their care and growth. Since
1 88 1 he has been a resident of San Dimas.

In Washington county, Ind., Mr. Teague was
born November 6, 1823, a son of John and Mary
(Thomas) Teague, natives of North Carolina,
the former of Scotch lineage, the latter of German
ancestry. Alexander Thomas, the maternal
grandfather, was a Revolutionary soldier and
served under George Washington. When a boy
our subject had few advantages. Hard work was
his portion from his earliest recollection. At an
early age he depended upon his own efforts for a
livelihood. This, instead of being an injury, was
positively helpful, as it developed in his charac-
ter the necessary self-reliance. While still liv-
ing in his native county he established domestic
ties, being united in marriage with Miss Amanda
R. May, October 8, 1846. They became the
parents of nine children, eight of whom survive,
31

viz.: David C, whose sketch appears in this
work; Drusilla, the wife of Theodore Staley, of
Orange county, Cal.; Lodema A., wife of Willis
Gauldin, of Sonoma county; Harvey T. and Jas-
per N., of Pomona; Olive A. , wife of S. I. Allen,
of Sonoma county; Robert M., the well-known
nurseryman of San Dimas; and Flora E., who
married Harry Newman, of San Francisco, Cal.
After a happy married life of more than thirty
years, Mr. Teague was bereaved by the death of
his wife, in the fall of 188 1. He is now making
his home with his son, Robert M. Though now
advanced in years he is as- industrious as when a
young man and retains his activity, energy and
interest in current events. His life has been
strictly upright and honorable and in the evening
of his days he can look over the past without re-
morse and forward to the future without fear.

30HN C. DOTTER, vice-president of the Los
Angeles Furniture Company, is a splendid
type of a California pioneer and is one of the
quiet and progressive citizens of Los Angeles.
He was born in the town of Lohr, Bavaria, Ger-
many, May 4, 1837, and remained in his native
place until about fifteen years of age, when he
embarked for America, hoping to increase his
opportunities for success in life. After landing
in New York he proceeded to New Jersey, where
he visited an uncle, F. Niedemeyer. He ap-
prenticed himself to learn the hatter's trade,
which he readily acquired, and for about five
years pursued the trade in New York.

Hearing much of the fabulous wealth in the
gold mines of California, Mr. Dotter decided to
make the journey to the Pacific coast. Accord-
ingly he made his way to St. Louis, Mo., where
he joined a government supply train bound for
Fort Leavenworth and Camp Floyd, which latter
point la)' about twenty miles south of Salt Lake.
He spent some time at Salt Lake, where he
worked at his trade. In 1859 he saw his oppor-
tunity to safely continue his journey westward as
far as Mountain Meadows, where he joined a
government expedition under the then Major
(later General) Carleton, who had come from
Los Angeles with about two million dollars to
pay off government soldiers and employes at
Camp Floyd. With this expedition Mr. Dotter

626

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

completed his journey, arriving in Los Angeles
June 20, 1859. The scene of the historic and
horrible Mountain Meadows massacre lay on their
route and they found it necessary to encamp
there about sixteen days. The terrible event
had occurred in 1857, about two years previous,
and Mr. Dotter well remembers the grewsome
sight that met their eyes when they reached the
place. The bones and remains of a portion of
the one hundred and twenty-five victims, men
and women, were scattered about, having been
dug from the rough and shallow graves by the
ravaging coyotes. Members of the expedition,
Mr. Dotter aiding, gathered the bones and in-
terred them as best they could within a stone en-
closure, erecting on the spot a cross, on which
they inscribed the words, "Vengeance is mine, I
will repay, saith the Lord." From the axles of
the wagons Mr. Dotter secured some grease and
before leaving the spot gave the inscription a coat
of black tar.

The journey to Los Angeles was made without
particular incident. Here Mr. Dotter found a
Spanish village of about three thousand people.
He went north as far as San Francisco to explore
the country, but returned to Los Angeles in De-
cember of the same year (1859). He secured a
situation as steward in the old Bella Union hotel
and remained there until 1868. From that time
until 1 87 1 he engaged in the furniture and up-
holstering business with C. R. Rinaldi, and when
the latter sold his interest to I. W. Lord, now of
Lordsburg, Dotter & Lord continued the busi-
ness until 1876. Mr. Lord then .sold to C. H.
Bradley, and the firm of Dotter & Bradley ex-
isted until 1886, when the business was incor-
porated under the title of the Los Angeles Furni-
ture Company. This is one of the largest and
strongest companies of its kind in the state, and
is widely known for the reliability, efficiency and
energy of its members.

In 1872 Mr. Dotter married Miss Elizabeth
Keyni, a native of New Orleans. Her father, H.
Keym, came to California in 1852 and engaged
in the raising of fruit and owned a vineyard in
the Suisun valley, in Solano coiuity. Mr. and
Mrs. Dotter have four children: George C; Cor-
nelis, wife of Prof. Milton Carlson, of Los An-
geles; Ida and Lottie, who reside with their
parents at No. 608 Temple street. Theonlv son,

who is a young man of fine character and ability,
enlisted as a member of Captain Steers' Batter}-
D, Heavy Artillery, California State Volunteers,
and fought in the Spanish-American war in the
Philippines. While at Manila he collected two
hundred and fifty photographs and views of that
famous place.

Mr. Dotter may be regarded as the founder and
father of the well-known corporation of which he
is now the vice-president. His success in life is
the direct result of his own efforts, his natural
business ability and his intelligence.

ROBERT D. WADE, county recorder of Los
Angeles county, is a representative of an old
and honored family of Indiana, whose mem-
bers bore an active part in the progress of that
state during the early period of its history. His
father, Hon. David Wade, M. D^ son of Daniel
Wade, was born in Winchester, Va., and received
excellent advantages, graduating from Jefferson
Medical College. Settling in Hendricks county,
Ind., he built up a large practice. In 1846- 1848
and 1850 he was elected to represent his district
in the legislature, and during the three terms of
his incunibencj- he proved himself an efficient
lawmaker and legislator. He died in 1853, leav-
ing two sons, one of whom, Dr. William L.
Wade, is a prominent physician of Los Angeles
county. Dr. David Wade married Emily Jessup,
who was a member of a Quaker family that
settled in North Carolina during colonial days,
thence removed to Indiana. Her father, Levi
Jessup, was the first county clerk of Hendricks
county, Ind., and was expelled from the Friends'
Church on account of holding office. Afterward
he removed to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and in
1852 was elected from that district to the Iowa
legislature.

In Hendricks county, Ind., where he was born
September 14, 1848, Robert D. Wade spent his
early days, receiving his primary education in
local public schools. His education was com-
pleted in the Northwestern Christian (now Butler )
University, an institution conducted under the
auspices of the Christian Church. However, for
some time before completing his education he
had been making his own way in the world. At
fourteen he started out for himself, his first work

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

627

being as clerk in a store at Wadesville, Va., a
town named in honor of his ancestors. In 1S69
he returned to Indiana and for some }'ears en-
gaged in teaching school. Tlie j-ear 1874 found
him in California, where he mined in San Luis
Obispo county, later in Nevada county. In 1878
he came to Los Angeles, where he engaged in
the mercantile business. His connection with
public and educational affairs in this city dates
from 1884, when he was chosen to serve on the
board of education. In 1892 he was elected city
tax collector, an office that he filled for two
years. Later he was chief deputy county tax
collector for four years. Since the fall of 1898 he
has been county recorder, and in this position, as
in all^others, he has proved himself to be reliable,
honorable, efficient and forceful. To these va-
rious offices he has been elected on the Repub-
lican ticket, for he is as stanch in his adherence
to this party as his father and grandfather were
to the Whig party. He is now president of the
Union League of Los Angeles. Fraternally he is
connected with the Masons, the Knights of
Honor and the Order of Maccabees.

The marriage of Mr. Wade took place in 1879
and united him with Miss Carrie B. Reed, a na-
tive of Massachusetts. They are the parents of
one daughter, Annie LouLsa.

pGJlLLIAM S. DeVAN. To this sunny

\ A / southland have come hosts of the wealthy
Y V and cultured from all parts of the Union,
and thus the society of Los Angeles includes
many citizens who have made their mark in the
world and who have been powers in their own
community. Among the present residents of
this beautiful city is W. S. DeVan, who for
nearly a quarter of a century was accounted one of
the most energetic business men of New Orleans,
and whose financial interests in the Crescent City
still are extremely large. He is a fine type of
the progressive element of the "new south," and
is a thorough optimist in regard to the future of
that wonderful, and, as yet, practically unde-
veloped section of the Union.

He is a native of Moulton, Ala., and there
spent the happy days of his boyhood. He was
early bereft of his father, and from his youth
has been dependent upon his own resources. For

a period he attended school at Aberdeen, Miss.,
and obtained a fair business education. Then,
for a number of years, or until the close of the
Civil war, he was in the employ of a large cot-
ton firm of Mobile, Ala. In 1866 he went to
New Orleans, and embarked in the wholesale
grocery and confectionery business, in which en-
terprise he was successfully engaged for some ten
years. From 1876 to 1889 he was chiefly oc-
cupied in the banking business, being vice-presi-
dent of the New Orleans Stock Exchange.
Though he practically retired from active busi-
ness more than a decade ago, he has found it no
light task to look after his numerous invest-
ments, including New Orleans real estate, street
railroads and bank stock.

In 1885 Mr. DeVan was advised to seek a
change of climate and occupation, and, having
heard much of Southern California, be came to
Los Angeles, where he spent a few months. De-
lighted with the climate, and impressed with the
marvelous possibilities of the city and surround-
ing country, he arranged his business affairs in
New Orleans as speedily as was consistent with
policy, and in 1889 took up his permanent abode
here. The habits of a lifetime were not easilj^
dropped, and he gradually drifted into the real-
estate business, buying, improving and selling
property in Los Angeles and locality, and here,
as further east, winning the confidence and es-
teem of the entire community by his fairness and
justice in every transaction.

In 1862 Mr. DeVan married Miss Tillie Todd,
of New Orleans, who died, leaving one son. Mr.
DeVan subsequently married Miss May Winkley,
of Newbury port, Mass., and they are the parents
of four sons and two daughters. William T. De-
Van is in the employ of Harper Brothers of New
York City, and Durward S. is connected with
the National Bank of California.

In politics Mr. DeVan is a stalwart Republi-
can, loyal to the principles of his party and de-
sirous of its success. Though frequently urged
to accept public positions of more or less honor
and emolument, he steadfastly refused, preferring
to continue in the quiet private career which he
had marked out for himself. Unlike manj^
capitalists, he is admired and highly esteemed by
all who know him, for in his turn he passed
through years of struggle and toil, and when

r,2S

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RliCORD.

prosperity crowned his loug-coutiiiued and inde-
fatigable efforts, he kept the memory of his own
trials ever before him, and endeavored to lend a
helping hand to those less fortunate than him-
self.

HON. WALTER VAN DYKE. The Van
Dykes are of Dutch descent and carry with
them the old-time sturdiuess of that race.
Walter Van Dyke was born in Tyre, Seneca
county, N. Y., Octobers, 1823, a son of Martin
and Irene (Brock way) Van Dyke, the former of
whom was born in New Jersey about 1790, but
moved to New York state, where he died in 1837.
The son was then less than fourteen years of age.
He worked on the farm and attended school until
seventeen years of age, when he entered a select
school at Earlville, N.Y., and afterward was a
student in the Liberal Institute in Clinton, Oneida
county. His vacations were spent in teaching in
order to supply means for further study. In 1S46
he began the study of law with S. B. and F. J.
Prentiss, in Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1848 was
admitted to the supreme court of Ohio.

In history the discovery of gold in California
stands as a star in human events. Walter Van
Dyke caught the inspiration of the wonderland
and in 1849 crossed the plains and mountains to
the land of the afternoon sun. He acted as cor-
respondent of some Cleveland journals, and his
letters, replete with passing and coming events,
were widely read. From Salt Lake to Los An-
geles the trip was full of hardships and from Los
Angeles he went to San Francisco: thence in the
spring of 1850 he went to the mines, where he
remained during that summer. Returning to
San Francisco that fall he joined a party bound
for the Klamath river, at the mouth of which a
trading post had just been located for supply-
ing the northern mines, but the vessel went to
pieces at the mouth of the .stream and its occu-
pants barely reached dry land.

Settling in Trinidad, Mr. Van Dyke was chosen
district attorney for Klamath county, at the or-
ganization of that county in 1851, and was chosen
to the legislature in 1852 and rendered the state
excellent service. He secured the location of
Fort Humboldt. The late U. S. Grant was cap-
tain of a company located there. In 1853 Mr.
Van Dyke took up residence in Humboldt coun-

ty, and the next year was chosen district attor-
ney for that county, and also edited with marked
success the Humboldt Times. The people had
confidence in him and in 1861 sent him to the
state senate, where he introduced and advocated
Union resolutions. During a heated debate he
was asked what party stood behind him. He re-
plied, "The LTnion party." This was the first
time the name was known to be used. Soon an
organization was effected and he was chosen
chairman. In June, 1862, the Republicans held
a convention in Sacramento and he was elected
chairman. He was thenceforth recognized as
the "father of the LTnion party of California. "

In the fall of 1863 Mr. Van Dyke became a
resident of San Francisco, where he soon secured
an extensive legal practice. When the ground
for the Central Pacific Railroad was broken at
Sacramento in 1863 he was one of the speakers.
During the period of 1869-72 he was chairman of
the Republican state central committee and par-
ticipated in the various political campaigns. In
1873 he was honored with the office of United
States attorney for the district of California, but
resigned in 1876 and became a special attorney
for the United States in certain Spanish land
grant cases. In 1878 the agitation for a consti-
tutional reformation brought him still more prom-
inently before the people and he was chosen a
member of the constitutional convention, re-
ceiving the third largest vote out of thirty-two
delegates chosen from the state at large. He
served as chairman of the bill of rights commit-
tee. His efforts in behalf of justice for all the
people were unabating, and he succeeded in plac-
ing the university affairs beyond the vicissitude
of ever-changing politics.

In 1885 he took up his residence in Los Angeles,
purchasing the interests of Judge Brunson in the
firm of Brunson, Wells & Lee. He was perse-
vering in the effort to secure the Soldiers' Home
to be located in that county and saw his earnest
efforts crowned with success. In 1888 he was
elected to the superior judgeship and in 1894
re-elected by an increased majority. In 1898 he
was elected one of the justices of the supreme
court by the largest vote of any candidate.
Possessing a keen and analytical mind he seeks
to impart justice, tempered with generosity and
soundness. His career has been characterized by

/^)u, X

HLSTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

diversit}-, giving him a wide experience, so that
he is not a man of few interests and ideas, but of
many. He honors his office and is loved bj- the
people. He is a Royal Arch Mason and a life
member of the Society of California Pioneers.

ROBERT M. TEAGUE, proprietor of the
San Dimas Nurseries, established in 1S90,
is a prosperous horticulturist and nursery-
man. His sales extend all through this section
of country and his business is large and constantly
growing. Political matters receive little attention
from him, for he is too busy to identify himself
with public affairs and is independent in his
views. In fraternal relations he is connected
with the Ancient Order of United Workmen at
Covina. He is married, his wife having formerly
been Miss Minnie E. Cowan, of Pomona.

There is probably no one in Southern Califor-
nia who is more thoroughly posted concerning
citrus fruit culture than is Mr. Teague. Having
made a study of horticulture, he is qualified to
carry on successfully the propagation of nursery
stock. Years of experience in both orchard and
nursery have afforded him every opportunity for
wide observation and investigation as to the best
methods of producing a superior article of fruit,
as well as the best nursery tree for. orchard plant-
ing. In his nursery are all the well-known vari-
eties of oranges, including the unsurpassed and
unsurpassable Washington Navel, the China
Mandarin, Thomson's Improved Navel (origi-
nated in 1890 by A. C. Thomson, of Duarte),
Dancy's Tangerine, Valencia Late, Ruby Blood,
Mediterranean Sweet, Paper Rind St. Michael,
Kumquat or Kin-Kan (a native ofjapananda
unique member of the citrus family), Malta
Blood and Satsuma (which ripens as early as
November). Among lemons he has the Eureka,
Villa Franca and Lisbon varieties; in grape fruit,
the Marsh seedless, Triumph G. F. , Imperial G.
F. , and Improved Pomolo, also the Citrus Medica
Cedra, from which citron rind is obtained. The
foregoing sorts comprise the standard commercial
varieties usually planted in the citrus-growing
sections of California, each of which possesses
certain peculiar advantages and characteristics.
In trees Mr. Teague has a total of forty-five
acres, all devoted exclusively to citrus trees of

his own growing. His total number of stock in
1900 aggregated about thirty thousand trees,
while for 1901 he plans to have a total of seventy-
five thousand, and for 1902 two hundred and fifty
thousand trees. He is an enthusiast in his oc-
cupation, having the greatest faith in its possi-
bilities and its commercial importance. He be-
lieves that many of the interior valleys and pro-
tected foot-hill lands of California possess every
advantage to its profitable culture, and is of the
opinion that the succe.ss which has alreadj- been
gained by orange-growers is but an index of
what the future may bring to the careful and
skillful horticulturist. One of the improvements
that he has introduced is the Boss tree protector,
which affords the trunks of 3-oung and compara-
tively branchless trees protection from the burn-
ing rays of the summer sun. These protectors
are made from the wood of the Yucca pSlm and
afford a perfect protection from rabbits, grass-
hoppers, borers and winter frosts, as well as
summer suns.

r~RED R. DORN. The city of Los Angeles
rd has proved a fruitful field for the exercise of
I ^ the highest order of talent in the line of
modern architecture, and on every hand are to be
seen evidences of the skill and talent of the local
architects. Indeed, too much cannot be said in
their behalf. To them, as much as to any other
class of business men, belongs the credit for the
prosperit}' of Los Angeles. They have been
guided in their work not by cast-iron rules of
their profession, but b}' a knowledge of the style
of architecture best suited to this part of the
country. They have happily combined the grace
and beauty of southern architecture with the con-
veniences especially noticeable in the north, and
thus have evolved a style of building that not only
enkindles the admiration of the visitor, but pleases
also those who are the actual occupants thereof,
and who are in a position to most critically ex-
amine and test its adaptation to the needs of
modern living.

Foremost among the men who have striven to
make the architecture of Los Angeles ideal in
every respect may be mentioned Mr. Dorn, a
prominent and successful architect, and a well-
known citizen of Los Angeles. Permanent mon-
uments of his constructive efforts may be seen in

632

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

every part of the city. Since he cauie here ami
began in business he has proved beyond question
his skill and taste. He has designed a number
of the foremost business blocks in the city, and
has also drawn the plans for private residences of
every design and variety, including not only the
homes of the wealthy, but also man}- cottages for
those in moderate circumstances. Among the
church buildings he has designed may be men-
tioned the Christian Church, a commodious and
substantial building on the corner of Hope and
Eleventh streets, which has been admired by rea-
son of its convenient arrangement for the work of
the Sunday-school, Christian Endeavor Society
and various other societies of the church; he also
drew the plans for the residence of the pastor.
Rev. A. C. Smithers, at No. 1 147 South Hope
street.

A recently erected building, plans for which
were made by Mr. Dorn, is the Yosemite, at
No. ii5>^ South Broadway. Among his other
designs are those for the residence and business
block of A. F. M. Strong; the Hallett & Pirtle
block, on the southwest corner of Fourth and
Broadway; the Kaweah block, built by George
Hanna, on the northeast corner of Third and
Broadway; Baltimore hotel, built by P. A. Gar-
vie, on Seventh and Olive .streets; the block
owned by Owens Brothers, on Broadway between
Third and Fourth streets; the Marsh & Gage
block, on Third between Spring and Broadway;
the building owned by W. H. Bowman, on the
corner of Third street and Stevenson avenue, the
residence of Dr. George P. Allen and his business
block at Nos. 23S-240 East First street; the resi-
dence of Dr. J. C. Michener and the Gray Gables
built by him on the southeast corner of Seventh
and Hill streets; Hotel Brunswick, on the corner
of Sixth and Hill streets; the residence of W. M.
Garland, on Ingraham between Lucas and Wit-
mer; the T. W. Phelps home, on the corner of
Ninth and Providence; and those of \V. H.
Routzahn, northwest corner of Grand and Jeffer-
son streets; Frank Humphrej's, No. 3217 Grand
avenue; W. W. Howard, northeast corner of
Adams and Hoover streets; T. C, Knapp, No.
1539 West Seventh street; J. M. Tryen, Santee
between Eleventh and Twelfth streets; B. Sens,
Grand avenue, between Second and Third
streets; W. P. Gibson, No. 170 East Twent>-

fifth street; and J. II. Arnold, No. 11 11 .South
Hope street. Others might be enumerated, but
this list suflSces to show the widely different
character of the various designs of Mr. Dorn,
as well as his high standing as an architect in a
city whose architects are numerous and far above
the average in ability, taste and skill.

0AVID R. BREARLEY, one of the most en-
ergetic business men and loyal citizens of
Los Angeles, has been directly connected
with its development and improvement for the
past twelve years. After the collapse of the won-
derful real-estate boom in this vicinity he firmly
held to the opinion he had advanced all along,
that affairs here would soon resume their normal
basis, and in that faith he continued to increase
his landed possessions and to make improvements
on his property. His confidence inspired many
with renewed courage, and the result was as he
had predicted. The great natural advantages
and beauties of this city are beyond dispute; one
has but to pass a few weeks or months here to be
forever an ardent lover of the place. Nature,
in most charming mood and manifestation, is
here united with all the privileges of modern city
life, aud one, only one sigh is ever heard: "Oh,
how happy I'd be if my friends could be here to
enjoy it with mel"

A son of Samuel and Martha iConove) Brear-
ley, natives of New York state, our subject was
born near Trenton, N. J., .May 10, 1834. Heat-
tended the public schools, and also studied under
the director of a private tutor for some time in
his youth, ultimately acquiring a liberal educa-
tion and training for business life. When he was
thirty-three years old he determined to try hi.s
fortune in the great and growing west, and
resided for a period in Marshall county. 111.
But at that time, as for many years past, Califor-
nia was the magnet drawing ambitious young
men, and in 1859 Mr. Brearley had the privilege
of gazing upon the Golden Gate and San Fran-
cisco. For the ensuing two years he was engaged
in the milling business there and then returned to
Marshall county, 111., where he operated a flour
mill until 1864. His next important business
move consisted in his gaining admission to the
Chicago Board of Trade, where, for almost a

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

633

quarter of a century, htj was exleiisi\L-ly en-
gaged in transactions which usually were suc-
cessful.

In 1S88, feeing that a change of climate and
employment would prove beneficial, and recalling
some of the pleasant hours he had passed iu Cali-
fornia, even in San Francisco, which might be
termed a chilly outer portico of paradise as com-
pared with the cities of Southern California, he
set his face westward once more. Soon after
taking up his abode in Los Angeles his charac-
teristic business push and energy led him to re-
enter the commercial field. He has bought and
sold land extensively in the city and vicinity,
both in large and small quantities, and has estab-
lished an enviable reputation for square dealing.
Personally he is greatly interested iu several
orange groves and fruit ranches which he owns
at Azusa and San Gabriel, and gives considera-
ble time to the development and improvement of
these fine places. He has laid out a number of
additions to the city of Los Angeles, one being
known as the Brearley addition.

Politically he is a Republican, and loyally sup-
ports the principles of his party, but he has never
aspired to official distinction, preferring to live
the quiet life of a private citizen. Though he is
passing into the evening time of life, he bids fair
to see many a peaceful, contented year in this
sunny clime, and his vigor of mind and body is
yet unabated.

Mr. Brearley has one son, Samuel R.,who was
educated at Lake Forest University, and now
makes his home in Chicago, where he is engaged
in the transfer business.

HON. CHARLES C. McCOMAS. The life of
this well-known citizen of Los Angeles be-
gan in Jasper county. 111., August 10, 1846.
The death of his father and mother when he was
a child caused him to be early thrown upon his
own resources for a livelihood, and whatever of
success he has gained, whatever of prosperity he
has secured may be attributed solely to his indi-
vidual efforts. He was still a boy when the Civil
war broke out. With the impetuous ardor of
youth he determined to enter the army and take
part in the preservation of the Union. In 1862
his name was enrolled as a member of Company

F, One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois Infantry,
with which he served until the close of the war.
Among the engagements in which he bore a
brave part were the following: Tunnel Hill,
Rockyface Ridge, Buzzard Roost Gap, Resaca,
Nashville, Chickamauga and many minor battles.
On Sunda}- afternoon, the second day at Chicka-
mauga, he took part in the hard fighting on
Snodgrass Hill, where out of every hundred
soldiers forty-nine were killed or wounded. In
this engagement they were opposed by General
Longstreet's corps, comprising the flower of the
Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, who
were sent to assist General Bragg against General
Rosecrans. In this battle Mr. McComas was
wounded by a minie ball, but his life was saved
by a piece of a dictionary which he carried at the
time.

At the close of the war Mr. McComas returned
to civic pursuits and began the study of law.
He was admitted to the bar and engaged in prac-
tice in Decatur, 111. For four years he held office
as state's attorney for Macon county and for three
years he was district attorney for the second
judicial district of New Mexico, whither he had
removed from Illinois. With the incoming of a
Democratic territorial administration under Gov-
ernor Ross he resigned his position. In the fall
of 1886 he came to Los Angeles and opened an
office for the practice of law. From the first he
held a high place at the bar of this city, where
his merit was recognized. In 1889 he was ap-
pointed deputy district attorney of Los Angeles
county, which position he has held, under all
Republican administrations, to the entire satis-
faction of the people and with credit to himself.
As a prosecutor he is said to be one of the ablest
California has ever had. He has been untiring
in his efforts to bring to justice violators of the
law. Some of the cases brought before him were
as complicated and intricate as any ever presented
to an official, but he proved himself fully equal to
coping with them.

Judge McComas (for by this title he is best
known) has always found time to keep in touch
with the progress of events in his home city and
state, as well as in the nation itself. The Repub-
lican party has always received his support and
he is true to its principles. In the best sense of
that much-abused word he is a politician; he is

^'.H

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

interested and active in politics. Belic\-iiig tlial
a public office i.s a public trust, he has devoted
his attention, in the various offices held by him,
to the faithful discharge of his duties, and his
work has been successful. His record is one
of which he and his many friends may well be
proud.

November 14, 1S71, Judge McComas was
united in marriage with Miss Alice Moore, a
young woman of remarkable musical and literary
ability, and a daughter of Hon. Jesse H. Moore,
who for years represented the seventh district of
Illinois in the congress of the United States. By
this union four children were born, of whom the
eldest, Helen H., is deceased. The others are
Alice Beach McComas, Mrs. Clare Bin ford and
Carroll. Of these Miss Alice is considered among
the finest pianists in Southern California and her
talents have made her presence in constant de-
mand in the best social circles. Mrs. Binford
is a promising young singer. The youngest
daughter, Carroll, a successful vaudeville star, is
a whistler of such remarkable talent that she has
been offered a flattering London engagement for
1901.

ROBERT CATHCART. During the long
period of his residence in Pomona Mr.
Cathcart has seen the growth of the little
hamlet into a prosperous town. He has seen the
gradual development and cultivation of the fine
fruit land in this district, and has himself been a
large contributor thereto. His fruit farm is one
of the best in the neighborhood. It comprises
thirty acres of land, a large part of which is
planted to orange trees, while the balance is in
deciduous fruits. In addition to the management
of this property he has served as vice-pre.sident
of the Citizens' Water Company of Pomona, and
is now a director in the same.

Mr. Cathcart was born in St. Louis, Mo., June
3, 1837, a son of Capt. Robert and Hannah
(Lee) Cathcart. His father, who was a native of
Scotland, sought a home in America in early
manhood. Becoming connected with a Missis-
sippi river line of steamers he became in time
captain of a boat which ran between St. Louis
and New Orleans. In those days almost the en-
tire travel of the middle states was bv means of

sleaniljoals, and these were fitted up in an elegant
manner to suit the most aristocratic tastes. With
the introduction of railroads, steamboats were
relegated to freight purpo.ses, and now the luxu-
rious boats of fifty years ago are but a memorj-,
save a very few exceptions, such as the Fall River
line of boats.

It was this occupation of captain, during the
palmy days of steamboating on the Mississippi,
that our subject's father followed for almost
twenty years. He also engaged in the milling
business, and erected the first steam flouring-mill
in St. Louis. He became so well known' and
popular that he was elected on the Democratic
ticket to the state legislature of Missouri, in which
he served with ability.

About the time of the discovery of gold in
California he decided to seek a home on the ??-
cific coast; and accordingly, with his family, he
came by steamer via New York and the Panama
route to the Eldorado of the west. His last years
were spent in Santa Cruz county, where he en-
gaged in horticultural pursuits until his death.

At the time the family left Missouri the subject
of this sketch was about fifteen years of age. He
grew to manhood on a fruit farm, and therefore
acquired by experience a thorough, practical
knowledge of horticulture. With the exception
of a short time as clerk in a wholesale store in St.
Louis his entire active life has been devoted to
the fruit business, and he is considered one of the
most efficient horticulturists of his district. He
is a man of broad information. His education
was partly acquired in Edward Wy man's English
and classical school in St. Louis, and was broad-
ened by subsequent reading and hy his habits of
close observation. He was married in Santa Cruz
county, Cal. , to Miss Augusta Durr, of Monterey,
Cal., by whom lie has four children, viz.: J.
Lee, Josephine, Charles H. and Robert, Jr.

During the fall of 1877 Mr. Cathcart brought
his family from Santa Cruz county to Pomona
and settled on the place where he still resides. He
found Pomona a small village, but with his keen
foresight he discerned its possibilities. His de-
cision to locate here was justified by his subse-
quent success. He is one of the pioneers of his
district. His course in life has been such as to
commend him to the confidence of associates and
acciuaintances and the regard of his more intimate

c;''^-^^-^^^-!^ /P^^^i^^^.^s.^^r-^^^^I'

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

637

friends. He wa.s reared in the faith of the Dem-
ocratic party, and has always been a pronounced
adherent of its principles.

I EWIS LANDRETH. Of all the pioneers
It who undertook the development of the vast
lut resources in the various garden spots of
Southern California, none is more closely linked
than Mr. Landreth with the rapid growth of the
institutions and enterprises which constituted the
upbuilding of their respective communities.
While his endeavor has been largely on the com-
mercial order, he has nevertheless been identi-
fied with all lines of progress, and his judgment
and acumen have tided over many shoals in-
cident to a growing and enthusiastic community.

Mr. Landreth is a native of Owen county,
Ind., where he was born May 21, 1844. He is
a son of Zachariah and Mary (Fender) Landreth,
natives respectively of Virginia and North Caro-
lina, and early settlers of Owen county, Ind.
When about six years of age he was taken by
the family to Mercer county. 111., where he was
reared on his father's farm, and early instructed
in all the duties of a successful and enterprising
agriculturist. He received a fair education in
the public schools, and had, during his younger
days, considerable opportunity for a more practi-
cal experience than falls to the lot of many coun-
try-bred youths. In 1887 he began to look
around for brighter prospects than .seemed to
exist in his surroundings, and with this in view
decided to try his fortunes in the far west.

After his arrival in Southern California he re-
sided in Los Angeles and Pasadena for short
periods, and then cast his lot among the few and
scattering dwellers of what was later to be the
town of Whittier. As one of the earliest settlers in
the localit}^ he was naturally interested in the in-
stitutions which were the peculiar necessity of
the climatic and soil conditions of the locality.
He was one of the incorporators of the Pickering
Land and Water Company at Whittier, and was a
member of the first board of trustees of the town
of Whittier after its incorporation , He is a stock-
holder in the Home Oil Company at Whittier, also
a director in the California Consolidated Oil Stock
Company and second vice-president of the same.

Me is connected with, and a director of, the
Southland Oil Company, which is operating and
developing near Fillmore, Cal.

In connection with his varied occupations of a
more or less public nature Mr. Landreth owns a
thriving dairy farm of ninety acres, which is con-
ducted on model lines, and has the nio,st recent
innovations for carrying on the dairy bu.siness.
The most of his time, however, since residing in
Whittier, has been devoted to the real- estate
business, in which he has engaged extensively.

The first wife of Mr. Landreth was Mary
Walters, of Mercer county. 111., and of this union
there were two children, Eva and Bertha L.
Mr. Landreth' s second wife was Viola Mardock,
also of Mercer county, and there have been four
children born of this union: Ceola M., Chart T.,
Vera J. and Howard M.

In politics Mr. Landreth is a Democrat, but
has never had political aspirations. Fraternally
he is associated with the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He is an active member of the
Congregational Church and a trustee of the
.same.

JORRILL HOLBROOK, a prominent hor-
ticulturist, and manager of the Bantie
Water Company of Los Angeles county,
settled on his present ranch near Whittier in 1 890.
Born in far-off Somerset county, Me., September
7, 1864, he is a son of Lewis and Eliza (Green)
Holbrook, natives of Maine, and of Scotch-Eng-
lish extraction. Many of the ancestors of the
Holbrook family were Revolutionary heroes,
having migrated to America during the last cen-
tury, and early becoming identified with the
interests of their adopted country.

Morrill Holbrook spent his youth and early
manhood on his father's farm in Maine, attend-
ing the district schools, and assisting with the
various duties incident to the management of a
well-regulated farm. He also attended the North
Anson Academy at North Anson, Me. In De-
cember of 1890 he settled on the ranch whicl; has
since been his home. Of the fifty acres compris-
ing the place, thirty-five are devoted to the cul-
tivation of English walnuts and the balance to
fruit culture.

Mr. Holbrook married Ollie E. Isbell, a daugh-
ter of J. F. Isbell, of Los Angeles county. They

638

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

liavc two cbiUlreii: Addie L. and Herbert R. In
politics Mr. Holbrook is a Republican. His fra-
ternal associations are with the Independent Or-
der of Odd Fellows at Whittier, and the Wood-
men of the World. He is at the present time
acting as trustee of the Pico school district.

Though, comparatively speaking, a new comer
in California, Mr. Holbrook is yet a pioneer of
his district, where he is esteemed for the interest
he has shown in everything that pertains to its
elevation and progress.

EOL. CHARLES C. THOMAS, deceased,
one of the California pioneers of '49, was
born in Frederick, Md., in 1827, a son of
Dr. John M. and Catharine (Turner) Thomas,
the latter a daughter of a relative of Gen. Will-
iam Henry Harrison. His father, who was a
graduate of the University of Virginia, became a
successful physician, and was appointed by Gen-
eral Jackson (to whose family he was physician)
as a surgeon in the United States army during
the Black Hawk war.

During his boyhood da}S Charles C. Thomas
made his home with his uncle, Gov. Frank
Thomas, in Annapolis, Md., and meantime at-
tended St. John's College in that city. At the
close of his uncle's term of office he went to Rich-
mond, ^'a., and secured employment in the
famous Tredegar iron works, owned by Gen.
Joseph R. Anderson. Returning to Maryland
in 1849, he was for a short time employed as
clerk in the .shipping house of Johnson & Travis.
After this he joined a Virginia party of eighty
men, under the leadership of Benjamin F. Wash-
ington, and traveled overland to California. In
this party were twelve Marylanders, and he was
a leading spirit among them. At St. Joe, Mo.,
the party outfitted with a train of one hundred
and twenty mules to cross the great American
plains and desert. In September of the same
year they arrived in Sacramento, after a perilous
trip made memorable by the hostility of the
Indians and the hardships of frontier travel.
While en route to the west several members of
the expedition died of cholera.

On arriving in California, the young gold-
seeker lost no time in seeking a location for work.
At first he tried his luck in the gold fields of

Shasta county. Soon, however, he left there
and proceeded to Butte county, where he engaged
in mining. During the winter of 1849-50 there
were thousands of miners on the Feather river,
and it was no unusual occurrence for each man to
mine from one to two ounces of gold a day.
The Indians were exceedingly troublesome on
that river and at one time he and four other men
got among a band of one hundred Indians, but
they made good their escape. Later a party of
sixteen returned to the same spot and remained
all winter, the Indians being peaceful.

In 1850 Mr. Thomas went to the Onion valley,
in what is now Plumas county. There he mined
and also carried on a mercantile business. One
of his most important interests was as stock-
holder in the Eureka Mining Company. During
1852 and 1S53 he was a member of the state
legislature from Butte county. At the expira-
tion of his service as a legislator he went to
Sierra county, Cal., engaging in mining on what
was known as the Blue Gravel range. At the
opening of the Civil war, his uncle, Hon. Frank
Thomas, who was then a member of congress,
secured for him a commission as colonel of a
company of Maryland volunteers in the Union
army. Immediately after receiving the com-
mission he started for the east on the steamer
Golden Gate, but a few days after leaving San
Francisco, the ship caught fire near the Mexican
town, Manzanilla, and was obliged to put for
the shore. Before land was reached, however,
the vessel sank and all on board were obliged to
breast the waves or sink with the ship. Mr.
Thomas started to swim. As he did so, a woman
with a little child, seeing there was no hope of
saving herself, entreated him to save her child.
The child's father tied the little one on the back
of Colonel Thomas, but the waves dashed it from
him and it was drowned. However, Colonel
Thomas was able to save the life of the child's
father, who was unconscious.

On reaching the shore Colonel Thomas at
once started back to San Francisco, and, on ac-
count of illness in his family, he gave up the
idea of entering the army and resumed mining.
In 1861 he was made superintendent of the North
Potosi Mining Company's mines at Virginia City,
Nev. He was superintendent, in succession, of
the Uncle Sam and Overman mines and later be-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

639

came buperintciulenl of tlitj famous Hale and
Norcross mines, and during the two and one-
half j'ears he was in charge of them, they paid
their largest dividends. At this time Fair and
Mackej' secured control of the mines, the former
becoming superintendent, and from that time
dates the success of the "bonanza" firm.

While in Nevada Colonel Thomas occupied a
prominent position on the staff of three governors,
having the rank of colonel. Two of the gov-
ernors were Republicans, and the third a Demo-
crat. His political and social standing was very
high in Nevada, while as a mining expert he was
acknowledged to be without a peer. In 1868 he
came to Los Angeles, but about 1871 went back
to Nevada, becoming superintendent of the Sutro
tunnel. For fourteen years he was connected
with that marvelous enterprise and contributed
greatly to the success of the longest mining tun-
nel in the world.

In 1867, before coming to Los Angeles, Col-
onel Thomas purchased thirty-five acres in what
was then the country. The next year he settled
on his land. The property, a part of which he
still retains, was planted to orange trees, but has
since been utilized for residence purposes. His
home, which has been remodeled from adobe, is
on the southeast corner of Jefi"erson and Figuer^oa
streets. Here his family have resided contin-
uously. In 1894 lis resigned his position with
the Comstock Mining Company, after which
time he was practically retired, hisprincipal work
being the superintending of an orange and lemon
ranch at Covina. Politically he was a Democrat,
but during his last years he was not identified
with public affairs, although he kept posted con-
cerning the progress of current events. He died
October 16, 1900.

In i860 Colonel Thomas married MaryS.,
daughter of Calvin Nutting, a pioneer of San
Francisco. They became the parents of three
children, of whom the daughter, Mrs. Anna Ban-
croft, is a popular artist of Los Angeles. One
son, Francis J. Thomas, a graduate of the law
school connected with the University of Virginia,
is a member of the firm of Gibbon, Thomas &
Halsted, of Los Angeles. The other son,
Chester A. Thomas, a graduate of the Leland
Stanford University as a mining engineer, joined
the First California Regiment and served in the

.Spanish- American war. He took part in the
first battles around Manila, but was stricken
with typhoid fever and honorably discharged.
He was honored with a medal from the Native
Sons of California. He is now assistant mining
engineer of the United Verde copper mine in
Arizona.

RH. KNIGHT. When Judge R. H. Knight,
just a decade ago, elected to make his home
, thenceforth in beautiful Pasadena, the
"crown of the valley," and to cast in his lot with
the inhabitants of Los Angeles county, he had
already acquired an enviable reputation as a law-
yer. By honest endeavor and immense capacity
for earnest work which successful lawyers must
possess, he has .steadily risen in his profession,
and, moreover, has acquired the name of being
an excellent financier and business man.

The grand old state of Ohio, as everyone
knows, has furnished this country with some of
its noblest statesmen, soldiers and professional
men, and the judge is proud that his nativity
occurred within the borders of the Buckeye state.
At an early age, however, he removed to Iowa
with his parents, and there he was educated and
reared to manhood. After having completed his
literary studies he entered the law oflSce of Hon.
D. P. Stubbs, of Fairfield, Iowa, and after the
proper amount of preparation was admitted to
the bar. For a short time thereafter he was en-
gaged in practice in Fairfield and then located in
lola, Kans. He became a partner of Hon. Oscar
Foust, and together they won wealth and fame of
a substantial order. It is a noteworthy fact that
the firm was connected with nearly every crimi-
nal case of any importance which found its way
into the courts of that section, and to employ
Knight & Foust as counsel was very nearly equiv-
alent to winning the verdict.

Ten years ago Judge Knight came to Southern
California, and was so thoroughly impressed with
its beauties and promise, that he decided to
take up his permanent abode here. Accordingly,
he erected a handsome residence on Marengo
avenue, Pasadena, where he still dwells, and soon
afterwards he established a law ofiBce in Los An-
geles. He has given special attention to probate
and corporation law, in which field he has few
superiors in the west. Of late years he has be-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

come identified witli a luimbei- of niiuiiig concerns
of the southwest, and at present is the attornej-
for and vice-president of a rich mining company
whose property adjoins that of the famous Com-
monwealth mine at Pierce, Ariz., one of the best
paying mines in the country. During the past
few years he has crossed the continent about half
a dozen times on business, but in all his travels
he has seen no place where he would prefer to
live. He is enthusiastic in his love for Southern
California, and feels that a brilliant future is in
store for the entire Pacific coast. In all his rela-
tions with his fellow-men he has been animated
by high and worthy principles of conduct, and
integrity and justice have been his governing
motives.

Mr. Knight was married in Fairfield, Iowa, to
Miss Harriett R. Hoopse, a native of Belmont
county, Ohio. She died January 22, 1893, at
Pasadena, Cal., leaving one son, Charles C.
Knight, who is head clerk of the Rochester Shoe
Store.

nOHN SHAFFER, a pioneer of Los Angeles,
I came to California via Cape Horn on the
(2/ sailing brig Montezuma, Captain Roberts
of Baltimore commanding. He was born on
board a vessel lying in the harbor of New
Van Diep, Holland. His father was an an-
chorsmith and followed that business in the
days when the forging was all done by hand.
He grew up a sailor boy and at fourteen
years of age left home, becoming a seaman on
vessels engaged in the China and East India
trade with Holland ports. He came to New-
York as able seaman. From there he shipped
for Valparaiso, thence to San Franci.sco, where
he arrived in 1849. The gold mining excitement
was then at its highest tension and gold was
uppermost in the minds of every man, whether
sailor or civilian.

Almo.st immediately after his arrival in San
Francisco, Mr. Shaffer struck out for the mining
regions of Amadore county. He spent six months
in the vicinity of Hangtown, but met with indif-
ferent success in his quest for gold. Returning
to San Francisco, he proceeded to Monterey,
where he worked on vessels, discharging their
cargoes, etc. In 1850 he returned to Holland
and married the lady who has since been his

devoted ccjmpanion and his best earlhl) friend.
Immediately after his marriage he returned to
California, leaving his bride in New York. In
1854 lie returned east and for six months carried
on a grocery business in Buflfalo, N. Y. Later
he visited Milwaukee, Wis., and from therein
1857 joined a party for Pike's Peak. The com-
pany had three yoke of oxen and the necessary
camping equipages and supplies. They pro-
ceeded on their journey as far as Council Grove,
Kans. , where they were driven back by the
Mormons.

At Council Grove Mr. Shaffer left the party
and went to Ossawatomie, Kans., ten miles from
the Missouri line, where he was between "the
devil and the deep sea," as the Missourians in
favor of slavery were on one side and John
Brown, the free-state man, on the other. He
had to decide between the two and decided in
favor of free state doctrines, believing that
slavery ought not to exist in a free country. For
safety's sake he was obliged to leave the coun-
try. The next year, in 185S, he went back to
New York, and in 1859 returned to California
via Cape Horn, leaving his wife with friends in
New York City. He landed in San Francisco,
and from there went to Wascon and Carson val-
ley, where the silver mines were located. In
April, 1S60, there were nearh' twelve feet of
snow in the mountains. He crossed from Car-
son valley to Berrysville or Strawberry over the
mountains, in the deep .snow, having been driven
out by starvation. Next he went to Placerville,
where for three days he was snow-blind. Soon
afterward he went to Sacramento and San Fran-
cisco. Next he went to Valparaiso, then to Hol-
land and back to New York to his wife. They then
went to Muskegon, Mich., where he engaged in
the lake service, as captain of both sail and steam
boats, in which he was pro.spered.

Upon the opening of the Central Pacific Rail-
road to the coast he came to California in 1872,
accompanied by his wife. From San Francisco
he proceeded south to San Bernardino, later to
Los Angeles, where he arrived during the autumn
of the year. From that time until 1891 he en-
gaged very successfully in the tent and awning
business, retiring during the latter year. Dur-
ing his varied experiences he has seen much of
the world and has profited by his travels. From

(^4^.X^/. ctI^^.^^,^. >-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

643

the time he first saw Los Angeles, his faith in
her future has never waned, and he has taken a
warm interest in her development. In 1879 he
was a member of the city board ofcouncilmen
and the following year served as a police officer.
He was the first man in the city who manu-
factured tents and awnings, and the business he
established has grown to mammoth proportions.
In his enterprises he has met with a fair degree
of success and has become the owner of some
valuable property in Los Angeles, among whose
citizens he holds a high place.

ITlizabeth a. FOLLANSBEE, M. D.

1^ The public has become of recent years so
^_ accustomed to the presence of women in the
medical profession that it no longer causes com-
ment or creates criticism ; but people little beyond
middle life can recall the days when, were a
woman to express a desire to enter the profession,
it would be a signal for a storm of reproach and
indignation. Happily those days are past for-
ever, for the success which the thousands of
women practitioners have met with proves beyond
question their fitness for the profession. To a
certain extent Dr. FoUansbee is a pioneer among
women physicians on the Pacific coast. When, in
1875, she entered the medical department of the
University of California, she and a San Francisco
lady were the first women to enter that institution
after its doors were opened to their sex ; although a
few eastern colleges had for )'ears admitted women
as .students. The success .she has gained shows
that she selected her occupation in life wisely and
well. Her practice, which is confined to women
and children, is very large and her reputation high.
She has held the chair of diseases of children in
the medical department of the Universit\- of South-
ern California since its organization in 1S85. In
the Los Angeles County, the Southern Califor-
nia, and the California State Medical Societies,
as well as the American Medical Association, she
is warmly interested as an active member. Since
her graduation in medicine she has aimed to keep
abreast with every discovery in therapeutics and
is thoroughly in touch with the onward march of
the profession. In a large degree her success
may be attributed to the fact that she loves her
profession; and it is an undisputed fact that we

succeed best in an occupation which is congenial.
During the years of her varied practice she has
made thoroughness her motto. This trait has
been noticeable in all of her practice. In addition
to a broad professional knowledge, she is well
versed in literature, history and art, and her
superiority as a teacher is shown by numerous
flattering testimonials from high educational
authorities.

Dr. FoUansbee was born at Pittston, Me., and
was taken to Brooklyn, N. Y., at four years of
age by her parents. When she was nine she was
sent to Europe to be educated, and afterward,
with the exception of twelve months, remained
in Paris for seven years, studying in the best
schools of that city. Meantime her father, Capt.
Alonzo FoUansbee, had died, and her mother
moved to Boston, where she continued her stud-
ies. Afterward she was preceptress of the
Green Mountain Institute and later instructor in
Hillside Seminary at Mount Clair, N. J. From
childhood she had been delicate, and the nervous
train incident to teaching impaired her health to
such an extent that she was obliged to resign her
position in 1873. Coming to California, .she
taught in Napa City until she entered the Uni-
versity of California. After a term in that iusti-
tutiou she returned east and entered the
medical department of the University of Michi-
gan. She was about to be graduated from that
i nstitution when she received a telegram, offering
her the position of interne in the Hospital for
Women and Children in Boston, providing she
would come at once. She accepted, and filled the
position until she entered the Woman's Medical
College of Philadelphia. From this institution
she graduated as an M. D. in 1877. She had the
honor of winning the $50 prize for the best essay
ofthe graduating class, her subject being "Review
of Medical Progress." The award was made by
Prof Henry Hartshorn, of the University of
Pennsylvania.

Returning to California, Dr. FoUansbee opened
an office in San Francisco, where, in addition to
her private practice, she was physician to the
Pacific Dispensary Hospital for Women and Chil-
dren. A severe attack of pneumonia compelled
her to seek a milder climate, so she spent a few
months at Napa City, but, not improving ns
rapidly as desired, she came to Los Angeles in

644

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Februar\-, 1S83. Here the climate soon restored
her to strength and she was permitted to resume
professional work. She is connected with
Christ Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, and is
well and favorably known throughout this section
of the state.

EHARLES P. PATTERSON. The familv
of which this well known citizen of Pomona
is a member has long been identified with
American histor\-, and is of Welsh extraction.
Its members have been especiallj- prominent in
New York state. His grandfather, Hon. Amos
Patterson, was, perhaps, the most distinguished
of the name, and for }-ears was a judge of the
supreme court of New York, where his broad
learning and his impartial spirit made his service
signally successful. A man of such ability and
prominence would, of course, be solicitous that
his children receive everj- advantage possible.
His son Joseph, the father of the subject of this
sketch, was sent to Union College, which at the
time was one of the most advanced institutions in
the country. After graduating from college he
settled in Wayne county, N. Y., where he
became a man of influence and note. Among
the offices he held were those of sheriff, super-
visor, justice of the peace, postmaster, and many
minor offices of public trust.

He married Hannah M. Fuller, whose father
was a captain in the war of 1812, and was taken
prisoner by the British, but afterward released.
He was a philanthropist, believing it his duty to
aid the poorer classes as much as it was possible
to do.

The subject of this narrative was born in
Wayne county, N. Y., August 17, 1836. At an
early age he began to assist his father, who con-
ducted a general store at Ontario, N.Y., and also
acted as postmaster of the town. His education
was received from a practical business standpoint,
rather than from text-books, but it has proved none
the le.ss effective on that account. When he was
seventeen his father's property was burned, and
the family suffered a heavy loss. A few days before
he was twenty-one, August 12, 1857, his father
died, at Emporia, Kans., whither father and son
had gone in the hope of finding a favorable open-
ing. Afterward our subject returned to New York
and engaged in teaching school. He also carried

on a general mercantile business. When the
Civil war began his sympathies were strong on the
Union side. He soon decided to enlist. In July,
1862, he became a member of Company B, One
Hundred and Thirty-eighth New York Infantry.
Subsequently he was transferred to the Ninth
New York Heavy Artillery. In October, 1862,
he was appointed clerk to the colonel, in which
capacity he continued for ^ short time, but in
January-, 1863, was sent on recruiting service by
order of the secretary of war. Previous to this
he had received, in a competitive examination, a
clerkship in the war department, but preferring
to be at the front, he had declined the offer. He
served for a time in the United States detective
corps, which work took him all over the country.
He accepted a commission as lieutenant, and was
made adjutant of the First Battalion, being given
the command of Fort Wagner, D. C, which
guarded the approach to the national capital, and
was therefore a position of unusual importance.
May 20, 1864, he went into the Wilderness cam-
paign. On the ist of June he was wounded at
Cold Harbor, and in consequence of this wound
he received an honorable discharge September 8,
1864.

Returning to Ontario, N. Y., Mr. Patterson
took up the ordinary pursuits of life. In 187 1
he was appointed clerk of the board of supervis-
ors of Wa3'ne county, which office beheld for
sixteen years. For about thirty years he also was
a notarj' public, and during part of that time
justice of the peace. His half-brother, Hon. W.
E. Greenwood, was also a man of considerable
prominence in Wayne county, and at one time
represented his district in the New York legisla-
ture.

The fir.st visit Mr. Patterson made to Pomona,
Cal., was in 18S7. Thereafter he made several
visits here, and in 1893 he settled in this city per-
manently, having formed such a favorable opin-
ion of its prospects and advantages that he de-
cided to make it his home. In 1897 he was elected
a member of the board of trustees of Pomona for
four years. This office he now fills. He also
served as president of the board. Here, as in
the east, he is a notary public.

Fraternally he is connected with the Masons at
Long Beach, Cal. He is a member of the Pomona
Baptist Church. Politically he is a Republican.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

645

He bears a reputation as a conservative, con-
scientious business man, and is well known for
his integrity as an official and in private life as
well. He was married in Wajnie county, N. Y.,
April 26, i860, to Miss Mary M. Potter, daugh-
ter of Lewis and Nancy (Bliss) Potter, natives
of Saratoga county, N.Y., born near the old bat-
tle-field. They were descendants of English
nobility.

(I De earth SHORB, deceased, was for
I many years one of the most substantial
G/, business men and best-known citizens of
Los Angeles county. An important factor in
business hfe and public affairs, he won and re-
tained the confidence and esteem of his fellow-
citizens. He was widely known as president and
general manager of the San Gabriel Wine Com-
pany and as president of the San Gabriel Valley
Railroad, and the Pasadena & Alhambra Rail-
road. For a time he was also president of the
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. His inter-
ests were therefore varied and important, and his
name was well known in commercial circles
throughout Southern California.

The Shorb family originated in Alsace, France.
The first representative in this country was the
great-grandfather of our subject, who on coming
to America settled near Hanover, Pa. In time
he became a large land owner in Pennsj'lvania
and Maryland, also in North Carolina and Dela-
ware. His son, who spent his entire life in Penn-
S3'lvania, and died at the age of one hundred and
four years, was the father of Dr. James A. Shorb,
who married a granddaughter of Capt. Felix
McMeal, a Revolutionary soldier and sailor, who
commanded his own vessel, a privateer, during
the Revolutionary war. Her father, Dr. Daniel
McMeal, was chief of the staff of Mercy hospital,
where the McMeals and Shorbs were among the
most prominent families. The McMeals were of
Scotch-Irish extraction.

Born in Frederick county, Md., April 4, 1842,
J. De Barth Shorb was a son of Dr. James A. and
Margrette (McMeal) Shorb. He was given a
good education, and in 1S59 graduated from the
old classical college of Mount St. Mary's, inEm-
mitsburg, Md. Hecommenced thestudy oflawin
the office of W.W. Dallas, nephew of Hon. George
M. Dallas, who served as vice-president of the

United States from 1845 to 1849. When the Civil
war began, or soon thereafter, Mr. Shorb came
to California as assistant superintendent of the
Philadelphia & California Oil Compan}', of which
Thomas A. Scott, of Pennsylvania Railroad
fame, was the then president.

In 1867 Mr. Shorb purchased an interest in the
Temescal grant and began mining operations.
During the same year he married a daughter of
Benito Wilson, who at that time was a prominent
citizen of Southern California. Mr. Wilson ad-
vised his son-in-law to give his attention to the
raising of grapes and the manufacture of wine.
It was through his influence that Mr. Shorb be-
came a member of the San Gabriel Wine Com-
pany, whose interests include ten thousand acres
of land, one thousand and three hundred acres
of this property being devoted to the culture of
the grape. It is said that this vine3'ard, both in
its equipment and the quality of its grapes, is one
of the best in the world.

The fermenting room of the San Gabriel winery
was 120x260 feet in dimensions, two stories high,
with a capacity of two million six hundred and
forty thousand gallons. The storage cellars, 147
X2 1 7 feet, had a capacity equal to the output. The
distillery, 43x46 feet, attached to the building,
contained a sherry room with a capacity of two
hundred thousand gallons annually. The build-
ings were so situated and equipped with the latest
improved machinery that the work was done at
the lowest minimum of expense from the moment
the grapes were received into the fermenting room
until the wine was ready for shipment. The
winery was connected with the Southern Pacific
Railroad at Shorb, from which shipments were
made to all points of the world. The company
planted an orchard containing apples and pears,
also about one thousand one hundred Washington
navel orange trees, all being furnished with the
finest water system in the state.

These great enterprises were brought to their
present state of perfection by the indefatigable
labors of Mr. Shorb, who acted in the capacity of
president and general manager of the company.
In addition to these interests he was commission-
er for the state, representing the State Viticul-
tural Commission, and was directly connected
with several corporate enterprises. It will thus
be seen that he was one of the important factors

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ill the developiiieul of this region. In his death,
which occurred in 1895, while he was still in life's
prime, Southern California lost one of its most
progressive men. Besides his widow he left five
sons and four daughters.

Among the sons is Dr. J. De Barth Shorb, who
was born in this city in 1870. He received his
literary education in Santa Clara College, in this
state, and then studied medicine in the University
of Pennsylvania, where his preceptor was Prof.
Edward Martin, M.D. After his graduation, in
1895, ^s was appointed the first resident physi-
cian of St. Agnes' Hospital in Philadelphia, and
also appointed second resident physician of
the Hospital University of Pennsylvania, hav-
ing gained both positions through competitive
examination. On resigning as resident physician
he returned to Los Angeles, where he has prac-
ticed his profession. He is a member of the Los
Angeles Medical Society and the Southern Califor-
nia Medical Society. He is captain and assistant
surgeon of the Seventh Regiment, National
Guard of California, and surgeon examiner of
Parlor 45, Native Sons. He is married, his wife
being the youngest daughter of Andrew Glassell,
attorney of Los Angeles, and a director of the
Farmers' & Merchants' Bank.

y^HOMAS F. BARNES. America takes spe-
f C cial pride in her self made men, those who
\^ have risen to positions of honor and re.spect
solely b\' their own merit, and often, bj' the over-
coming of immense disadvantages and obstacles.
Thomas F. Barnes, secretary of Kingsley-Barnes
& Neuner Company, publishers of Los Angeles,
is an example of this type of our citizens, and
his record, could it be given in detail, would
prove an inspiration to many a young man who
is now striving against great odds.

Mr. Barnes was born in La Porte, Ind., in
i860, and when six months old was taken by
his parents to Nevada. His father, Enos R.
Barnes, was for many years a faithful and trusted
employe of the Wells-Fargo Express Company,
and at the time of his death, which event oc-
curred when our subject was only three years
old, he was serving in the double capacity of
agent for that company, and po.stmaster of Gold
Hill, Nev. His wife, the mother of our subject,

was Elizabeth A. Croft in her girlhood, Indiana
being her native place. Her other son, W. C.
is a resident of Arizona.

Thomas F. Barnes recei\-ed a common-schoox
education at Gold Hill, and after completing his
studies he went to Indianapolis, Ind., where he
entered the publishing house of Douglas & Car-
Ion, and thoroughly mastered the printing busi-
ness during the several years which he spent in
the employ of that firm. A determination to
succeed, and strict application to the tasks set
before him, proved the keynote of his steady
promotions and future prosperity.

It was in 1878 that T. F. Barnes, learning of
the wonderful growth and advancement of Los
Angeles, determined to locate here and engage
in business. He proceeded to Oakland, where
he changed his plans for the time being, and for
two years was associated with the Oakland
Tridu/ic. He then came to this city, where, for
the ensuing five years, he was employed by the
Mirror Publishing Company, In 1885 he em-
barked in business on his own account, in com-
pany with John A. Kingsley, and later Mr.
Nuener was admitted to the firm, the name of
the concern becoming as at present, the Kingsley-
Barnes «& Neuner Company. Mr. Barnes is the
secretar}- of the company, and has contributed
materially to its upbuilding and success. By de-
grees the firm has increased its facilities and
elevated its standard of work, until it now is justly
ranked among the leading hou.ses of the kind in
the west.

In 1880 Mr. Barnes married Florence H.
Macdonald, who was born in Manchester, Eng-
land, and they have one child, Ethel M. Mrs.
Barnes, who is a lady of superior education and
social qualities, is a member of the Order of the
Eastern Star and the Daughters of Rebekah of
this city.

Fraternallv Mr. Barnes is very popular, belong-
ing to several of the prominent lodges of Los
Angeles. He is a Mason and Odd Fellow, a
member of the Order of F'oresters, the Royal
Arcanum, the Knights of the Maccabees, the
Fraternal Brotherhood, and is an honorary mem-
ber of the Daughters of Rebekah and the Eastern
Star. In his political creed he is a stanch Repub-
lican, firmly believing in the policy of the party
to whose efforts he thinks the prosperity of this

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

649

thriving land should be largely attributed. He
possesses the genuine esteem and admiration of
his hosts of friends and business acquaintances,
who can but praise his manlj^, upright course in
life.

gHARLES G. KELLOGG. Oneof the just-
ly popular officials to be met at the Los An-
geles court-house is Mr. Kellogg, who holds
the responsible position of public administrator of
Los Angeles county. He is a native of Adams,
Jefferson county, N.Y., his birth having occurred
in 1843. His ancestors, on both sides of the fami-
ly, were numbered among the early settlers of
the Empire state, and were, for the most part,
agriculturists. His father, Luke Kellogg, was
born in Madison county, N. Y. , and when he was
a lad of twelve years he witnessed the battle of
Sacket's Harbor, one of the engagements of the
war of 18 1 2. For a wife he chose Adah Maxson,
and five sons and four daughters blessed their
union. The progenitor of the Kellogg family in
America was Moses Kellogg, a native of England,
who settled in Connecticut in 1646, and from him
all the American Kelloggs descend.

Charles G. Kellogg was reared on the parental
homestead and early learned the proper methods
of conducting a farm. He attended school in the
neighborhood, more or less, until he was fifteen
years of age, when he started out to earn an in-
dependent livelihood. For several years he
worked for farmers, and then went to Illinois,
where he believed that better opportunities
awaited an ambitious young man. When the
Civil war broke out he offered his services to the
Union, and was enrolled in the Sixty-ninth Reg-
iment of Illinois Volunteers, later joining the
Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, which was assigned to
Col. Robert IngersoU's division, and gallantly
fought at the front until the close of the war.
Subsequently he resumed farming in the Prairie
state, and at one time was honored by election to
the ofifice of township tax collector in Kankakee
county. In this, his initial service as a public
ofiScial, he acquitted himself with credit, laying
the foundation of his future praiseworthy career.
In 1875 he yielded to the strong desire which
he had long possessed to see something of the
wonderful Pacific state, whose praise was in the
mouth of everyone. Arriving here, he decided to
32

engage in farming and stock-raising, and accord-
ingly located upon a ranch in the Los Nietos val-
ley, Los Angeles county, and for the ensuing
eleven years he quietly and successfully pursued
the even tenor of his way. In 1886 he removed
to Pomona, where he served as city and county
assessor for eight years, gaining the respect and
admiration of the public by his fidelity and zeal
in the performance of his duties. In 1894 he
came to Los Angeles, and accepted a position as
deputy to Sheriff John Burr, acting in that office
for two years and five months. In 1897 he was
appointed to act on the county board of horticul-
ture, and was secretary of the same for some
time. Then chosen to his present place as public
administrator of Los Angeles county, he is giving
entire satisfaction to all concerned. Politically
he is a stalwart Republican, and fraternally he
is a Mason of high standing.

In September, 1862, Mr. Kellogg and Miss
Frances C. Glass, a native of Illinois, were united
in marriage. She is of English ancestry, her
parents having resided in London prior to their
settlement in this country. The only son of Mr.
and Mrs. Kellogg, Fred A. , is engaged in mining
enterprises in Arizona, and their only daughter,
Adah E. , is the wife of J. H. Rice, of Ventura
county, Cal.

30HN H. NORTON. Born under the shad-
ows of Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts,
and brought up to a knowledge of the stern
realities of life, coming in touch with the men
and the things that make character and sound
reputation, John H. Norton could not be other-
wise than a successful business man. Associating
himself with that class of enterprising and am-
bitious men who sought the undeveloped regions
of the far west and shrank from no obstacle or
hardship in their path, he settled in Arizona,
and has since been identified with various busi-
ness enterprises in that territory. In connection
with other prominent men, he operated over five
hundred miles of stage line. This was not the
only business venture that he conducted with
great success. In fact, with scarcely an ex-
ception, he has been successful in every venture
he has projected, in every business he has under-
taken. His interests are now many and varied.
He is a member of the Norton & Norton Cattle

650

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Compaiij-, of Cedar Springs, Ariz.; also of the
John H. Norton Co., of Wilcox, Ariz., dealers in
merchandise, and is president of the Blue Water
Land & Irrigation Company, of Blue Water,
N. M.

Some years ago Mr. Norton came to Los An-
geles, selecting this beautiful city as his home,
and erecting a handsome residence on West
Twenty-eighth street. Here he has made many
friends, by reason of his genial ways and social
qualities, as well as by his recognized business
ability. About one-half of each year he spends
in Los Angeles, while the other half is given to
his many business enterprises in Arizona and
New Mexico. The time that he spends in Los
Angeles is by no means wholly given to recre-
ation and social enjoyment, although such are
richly earned through his exhausting labors
when away; but he has business connections in
this city, being vice-president and treasurer of
the Norton-Drake Supply Company.

CySAAC S. SMITH, a prominent and influential
I citizen of Los Angeles, was born in Middle-
X bury, N. Y., October 9, 1831, but in the
spring of 1833 was taken by his parents to Michi-
gan, where he was educated in the public schools.
On the 3d of July, 1854, he was united in mar-
riage with Miss Sarah Elizabeth Havens. To
them were born two children, a son and daughter,
namely: DuRay, and Emma S., now the widow
of Rev. S. G. Blanchard, of Buena Park, Orange
county, Cal.

Mr. Smith continued his residence in Michigan
until the 14th of March, 1859, when he started
for California by way of Panama, and on the 17th
of April he landed in San Francisco. Some
months later he embarked in merchandising in
Linden, vSan Joaquin county, and while engaged
in business at that place he served as postmaster
for about eight years. Late in the year 1869 he
and his family returned to Michigan on a visit
and remained there a little more than a year, but
in March, 1871, they again came to California,
and in the following November located in Los
Angeles, where they have since made their
homes.

In 1873 Mr. Smith was chosen assistant man-
ager and secretary of the Grange Co-operative

Company, established by the Patrons of Hus-
bandry, and for a time was secretary of the
Southern California Mutual Aid Association.
He was elected state secretary of the Junior Order
of American Mechanics in 1874, and the following
year was elected state council secretary of the Order
of United American Mechanics. He was manager
of the free labor bureau of Los Angeles and Los An-
geles county, and has taken an active and promi-
nent part in fraternal organizations. He is also an
■ honored member of the Masonic order, the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights
of Pythias, and is a charter member of the So-
ciety of Los Angeles County Pioneers. For
several years he was connected with the Daily
Conwiercial, of Los Angeles, a radical Republican
paper, and later was part owner of the Journal,
published at Oceanside. On selling out his in-
terest in that paper he became connected with the
Daily Sun, at San Diego, and subsequently was
connected with the Informant. He is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Ep-
worth League, and gives his support to every
worthy enterprise which he believes calculated to
advance the moral and material welfare of the
community in which he lives.

(Tames M. king. There are very few men
I who have been identified with the agricul-
(2/ tural development of Los Angeles county for
a longer period than Mr. King. It was during
1858 that he, a boy of eleven years, came with
his mother and step-father to California, and
from that time to the presest he has made his
home in this county. When he started out in
the world for him.self, in 1867, he settled on a
ranch near the present site of Whittier and here
he still resides, having meantime witnessed the
growth of this community and the extension of
its interests. He has himself been a contributor
to the development of its material resources, and
has just reason to be proud of his long and hon-
orable connection with local affairs. He is a char-
ter member of the Los Nietos Valley Pioneer Club
and has a wide acquaintance among the early set-
tlers connected with this and other pioneer so-
cieties.

In Knox county, Ind., Mr. King was born
January 7, 1847, a son of William and Nancy

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

651

(Murphy) King, natives of Indiana and descend-
ants of pioneers of that state. In infancy he was
taken to Illinois by his parents and a few years
later to Piano, Tex., where his father died. With
his mother and step-father, Joseph Haynes, in
1858 he crossed the southern plains to California
and settled in El Monte. His educational ad-
vantages were limited; in fact, he has had little
education except such as he has secured for him-
self, by dint of careful reading and habits of close
observation. In early manhood he spent a short
time near Downey, this county, from which place
he came to his present ranch, purchasing thirty
acres which then comprised a stock range. This
property he planted to English walnuts and fruits,
and the farm has, by careful cultivation, become
a valuable tract and the source of a fair revenue
each year to its owner.

Not being a man with an inclination toward
politics or public aifairs, Mr. King has never
sought official positions, and the only office he
has held, that of school trustee, was of an educa-
tional and not a political nature. He filled it for
several years and with credit to himself. In re-
ligion he is a member of the Seventh Day Advent
Church. In 1865 he married Mrs. Jane Burke,
n6e Nicholson, who was born in Texas. They
are the parents of three sons, of whom William
lives in Whittier, Henry near this place and
Charles at the homestead. By her former mar-
riage Mrs. King has two children: James M.
Burke and Mrs. Catharine Van Dusen. The
family is not only one of the oldest in the vicinity,
but one of the best known and most honored as
well, and its members have the respect and es-
teem of their circle of acquaintances.

RS. JULIA SPRAGUE BARNUM. Dur-
ing the almost twenty years of her resi-
dence in Los Angeles, Mrs. Barnum has
formed a numerous acquaintance in this city, and
has also become the owner of interests here that
are important and valuable. She is identified
with business affairs of more than ordinary
magnitude. She also possesses keen discrimina-
tion, excellent judgment and wise foresight —
qualities which enabled her to assist constantly

in the varied enterprises, and which have also
helped her to personally manage her important
interests.

Mrs. Barnum divides her time between her
husband's home in New York and her Los An-
geles home, known as Edgemont, retaining al-
ways her affection for the "Land of Sunshine."

HOMER W. JUDSON, a successful horticul-
turist and walnut grower, and president of
the Los Nietos and Rauchito Walnut Grow-
ers' Association, is a native of Bristol, Elkhart
county, Ind., where he was born May 2, 1848.
His parents, Lemon and Philena (Bacon) Jud-
son, were natives of Vermont. In 1S56 the fam-
ily moved from Indiana to California and cast
their lot with the very early settlers of Sonoma
county, and engaged in farming and stock-rais-
ing. Here Homer W. was reared on his father's
farm, and educated in the public schools of the
county. In the fall of 1S75 he left Northern
California for what is now called Orange county,
and settled at Tustin City, where he lived until
1887, busily engaged in growing oranges and
apricots. He soon after moved to Los Angeles
county, on the ranch which is at present his
home. Of the one hundred and forty acres,
about one hundred acres are under English wal-
nuts. Mr. Judson takes great pride in his well-
developed ranch, and is entitled to vast credit for
the perfection of its management.

Mr. Judson married Martha Stanley, of Sonoma
county, Cal., and of this union there were seven
children, six of whom are living: Leamou H.,
Henry H., Carl E., Howard W., Alice P. and
Edna. Frank is deceased. In political matters
Mr. Judson is a Republican, and has been identi-
fied with many of the enterprises for the improve-
ment of his town and county. Greatly interested
in education he has served for several terms as a
member of the school board and as trustee of the
Pico school district. He is also a director of the
Los Nietos Irrigating Company, and is secretary
and treasurer as well as director of the Rincon
Irrigation Company. Mr. Judson is a promi-
nent member of the Los Nietos Valley Pioneer
Club.

Mr. Judson takes first rank as a progressive,

652

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

wide-awake member of the community, and is
esteemed for the generosity that impels him to
devote time and attention to the bettering of the
conditions by which he is surrounded.

^ RACY ABBOTT. Though not a native of
f C California, Mr. Abbott has been a resident
\y of this state from his earliest recollection,
and hence he is thoroughly and typically Cali-
fornian in his tastes. Fond of horticulture, he
gives much of his time to the management of his
fruit farm near Rivera, which he purchased in
1880 and on which he has made his home since
1890. The property comprises fifteen and one-
half acres, the most of which is under walnuts,
although there are also some orange trees on the
land. For years he has acted as agent for various
fruit companies of Southern California, and has
bought, packed and shipped fruit in their in-
terests. For fifteen years he has represented
several fruit firms in Riverside, and at this
writing acts as agent for A. Gregory, a fruit
dealer and shipper of Redlands.

In Illinois Mr. Abbott was born October 7,
1857, a son of Capt. WiUiam A. and Harriet C.
(Clark) Abbott, natives of Maine, the former of
English extraction, the latter of Scotch descent.
In 1859 the family left Bangor, Me., on a sailing
vessel, of which the father was captain. They
sailed round Cape Horn and finally landed in San
Francisco, where they established their home and
remained for some years. Meantime the captain
followed a seafaring life, being commander of
both sailing vessels and steam ships. For more
than forty years he followed the sea. He took
the first vessel into the harbor of Newport,
Orange county, and was one of the earliest skip-
pers of the Pacific coast. His death occurred in
Riverside in 1878.

From the age of two years until ten Tracy Ab-
bott lived in San Francisco, where his primary
education was acquired. He accompanied the
family from that city to San Diego, Cal., and soon
went with them to Santa Ana, thence to River-
side, where his parents died. His education was
completed in a private college in San Diego,
where he had excellent advantages under in-
structors of a high grade. After having been a
resident of Riverside for eighteen years, al-

together, he came to Rivera, his present home.
He and his wife (formerly Miss Linnie H. Jones,
and a native of New England) are the parents of
two children, Bessie M. and Willie T.

The Republican party receives the stanch sup-
port of Mr. Abbott, who is a firm believer in the
wisdom of its principles and platform. He is
associated with the Modern Woodmen of America
at Rivera and the Royal Neighbors at Los An-
geles. Few men in this section are better
acquainted with the fruit industry than he, and
it is a matter of pride if ith him that his knowl-
edge of the business is thorough, detailed and
complete. As agent for companies he has shown
himself to be a man of sagacity, enterprise and
prudence, which qualities, together with his in-
timate knowledge of every detail of the in-
dustry, make his opinion valuable on all questions
of markets, prices and shipments.

PjON MANUEL DOMINGUEZ was born in
1^1 San Diego January 26, 1803, a son of Don
IcJ Cristobal Dominguez, an officer under the
Spanish government at the time California came
into the possession of the United States. A
brother of Don Cristobal, Juan Jos6, received
from the king of Spain a concession of ten and
one-half leagues of land, comprising the rancho
de San Pedro, in Los Angeles county. On the
death of Doi! Juan Jos6, in 1S22, Governor Pablo
de Sola gave the rancho to Cristobal, from whom
it descended to Don Manuel, and the latter made
it his home until death.

In 1827 Don Manuel married Dona Maria
Engracia Cota, daughter of Doii Guillernio Cota,
commissioner under the Mexican government.
Eight daughters and two sons were born to them,
of whom six daughters are living, the youngest
of the daughters being the wife of John F.
Francis, of Los Angeles.

The Dominguez name is closely associated
with the history of this locality. In 1828 the
don was elected a member of the Illustrious
Ayuntamiento of the city of Los Angeles. In
1829 he was a delegate to nominate representa-
tives to the Mexican congress. In 1832 he was
first alcalde and judge of the first instance for
Los Angeles. In 1833 he was elected territorial
representative for Los Angeles county to the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

653

assembly at Monterey. In 1834 he was called to a
conference at Monterey for the secularization of the
missions. In 1839 he was chosen second alcalde
for Los Angeles; in 1842 was elected first alcalde
and judge of the first instance; in 1843 was pre-
fect of the second district of California; in 1849 was
a delegate to the first constitutional convention,
which formulated the constitution of the state; in
1854 was made supervisor of the county, and he
was also offered high positions under the United
States government, but these he invariably re-
fused. He retained his portion of the ranch,
amounting to twenty-five thousand acres, until
his death, which occurred October 11, 1882. In
1884 all of the land, except the island and several
thousand acres near the mouth of the San Gabriel
river, was divided among his six daughters, and
they still own the property, preserving in good
repair the adobe house in which their parents
lived for fiftj^-five years. Mrs. Dominguez did
not long survive her husband, dying at the home-
stead March 16, 1883.

n OHN S. BAKER. Comparatively few of the
I business men of Los Angeles county have
(2/ been lifelong residents of this state, the ma-
jority, as is well known, having come from the
east in youth or early manhood. However, Mr.
Baker can pride himself on being a native-born
son of the county, where he was born December
6, 1855, and where he still makes his home. For
some years he has been engaged in the manufac-
ture of wine at Santa Fe Springs, where he
makes his home. He has witnessed the trans-
formation of this locality from a dreary waste, iu,-
habited only by thousands of squirrels, into a
prosperous and cultivated region, the home of an
intelligent and successful people.

The parents of Mr. Baker are Samuel G. and
Elizabeth Baker, who were natives of England,
but emigrated to America in 1853, settling first
in Riverside, Cal., but soon removing to Nor-
walk, this state, where for more than thirty years
the father carried on agriculture and cattle-rais-
ing. Some years since they established their
home in Los Angeles, where they now reside,
both quite active and robust, in spite of their
more than seventy-five busy years of existence.
The father, though starting out without means,

accumulated a competency, assisted by the
economy and prudence of his wife. In politics
he has been a Republican ever since becoming a
citizen of the United States.

Little of special moment characterized the
youthful years of John S. Baker. Attendance at
school alternated with the care of his father's
cattle and the tilling of the farm-land. When he
reached his majority he began for himself, and
for some years engaged in farming, but later
drifted into the manufacture of various of the
leading brands of wines, which he has since suc-
cessfully continued. He is a member of the Los
Nietos Club and takes an interest in its welfare.
Local movements of unquestioned value find in
him a stanch supporter. He is public- spirited to
an unusual degree. Politically he votes the Re-
publican ticket, both in local and national elec-
tions. In fraternal relations he is a Mason and
an Odd Fellow. While his entire life has been
passed as a resident of California his travels have
been extensive, and he has thus gained a cosmo-
politan knowledge that renders him a useful
citizen. During 1900 he went abroad and visited
points of interest in Europe, especially the Paris
exposition, which was in progress at the time.

Mr. Baker married Miss Julia Mekeel, who
was born in Iowa. They are the parents of four
children. Hazel, Everett J., Leona and Bessie.

mAMUEL A. OVERHOLTZER, a promi-
r\ nent citizen, and a member of the firm of
{*^J Billheimer & Overholtzer, grocers of South
Pasadena, was born in San Joaquin county, Cal.,
July 13, 1874. He is a son of Samuel A. and
Maria E. (Harnish) Overholtzer, now deceased.
They were early settlers of Covina, Cal. Further
mention of the Overholtzer family is made else-
where in this volume.

Samuel Overholtzer was reared in San Joaquin
county until 1886, in which year he moved with
his parents to Covina, Cal., and there acquired
his preliminary education in the public schools.
He subsequently studied at Lordsburg College,
and is a graduate of the Los Angeles Business
College. He has always been interested in the
cause of education, and has, for about six years,
been principal of the commercial department of
Lordsburg College. For a time, also, he served

654

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

with credit as secretar}- of the board of trustees
of this same institution of learning. In June,
1900, Mr. Overholtzer became a member of the
mercantile firm of Billheimer & Overholtzer, in
which capacit)' he still continues.

Mr. Overholtzer married Mareta B. Hoff, of
Pomona, Cal.; of this union there is one son,
Charles E.

A public-spirited, enterprising man, Mr. Over-
holtzer is willing to devote his time, atten-
tion and money to the furthering of the public
welfare. His political aflSliations are with the
Republican part}', and he has strong Prohibition
tendencies. As a member of the German Baptist
Brethren Church, and as deacon in the same he
is a generous contributor and an earnest worker.

0 LIVER PERRY PASSONS. Not all men
given to charity have desired that their gen-
erosity should be heralded forth to the world,
in order that the praise of men might reward their
deeds of mercy; but many have preferred to live
"golden lives among the lowly," and have been
content with the reward of an approving con-
science and the satisfaction of having made some
weary heart glad and some fireside more cheerful.
Such, in the main, was Oliver Perry Passons, to
whose kind heart there are many to testify. He
was so unostentatious in his helpful acts that the
entire extent of his charities will never be known,
but sufficient is known to indicate his generous
nature and kindly heart.

In 1824, on the 4th of July, a day made mem-
orable by the noble deeds of our Revolutionary
ancestors, Oliver P. Passons was born in White
county, Tenn. He spent the years of boyhood on
his father's farm. In 1847 he went to Texas,
and for a time worked on the overland service as
an employe of the United States government.
In 1 849 he started for the gold fields of California
via Mexico. On the way he was captured by the
Apache Indians, who deprived him of all he had,
even taking the clothes he wore. After shooting
the load out of his rifle they handed it to him,
and he lost no time in covering the ten miles that
lay between him and the nearest settlement. He
returned to El Paso and entered the government
overland service between that city and Mexico.
With a large party, in 1850, Mr. Passons again

started for California. With one companion he
walked the entire distance from Fort Yuma to
Los Angeles, atthe same time carrying provisions
and water. He followed the carpenter's trade at
first and assisted in building the government
warehouse at Wilmington. Later he settled on
the Barton ranch and built the first frame house
in the Los Nietos valley.

After keeping "old bachelor's hall" until 1853
he was married on the 23d of September, that
year, to Mrs. Nancy Graham, who survives him.
Two children were born to them: Jane and Mon-
roe. In 1855 he bought one hundred acres, com-
prising the ranch where the balance of his life
was passed. Being always interested in the de-
velopment of the count}', he began to experiment
with English walnuts, and planted the first wal-
nut orchard in this locality. Some few trees had
been planted in other places, but his was the first
orchard ever planted here. He was prudent,
economical and thrifty, and soon accumulated a
sufficient amount of this world's goods to "take
life easy," as far as manual labor was concerned.
He was not a church member, but supported lib-
erally the churches of the valley. As before in-
timated, he gave liberall}' for philanthropic move-
ments and charity. In fact, his kindness of heart
was sometimes taken advantage of by designing
persons; but by every good and true citizen he
was held in the highest esteem. As a friend and
neighbor he had no superior. He died February
25, 1895, ^^^ h^s funeral was the largest ever
held in the valley up to that time, there being
about one hundred and fifty vehicles in the
funeral procession. The pall-bearers were old
neighbors and friends, viz.: George Cole, S. G.
Reynolds, William Moss, J. W. Burke, H. L.
Montgomery and E. L. Parish.

At a meeting of the directors of the Los Nietos
and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Association
(which was organized by Mr. Passons), held
March 18, 1895, the following resolutions were
passed:

" Where.\s, The All-wise Ruler has .seen fit
to remove from our midst O. P. Passons, a pioneer
of the Los Nietos valley, and the organizer of the
Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Asso-
ciation; therefore, be it

''Resolved, That in the death of O. P. Passons
the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers'

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

655

Association has lost a valuable and esteemed
member and an able counselor, the community
an upright and honored citizen;

"That the sympathy of this Association be
extended to the bereaved family, and that they
be furnished a copy of these resolutions;

"That these resolutions be placed on the min-
utes of this Association and be Sent to the press
for publication."

(Signed), J. A. MONTGOMERY,

Secretary.

pCjlLLIAM CARUTHERS. Since taking up

\ A / his residence near Downey, Mr. Caruthers
Y V lias substantially impressed his merit upon
the community, and as one of the oldest settlers
in this part of the state he has naturally witnessed
many changes, and has contributed in no slight
degree to the advancement and well being of his
surroundings.

A native of Louisiana, William Caruthers was
born January 22, 1830, and is a son of John and
Francis (Murphy) Caruthers, the former a native
of Missouri. The Caruthers family is of Scotch
descent. When an infant in arms William Ca-
ruthers was taken by his parents to southeastern
Texas, where he was reared on his father's farm
and instructed in the various duties of an enter-
prising and thrifty agriculturist. His opportu-
nities for acquiring an education were of the
meagre sort, and would illy compare with those
enjoyed by the youth of to-day. The instruction
of the early subscription schools left much to be
desired, and the pupils necessarily resorted later
on to the various ways of increasing their fund
of information. William Caruthers was no ex-
ception to the rule, and as time went on he had
considerable opportunity for acquiring a knowl-
edge of business methods.

While living in Texas Mr. Caruthers married
Amarado Perry, a native of Tennessee. To this
couple were born eight children, seven of whom
are living, namely: Mrs. L. M. Grider, of Los
Angeles; William; Jefferson D.; Mrs. J. T. Ste-
vens, living at Needles, Cal.; Mrs. Marion Mc-
Clure, of Missouri; Hugh; and John P.

In 1859, accompanied by his family, Mr. Ca-
ruthers left Texas for California, and joined a
train of emigrants in crossing the plains. They
traveled in the usual way in those early days,

with wagons and ox-teams, and arrived at their
destination in San Luis Obispo county, after a
trying and dangerous journey covering many
mouths. He lived in San Luis Obispo county
until 1865, when he removed to his present ranch
near Downey. The land was in practically a
wild condition, and he at once commenced its
cultivation, with the result that it is to-day a
fine and remunerative venture.

Mr. Caruthers is a public-spirited and enter-
prising man, and has won the confidence of his
associates in California. He is greatly interested
in the cause of education, and has served several
terms on the school board. He is a believer in
the principles of the Democratic party, and is
interested in all of the undertakings of the same.
He is also a member of the Los Nietos and Ranch-
ito Walnut Growers' Association, incorporated.
Fraternally he is associated with the Masonic
order at Downey.

pQlLLIAM L. WITHEROW. The ranch
\ A/ owned and occupied by Mr. Witherow lies
Y Y in the Ranchito district, near Rivera, and
contains nineteen acres, mostly under walnuts.
Since 1894 Mr. Witherow has given his attention
to the cultivation of the place. The products of
the ranch are disposed of principally through the
Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Asso-
ciation, of which he is a member. The father of
our subject, Hon. John Witherow, was born in
Pennsylvania, and in boyhood moved to Hen-
dricks county, Ind., where he studied law and
was admitted to the bar. His talents brought
him into public notice, and he was elected to a
number of positions of honor and trust, the most
important of these being the ofBce of state sen-
ator, in which he served with distinction and
credit. On account of his wife's ill health he
decided to seek a more genial climate, and ac-
cordingly, in 1869, came to California, where she
was soon restored to strength. For some years
Mr. Witherow taught school in Shasta county.
In 1874 he brought the family to Los Angeles
county. The confinement of educational work,
in which he first engaged, seriously affected his
health and he was obliged to seek an occupation
permitting more outdoor exercise. He therefore
settled on a farm a short distance west of Los
Angeles, and there he remained until his death,

656

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in 1888. His wife, who bore the maiden name
of Eliza Baker, was born in Ohio and died at
Santa Monica, October 11, 1900.

During the residence of his parents in Hen-
dricks countj', Ind., William L. Witherow was
born April 12, 1S63. He was six years of age at
the time the family settled in Shasta county,
Cal. From an early age he has been interested
in agriculture, but his specialty is now the rais-
ing of walnuts. Without any desire for promi-
nence in local affairs, he has never sought official
honors. He is a member of the lodge of Inde-
pendent Order of Foresters at Rivera, and in
religion he is, with his wife, connected with the
Presbyterian Church at this place. By his mar-
riage to Linda H., daughter of Daniel White, of
Ranchito, he has three children: H. Carlisle,
Louise and Sydney D.

|~ ASTON, ELDRIDGE & CO. Admittedly
j^ leaders in their line is the corporation of
L, Easton, Eldridge & Co., who for thirty
years have held a prominent place in the com-
mercial and financial interests of California. The
home office of the company is in the city of San
Francisco and the Los Angeles office is practi-
cally its leading branch, but the business in
Southern California has become so extensive and
important that two of the corporate members per-
manently reside in this city. The corporation is
unique in its personnel in the fact that its stock is
entirely owned by the members of one family,
Messrs. Wendell, George and George D. Easton;
the president is Wendell Easton, vice-president
George Easton, and secretary George D. Easton,
the local treasurer being the Merchants National
Bank of Los Angeles.

The president and vice-president of the com-
pany came from their native state, Massachusetts,
to California in 1854 and since that time have
been thoroughly identified with the progress and
development of this prosperous commonwealth.
The secretary is a native of California, born in
San Francisco, has always made his home in this
state, and is now a resident of Los Angeles.

The interests of the corporation are extensive
and are found practically from the northern to the
southern limits of the state. Occupying a leading
position in their line in San Francisco, it is but

natural that they should build up a similar busi-
ness and reputation in Los Angeles, and among
their competitors in their particular lines at this
end of the state. Here they are managers of ex-
tensive estates of non-residents and also operate
properties in which they are personally interested.
Among these properties is the Sunny Slope ranch
at Sunny Slope, where are extensive orchards and
vineyards owned by L. J. Rose & Co., of London.
Again, at Chino, thirty miles from Los Angeles,
the firm controls and operates the celebrated
Chino ranch, comprising some thirty-six thou-
sand acres, where is located the extensive sugar
factory of the Chino Valley Sugar Company, the
latter operated by the Oxnard syndicate of New
York. In addition to these the firm is largely
interested in extensive oil developments in South-
ern California.

The success of the firm is due in the intelligent
observance of the motto of "doing one thing and
doing it well." The policy of the members has
for years been this, — that specific propositions
properly handled and intelligently worked give a
scope for their best efforts and only along these
lines is success possible. They employ a high
grade and intelligent corps of clerks, and are pre-
pared to take up and handle any specific propo-
sition that is large enough to warrant giving it
the individual time and attention necessary, and
the adherence to this rule has been the founda-
tion of their success.

(31 SA DOUGLAS, one of the pioneer settlers
LA and prominent agriculturists of the Colima
/ 1 tract, and secretary of the Colima Tract
Water Company, settled on his present ranch in
1892. He is a native of Ionia county, Mich.,
where he was born January 5, 1868, and is a son
of Orrin and Emor (Grove) Douglas, natives
respectively of New York state and Ontario,
Canada. Orrin Douglas was a farmer for the
greater part of his life, and his son Asa was
taught to appreciate the soil and its possibilities
and the best methods of conducting a well-
regulated farm. More fortunate than manj'
farmers' sons he had exceptional educational
advantages, studying first in the public schools
and later at Michigan State Normal School in
Ypsilanti.

//iS-^^^ ^o-e^

MRS. JONATHAN BAILEY.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

66i

Mr. Douglas came to California from Michigan
in 1890 and moved to Whittier in the fall of the
same year, remaining there until February,
1892. He then settled on his ranch in the
Colima tract, where he has industriously im-
proved his land, until it is now entirely under
cultivation.

A Republican in politics Mr. Douglas has no
political aspirations. He is a member of the
Modern Woodmen of the World at Whittier. He
is one of the incorporators of the Colima Tract
Water Company and is at present acting as
its secretary. An active member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church he contributes generously to-
wards its support.

Mr. Douglas has won the respect and apprecia-
tion of the community in which he lives, by his
enterprise, broad-mindedness and general interest
in the public welfare.

30NATHAN BAILEY. To Mr. Bailey be-
longs the distinction of being the first settler
of what is now Whittier. As president of
the Pickering Land and Water Company he came
to the present site of the town in May, 1887, and
established his home in the midst of a field of
barley, his nearest neighbor being two miles dis-
tant. He continued as president of the company
for two years and for some years afterward offi-
ciated as vice-president, in both of which capa-
cities he did much to secure the development of
the place and interest people in investing in prop-
erty here. Naturally, therefore, he has a wide
acquaintance throughout this section of the state.
For miles around Whittier no name is better
known than that of Mr. Bailey, and no man is
more highly respected than he. His standing as
a man and a citizen is the just reward of a long
and useful life guided by sentiments of integrity,
honor and generosity, and his career might well
serve as an example for the youth of future gen-
erations.

The Bailey family has been connected with the
Society of Friends from the time of their settle-
ment in America, and Mr. Bailey is therefore by
birthright a Quaker. He was born near Peters-
burg, Va., February 24, 1819, a son of David
and Sylvia (Peebles) Bailey, also natives of the
Old Dominion and of Scotch extraction. When

he was eight years of age his parents, in 1827,
removed to Ohio and became pioneers of Clinton
county, where he received a rudimentary educa-
tion in local schools and passed the years of
j'Outh. In that state, in 1842, he married Re-
becca T., daughter of Jonah and Mary (Hadley)
Frazier, a native of Clinton county. They be-
came the parents of four children, all but one of
whom are living. Mariana is the wife of T. C.
Hunt, of Whittier; Edwin F. resides in Los An-
geles and James W. in Whittier. The golden
wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Bailey was
celebrated in Whittier and was an occasion of
great rejoicing. More than four hundred friends
and acquaintances were present at the celebra-
tion and united in extending to them congratu-
lations and best wishes. Their wedded life was
one of mutual helpfulness, and was prolonged
for fifty-six years, until the death of Mrs. Bailey,
which occurred April 17, 1898.

During the period of his residence in Ohio
Mr. Bailey was principally interested in agricul-
ture, although he also gave some attention to the
buying and selling of real estate. For three years
he served as a commissioner of Clinton county,
and for a similar period he was a director of the
county infirmary. His first trip to California
was made in 1875, when he brought an invalid
son, E. F. Bailey, to this state, hoping that the
change of climate might prove beneficial, and the
result proved that the step was a wise one. Four
years later he again came to the Pacific coast, re-
maining for a short time. His permanent re-
moval to the state was in 1885, and for two years
he resided in Los Angeles, after which he came
to his present home in Whittier. Since then he
has been identified with many of the movements
originated to promote the welfare of the town.
His name is a synonym of honor and upright-
ness. His friends are as numerous as his ac-
quaintances, and there is none who does not wish
him well. The high standing he has attained
proves him to be a man of more than ordinary
ability, for he had no one to help him in starting
out in life and was forced to work his way for-
ward without capital or influential friends; but
his determination, perseverance and enterprise
have brought their own reward. While he has
never closely connected himself with politics he
maintains an interest in affairs of state, and, in

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

national elections, votes with the Republican
party. Both b}- precept and example he favors
Prohibition doctrines and has always been strictly
temperate in his habits, which accounts in a
large degree for his robustness of health at an
age beyond the usual limits of physical and
mental strength.

<p^HOMAS R. PASSONS, a prominent and
( C successful agriculturist of the vicinity of
VJ*/ Rivera, claims among his ancestors many
who distinguished themselves while fighting for
American freedom. Of Scotch-Irish descent, he
is a native of middle Tennessee, and was born De-
cember 25, 182S. His parents. Major and Annie
(Anderson) Passons, were also natives of Ten-
nessee. Major Passons was a courageous soldier
in the war of 181 2 and fought in the battle of
New Orleans under General Jackson. The pa-
ternal grandfather was also a soldier in the war
of 1812.

Thomas Passons spent his youth and early
manhood on the farm in Tennessee, surrounded
by the usual influences incident to the life of a
southern farmer's son. He early showed an
aptitude for everything in an agricultural line,
and was therefore of vast assistance to his father
in the performance of his many duties. As may
be imagined, the opportunities of all descriptions
were in those early days in the south of a verj'
meagre character, and particularly in the matter
of education; the sons and daughters of the pio-
neers were forced to supplement their scant
schooling by later application in the various
grooves of acquiring knowledge. In 1875 Mr.
Passons started out for himself in the world and
went from Tennessee to Washington county.
Ark. , where he lived for about three years, after
which he moved to Moniteau county, Mo., and
in 1865 to Cedar county, Mo. In 1874 he saw
in California a greater outlook than was indi-
cated by his present surroundings, and accord-
ingly located there upon land which is now the
site of Rivera, moving later to the ranch upon
which he now resides. The home ranch com-
prises twenty-three acres mostly under walnuts.
To this he later added twenty one acres in
Ranchito, which is devoted also to the cultiva-
tion of oranges and walnuts.

Mr. Passons was married in November, 1850,

to Susan J. Douglas, a native of Tennessee, and
of this union there are six children: Louise, the
wife of Joseph Eady, who lives in Los Angeles
county; BirdB.; Mrs. P. D. Robinson, of Ontario,
Cal.; Ada, who is the wife of Harry Moss, of
Rivera: Elijah F., in Los Angeles; Thomas B.,
at Ranchito; and James W., who is deceased.

Mr. Passons claims allegiance to the Demo-
cratic party. He has served as school director
and trustee of his district. In the Los Nietos
and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Association, in-
corporated, he holds membership, and he has
been associated for many years with the Los
Nietos Valley Pioneer Club. He has been iden-
tified with many of the enterprises for the up-
building of the community in which he resides,
and is respected for his many excellent traits and
abilities.

3W. HUDSON. From the time that he first
came to Los Angeles county, in January,
1867, until the present time, Mr. Hudson
has been identified with a number of its import-
ant interests, notably those pertaining to agri-
culture. In his own portion of the county it is
doubtful if any citizen is better known, and cer-
tainly none stands higher in the general esteem.
His ranch, where for man}' years he and his fam-
ily have resided, comprises more than two thou-
sand acres of land, as choice as can be found in
the whole Puente valley. The location of the
property adapts it especially for grazing pur-
poses, and we find that Mr. Hudson has for years
made a specialty of the stock business, in which
he has met with gratifying success.

A son of J. W. and Sarah E. (Wells) Hudson,
natives of New York state, Mr. Hudson was born
in Oswego, N. Y., February 18, 1844. His fath-
er was born and reared in Boston, Mass., and
followed the cooper's trade throughout active
life. He died in Napoleon, Ohio, in 1894. His
wife was of Welsh ancestry and was a native of
Connecticut; she died in Napoleon, Ohio, in 1892.
Their children were named as follows: Amarette,
Sarah E., Lottie, Mary, Susan and J. W. The
last-named received his education principally in
the "old red schoolhouse," and in boyhood met
with the usual adventures and experiences of the
youths of his day. In i860, at the age of sixteen

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

663

years, he left home and started out to make his
own way in the world. For a time he was em-
ployed in Allamakee county, Iowa, but the out-
break of the Civil war changed the current of his
life. At the first call for soldiers he enlisted in
the three months' service, but before going to the
field the time was changed to three years. He
became a private in Company K, Fifth Iowa In-
fantry, under Colonel Worthington, and after a
few months in Missouri, was assigned to the
army of the Tennessee. The regiment took part
in the battle of luka, where, in killed and
wounded, they lost one-half their force. This
was their first baptism in blood, and although
the results were serious for them , it proved their
devotion to duty. The command also suffered
.severely in the battle of Corinth. They then took
part in the siege of Vicksburg and the capture of
Jackson, also the campaign for the relief of Chat-
tanooga. Owing to illness, caused by hard
service and exposure to inclement weather, Mr.
Hudson was transferred to Company C, Fourth
Regiment of Veteran Reserves, and engaged in
guard duty at Rock Island. He was honorably
discharged in Chicago, July 18, 1864.

After a month in Peoria, 111., Mr. Hudson re-
turned to Iowa, but went back to Peoria in the
spring of 1865 and joined a party for the over-
land trip to the Pacific coast, driving an ox-team
via Salt Lake to Virginia City. On his arrival
in the west he turned his attention to mining.
With other prospectors he went to the Big Horn
mountains, returning via Salt Lake City, and
afterward engaging in a venture in southern
Utah. For several years after 1867 he spent his
winters in Los Angeles county, while during the
summer he engaged in mining in Montana,
Idaho, Utah and Colorado. His experiences as
a miner were many and varied. As with most
miners, sometimes luck was his and at other
times he had reverses to meet. But, possessing
a great deal of determination, he did not allow
discouragements to daunt him, and persevered
where another, less hopeful, might have aban-
doned the eifort. He has been connected with a
number of enterprises in Los Angeles county,
notably the sinking of one of the first artesian
wells here. In agriculture, as in mining, he has
shown himself to be energetic and resolute; in
fact, in whatever occupation he has engaged, he

has thrown so much of determination and indus-
try, that a certain measure of success was invari-
ably his.

In November, 1879, Mr. Hudson married Vic-
toria R. Rowland, the youngest daughter of John
Rowland, and they have since lived near the
home where Mrs. Hudson was born. They are
the parents of three children, William R., Josiah
W. , Jr. and Lillian. Fraternally Mr. Hudson is
connected with Pentalpha Lodge No. 202, F. &
A. M., in Los Angeles. He has always been in-
terested in educational matters, and his school
district, organized in 1888, was named Hudson
district in his honor. Politically he is a Silver
Republican.

30HN ROWLAND, a pioneer of Los Ange-
les county, was born in Maryland and in
early manhood settled in New Mexico, where,
as a partner of William Workman, he engaged in
mining at Taos. In 1841 he and his partner set
out for California, in company with John Tete,
Santiago Martinez, Thomas Belarde and others.
The next year they returned to Taos for their
families. On coming to California the second
time they were accompanied by B. D. Wilson,
D. W. Alexander, John Reed, William Perdue
and Samuel Carpenter, all of whom became resi-
dents of Los Angeles county. Rowland & Work-
man obtained a grant of La Puente rancho, com-
prising forty-eight thousand acres, and there
they settled and spent the balance of their lives.

The first wife of John Rowland was Doiia In-
carnation Martinez, by whom he had the follow-
ing-named children: John, Jr., Thomas, Robert,
Nieves (Mrs. John Reed), Lucinda (Mrs. James
R. Barton), and William R. After the death of
his first wife he married Mrs. Charlotte Gray,
whose husband had been killed by the Indians
while crossing the plains. By her first marriage
she had a daughter, Mary A., who married
Charles Fortman, of Los Angeles. The children
of Mr. Rowland's second marriage are Albert
and Victoria, the latter being the wife of J. W.
Hudson.

In 1869 Messrs. Rowland and Workman di-
vided their rancho and about a year afterward
Mr. Rowland settled up his estate and divided
the ranch among his heirs, giving to each about

664

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

three thousand acres of land and one thousand
head of cattle. His last years were spent on the
ranch, and he died at the old homestead, October
14, 1873, aged eighty-two years.

(TOSEPH H. BURKE. Linked with the his-
I tory and development of Los Angeles coun-
(2/ ty are the names of a few whose great and
natural force of character and indomitable en-
ergy have seemed to push to a successful termin-
ation the various enterprises and institutions
planned for her progress. Aside from their rat-
ing as citizens and general promoters of the pub-
lic good, they have in the minds of the people an
added interest, growing out of an existence
crowded with incidents of a more or less ad-
venturous nature. That the early pioneers of
California endured many hardships and sur-
mounted many difficulties no one doubts, and
the life of Joseph H. Burke was no exception to
this rule. His memories of the early days are
replete with thrilling episodes; his position as a
member of the vigilance committees during the
'50s and '60s furnished material for many a
drama, in which the lawless desperadoes of the
coast were the chief actors, and he and his
friends the instigators of necessary "neck-tie"
affairs.

Joseph H. Burke was born in East Tennessee,
April 14, 183 1, a son of Milton and Phoebe
(Hartley) Burke, natives of Virginia. His
grandfather, John Burke, married a daughter of
Nathaniel Osborn, who was a soldier in the Rev-
olutionary war and in the war of 1812, taking
part in the battle of New Orleans, at the close of
the latter conflict. He had thirteen wounds,
and received a pension for each wound. He
lived to the unusual age of one hundred thirteen
and one-half years. The subject of this article
remembers to have once seen, in Tennessee, an
aff"ectionate meeting between Gen. Andrew Jack-
son and Nathaniel Osborn. Milton Burke also
lived to be an old man, and was eighty-eight at
the time of his death.

After spending the first ten years of his life on
his father's farm in Tennessee, Joseph H. Burke
accompanied his parents to Pulaski county. Mo.,
where his mother died. In 1844 he returned to
Tennessee and two years later started out in the

world for himself. His first venture was as an
employe on a cotton plantation in Alabama. In
1849 he went to Arkansas and for a time lived
near Little Rock, but in 1852 went to Fort
Smith, that state, and undertook to learn the
trade of wagonmaker and blacksmith. In the
fall of 1852 he went to New Orleans and there
boarded a steamer for Galveston and Matagorda
Bay, and from the latter point traveled by stage
coach to San Antonio, Tex., the trip occupying
about one week. In 1853 began the memorable
journey to California, which stands out so vividly
in the minds of all who crossed to the coast in
the early days. In this particular instance there
were seventy-seven men, but no women in the
party. They crossed the plains with ten large
wagons, one thousand five hundred head of
Texas steers and two hundred and eighty mules.
The oxen were worked to the wagons as far as
El Paso, and from there to Los Angeles the
mules were brought into service. The journey
was interesting from many standpoints and cov-
ered exactly five months.

Arriving in Los Angeles, Mr. Burke applied
himself to his trade of wagonmaking, and subse-
quently engaged in mining for a short time at
Santa Anita, on what is a part of "Lucky"
Baldwin's estate. A more lucrative position was
soon offered him at Fort Tejon, where for parts
of the years 1854 and 1855 he made wagons for
the government. In the fall of 1855 l^^ inter-
ested himself in the mercantile business at Fort
Tejon, going later to Los Angeles, where he
worked at his trade until the fall of 1864. With
the money thus acquired he bought a tract of
land near Downey, upon which he lived from
1864 to 1885. During the latter year he settled
near Rivera, where he has since made his home.
For some years he engaged in the manufacture
of wine, but since 1890 has devoted himself al-
most exclusively to the cultivation of walnuts
and oranges. His land comprises four hundred
and fifty acres, devoted mainly to walnuts and
oranges, in the raising of which he has been
quite successful.

Mr. Burke married Mary Hunter, who was
born in Greene county. 111., a daughter of Jesse
and Keziah (Brown) Hunter. Jesse Hunter
was captain of a volunteer company in the Mexi-
can war, and accompanied Generals Steveson and

F^ih^^^I

r^M^^I^^^^Bj

F ^l^mMkmJ^Bt

hV^^^H

I^B^Bfq^^^

V-^^^^^H

[3£

JpB

OO-^^^ cl

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

667

Cook,, overland, to capture California. They
joined their forces with those of Commodore
Stockton, U. S. N., and captured Los Angeles,
as is recorded in histor}'. Later Captain Hunter
was appointed Indian agent, but resigned, and,
driving a herd of cattle to Northern California,
engaged in the stock business. His family, con-
sisting of wife and five children, came west in
1849 and settled in Sacramento, Cal., but in
1852 they removed to Los Angeles. Here Cap-
tain Hunter died in 1S77. He owned part of
the Verdugo ranch, and had altogether thirty-
seven hundred acres at the time of his death.
His wife also died on the home ranch. They
were the parents of the following- named children :
William, deceased; Asa, Mary, Jesse, Samuel,
Martha and Elizabeth (the latter born in Cali-
fornia). Asa and Samuel live on the homestead,
three miles north of the courthouse. The chil-
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Burke are: Frank, Osborn,
Mrs. Arthur White and Mrs. John Shade, all liv-
ing in this county. One son, Henry, is de-
ceased.

In politics Mr. Burke claims allegiance with
the Democratic party. He is one of Rivera's in-
fluential and prominent citizens; a man whose
fine and engaging personality has won for him
hosts of friends, not only in his home neighbor,
hood, but throughout the state.

HON. ALFRED JAMES is a native of Marion,
Ohio. He left New York for California,
with his brother, I. E. James, November 10,

1852, and after a somewhat eventful voj'age via
Nicaragua, reached San Francisco January 6,

1853. He sailed from New York on the United
States steamship Star of the West, which carried
between five and six hundred passengers, all
bound for the land of gold. Upon arriving at
Greytown, Nicaragua, the company without de-
lay or notable incident, made its way up the San
Juan river into and across Lake Nicaragua to
Virgin bay, and thence twelve miles to San Juan
del Sur on the Pacific, where after a delay of two
weeks they embarked on the steamship S. S.
Lewis. This vessel was an old and unseaworthy
craft and incapacitated for the accommodation of
so large a number of people. The voyage to San
Francisco absorbed about twenty-two days. But

the strain on the frame of the ship was too great
and she sprang a leak and dipped on one side to
an angle sufiicient to throw water into the fur-
naces and put out the fires. They lay sixty miles
off the head of San Francisco harbor for two
days, flying signals of distress, and with about
nine feet of water in the hold. Finally they were
rescued by a tug which towed them into harbor.

After landing in San Francisco Mr. James left
on the following night on the steamer Camanche,
for Sacramento, onlj'^ to encounter another mis-
fortune. The Camanche collided in Suisun bay
with a river steamer, known as the John Brag-
don, and went to the bottom. A number of pas-
sengers were drowned and Mr. James and his
brother narrowly escaped the same fate.

The brothers went directly to the mines on the
Upper Yuba at Downieville. There they re-
mained most of the time until the fall of 1858,
when Alfred went to Nevada, then in Utah, and
known as Washoe, leaving his brother, who was
then county surveyor in Downieville. In com-
pany with W. L- Jernigan Mr. James established
and commenced the publication of the pioneer
newspaper of Nevada, the Territorial Enterprise.
The ofiice was located at the town of Genon, a
small village which was the principal settlement
in western Utah. At that time the Deseret News
of Salt Lake and the Enterprise were the only
papers published between the Missouri river and
California. This paper was a success from its
inception, and is to-day one of the prominent jour-
nals of the Pacific coast.

Upon the discovery of the Comstock Mr. James
advised his brother to resign his position and
come at once to Washoe, which he did, becoming
the pioneer surveyor and engineer on this famous
lode, where he served the bonanza firm at a high
salary for over twenty years, building in the
meantime the Truckey and Virginia Railroad.
He died in Los Angeles in February, 1887. About
the time of the discovery of the Comstock mine,
in the fall of 1859, Mr. James sold his interest in
the Enterprise, and was thereupon appointed
clerk of the United States district court, by Hon.
John Cradelbaugh, whose judicial district em-
braced that portion of the territory, and who held
the first term of court ever convened in that
country. Mr. James held this position up to the
organization of the territory of Nevada, when he

668

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

was appointed clerk of the United States district
court of the third district, presided over bj- Hon.
Horatio M. Jones, which position he held until
the retirement of Judge Jones from the bench.
During the eventful periods herein before men-
tioned manj- stirring scenes and exciting events
incident to the discovery of the great Comstock
mine transpired. This discover}' called from
everj' quarter of the country with a rapidity and
rush without a parallel a people of every class
and nationalit}', and of every grade, the rich and
poor, the good and bad. The laws of the terri-
tory of Utah were found to be entirely inadequate
to deal with the conditions and requirements
which the unexpected turn of events had so sud-
denly thrust upon the country, and in this emer-
gency Mr. James' eldest brother, John C. James,
who emigrated to the country from Downieville
with the vanguard of adventurers, and who had
previously' had some legislative experience, was
unanimously elected as a representative of the
people in the Utah legislature, where, although
he was the only Gentile in the legislature, he se-
cured the enactment of such laws as were imper-
atively demanded to meet the existing require-
ments. Subsequentl}' he served a term in the
Nevada legislature, where, as speaker pro teni,
he gained the reputation of being the ablest par-
liamentarian in that body. He shortl}' after
died in Carson City, where the citizens erected a
monument at his grave.

During the period of the clerkship of Mr. James
and his intimate acquaintance with the early
judicial proceedings in Utah and Nevada, some
of the most noted cases known in the history of
mining litigation passed through the courts, re-
garding which might be related some startling
incidents of subornation and criminal use of
large sums of money in efforts to obtain, and in
actually obtaining, fraudulent verdicts and judg-
ments. Money was abundant and the tempta-
tions very seductive.

Immediately after the retirement of Judge Jones
from the bench, the governor appointed Mr.
James probate judge of Churchhill county, and he
was subsequently elected to that position, which
he very soon resigned, having been elected as
state senator. After serving two terms in the
state senate he removed to Eldorado county, Cal.,
where he engaged in quartz mining near the town

of Kelsey. From there, in April, 1868, he re-
moved to Los Angeles, where he has since con-
tinuously resided. He succeeded Henry C. Aus-
tin as register of the United States land office for
the Los Angeles land district, which position he
held for nearly nine years. Upon retiring from
it he went to New Mexico to examine and report
on a mining propertj" for a Los Angeles company.
On his return from the mines to Silver City he
was requested by a telegram from ex- Governor
Brown, vice-president of the Texas Pacific Rail-
road Company, to come to Santa Fe, where a
suit was then pending as to the right of way be-
tween said company and the Southern Pacific
Company. Upon his arrival at Santa Fe he was
appointed by Governor Brown land agent of the
Texas Pacific, which position he held until the
company closed its affairs on the Pacific coast.
Mr. James then engaged in merchandising at
Calico, in San Bernardino county, in which his
brother Walter, of Kern county, subsequently
joined him. They met with a heavy loss by a
fire which destroyed the town, and afterward his
brother drew out of the business. They previ-
ously owned by purchase from a Mr. Jamison
the celebrated deposit of borate of lime,
known as Colemanite, situated at East Calico,
which they sold to Mr. Coleman for a small con-
sideration. The output of this deposit, it is said,
has reached the enormous sum of $15,000,000.
The}' also became interested by purchase in the
Silver Odessa mine at Calico, which they sold to
Governor Daggett for $15,000, and which pro-
duced in three years approximately $250,000.

After closing business at Calico Mr. James
made a conditional purchase of the Stonewall
mine in the Julian mining district in San Diego
county, the history of which had incidentally
come to his knowledge, through official corres-
pondence, while register of the land office. Hav-
ing associated with him Dr. J. E. Fulton they
worked the mine for two years, with verj' profit-
able and successful results, when they sold to
Governor Waterman, who took therefrom nearly
one million dollars and was at one time offered
for the property $2,000,000. Since parting with
the Stonewall Mr. James has been continuously
connected with mining operations, having acted
as superintendent in several instances. He has
been a member of the city board of education and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

669

city examiners, and was one of the active and
primary movers in the organization and estab-
lishment of the city library.

Mr. James has now living two sons and two
daughters, his wife having died August 26, 1892.
He has two brothers living, Walter James, of
Bakersfield, Kern county, Cal., and ex-Governor
W. H. James, of Colfax, Wash.; also one sister,
Mrs. Mary Rice, residing in Fremont, Ohio.

rTLIJAH MOULTON. The subject of this
1^ narrative is one of the most unique char-
ts acters of the later Mexican and earliest
American periods of California history and is one
of the very few who survive to-daJ^ It has been
his good fortune to retain all of his faculties un-
impaired by time. His clear and vivid memory
can recall and relate the thrilling occurrences of
those stirring times that had much (we might
say everything) to do with the shaping of the
glorious trend of human events in the growth and
final achievements of California. In the space
allotted to a biographical sketch it is not possible
to give a detailed histor)- of Mr. Moulton's ex-
periences in the west, but the salient facts can be
given and the incidents that shaped his course.
In this way may be preserved for the future stu-
dent of history a record of a very pronounced and
interesting personality.

Elijah Moulton was born in Montreal, Canada,
November 26, 1820, a son of Elijah and Jane
(O'Farrell) Moulton, natives respectively of
Massachusetts and Connecticut. His father, who
was the son of a colonel in the Revolutionary
war, ran away from home when only nine years
of age and went to Canada, where he grew to
manhood and married. Both he and his wife
died in Canada. She was a daughter of Thomas
O'Farrell, an Irish sergeant who served in one of
the battalions under General Wolfe in the storm-
ing and taking of Quebec.

In the early years of our subject's life he had
many hardships to endure. At the age of seven-
teen he was bound as an apprentice to John J.
McKenzie, a cooper in Montreal, who being of a
different nationality and having a violent preju-
dice against people of other races, made the life
of his young apprentice almost unendurable.
The persecution be.came so pronojunced that the

young man was advised to leave by his fellow-
workmen and companions, and they also per-
sonally urged his mother to induce him to seek a
place where he might receive fair treatment. So,
after two years of hardships in that shop, he
came to the States, leaving home August 19,
1839. For six weeks he worked as a cooper in
Troy, N. Y., after which he went to Cincinnati,
Ohio, and spent the winter of 1839-40 thirteen
miles from that city. Later he traveled through
the middle states, working at his trade, and in
the spring of 1843 secured employment in St.
Louis. In the fall of the same year he was em-
ployed by a hunting and trapping party bound
for the waters of the upper Missouri river and
the Rocky Mountains. While on that expedition
he met Capt. James Bridges, who was hunting
and trapping at the head of a well- equipped
party. By permission of his employers he joined
the Bridges expedition and proceeded on an ex-
tensive tour through the mountain regions, into
the Yellowstone and Little Missouri valleys, and
thence to Bridges' Fort, Fort Laramie and Fort
Pierre with furs. While in the Rockies they
hunted elk, the meat of which was their only
food. They followed the Verde down to Salt
river and to its conjunction with the Gila. At
the village of Pima they turned up the Gila to
the Big Canon and thence down the Gila to the
Colorado. From Cocape village they struck
across the country west to California. After
spending three weeks at Rancho San Rafael, in
order to recruit their animals, they made their
way to the celebrated Chino ranch, where Mr.
Moulton left the employ of Captain Bridges and
proceeded alone to Los Angeles, arriving here
May 12, 1845.

At once after his arrival in this then Spanish
village he presented himself to Governor Pico and
requested from him permission to remain in the
country. The governor treated him courteously,
but withheld his consent until he had an oppor-
tunity to see Captain Bridges. A day or so later
the captain appeared in town and accompanied
Mr. Moulton to see the governor, who at once
gave the desired permission.

Soon after Mr. Moulton's arrival in Los An-
geles he met John C. Fremont and his party,
among whom were several of his mountaineer
acquaintances. These had made known to their

670

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

leader Mr. Moulton's fame as a trapper and
frontiersman. Fremont informed him that war
had been declared between the United States and
Mexico and offered him $25 per month to accom-
pany him on an expedition up the coast. This
offer he promptlj' accepted. The historj' of Fre-
mont's services in California as a pathfinder, ex-
plorer and surve3-or, together with the eminent
services rendered him and the country by Mr.
Moulton in the capacity of a scout, may be found
in another portion of this volume. During the
entire period of the war with Mexico Mr. Moulton
remained with Colonel Fremont and was with
him at the capitulation of Cuhuenga January 13,
1847. His graphic account of many of the
hitherto unpublished incidents of those days will
repay the reader for his careful perusal and will
also preserve for future generations much that
would otherwise be lost.

For a time Mr. Moulton was employed as over-
seer of Indians in the extensive vineyards of Don
Louis Vignes, but on the discovery of gold in the
upper country he joined a company commanded
by John Reed and tried his luck in the mines.
However, the venture proved unsuccessful, and
he returned to his former employer, with whom
he remained until 1851. During that year he
rented, on shares, a ranch in what is now Los
Angeles. A year later he bought thirty-three
acres on Alameda street, and sub.sequently pur-
chased other property, until his possessions
aggregated one hundred and sixt}- acres. Of
this he still owns fifty acres, known during all
these years as the Moulton tract. During the
years 1855, 1856 and 1857 ^^ worked as over-
seer for William Wolfskill on his large estate in
Los Angeles, his wages being meantime in-
creased from $60 to $100. Afterward he gave
his attention to his dairy, stock and general
ranching interests, to the cultivation of his vine-
yard and the supervision of his mining interests.
He is now vice-president of the Carbonate
Mining Company.

A stanch Republican in politics, Mr. Moulton
cast his first vote for a Republican president in
Los Angeles. In 1859-60 he was a member of
the city council, where he was a member of va-
rious important committees. However, office-
holding had always been a duty, rather than a
pleasure to him. Personally he is a man of quiet

demeanor and plain tastes, positive in nature,
firm in will, and possessing strong traits of char-
acter. He holds in contempt all efforts at de-
ception and hypocrisy. Boastfulncss is abhor-
rent to him. Display of all kinds is distasteful
to him. Indisposition he is retiring, yet plaiu-
spoken and frank. With one exception he is
the sole survivor of Fremont's famous California
battalion, and hence unusual interest attaches to
the record of his life. His name will be remem-
bered in history as that of a famous frontiersman,
trapper, soldier and pioneer.

pCJlLLIAM C. MOORE, a well-known citi-
\A/ ^^^ and walnut grower of the Los Nietos
V V district, and a director in the Los Nietos
Irrigating Company, has demonstrated his fit-
ness to be numbered among the most enterprising
and worthy of the residents of this fertile county.
His ranch, upon which he settled a number of
years ago, contains sixteen and one-half acres,
partiall}' under walnuts.

Mr. Moore is a native of Denmark, where he
was born October 4, i860. His parents were
William E. and Margaret Moore, who were born
in Germany, the former being a native of Kiel.
William E. Moore died in Denmark when his son
William C. was in his third year. After a time
his widow married again, becoming the wife of
Henry Ernst, of Denmark, and they are now
residing at Santa Ana, Cal. When William
Moore was about five years old he was taken to
America by his mother and step -father, the little
party crossing in a sailing vessel, and having a
long and stormy voyage. Arriving in America,
they settled in Howard county, Iowa, where they
industriously engaged in agricultural pursuits
for many years, and here their son passed his
youthful days and grew to man's estate. He as-
sisted in the work around the farm, and studied
diligently at the district schools.

Mr. Moore was married in 1886, in Iowa, to
Mary L. Isbell, a native of Iowa, and they haveone
child. Glen A. After his marriage Mr. Moore
continued to farm in Iowa for a short time, but in
1887 came to California, and for several years re-
sided at Tustin, Orange county. Not being con-
tent with the locality as a permanent place of resi-
dence, he came to Los Angeles county early in

QjjiiL

JUX. > I, (JVu

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

673

the '90s, and for a time farmed successfully on
leased land. After settling on his present ranch
near Los Nietos he became interested in the
various institutions for the upbuilding of the lo-
cality with which he had cast his fortunes, and
these, added to the care of his farm and horticul-
tural interests, have been prolific of good finan-
cial and social returns. He is a self-made man
in the truest sense of the word, having risen by
his own exertions to his present place in the esti-
mation of his fellow-townsmen. Politically he is
affiliated with the Republican party, but has
never had political aspirations, being content to
leave to others the manipulation of the political
machinery.

EHARLES J. VERNON. The name of C. J.
Vernon is indissolubly associated with some
of the enterprises that are contributing to
the prosperity and progress of Whittier. Coming
to this place as early as 1887, he was a pioneer
in the establishment of new industries in the then
new village and erected the second store building
that was put up here. Forming a partnership
with his brother, W. A., under the firm name of
Vernon Brothers, he embarked in a general
mercantile business, and the partnership con-
tinued actively until 189 1. Meantime, in 1888,
he established the Whittier cannery, and organized
the company having charge of the plant, he him-
self being chosen secretary of this company.
After three years in the office of secretary, in
1891 he was made manager of the plant. In 1893
the name was changed from its corporate title of
Whittier Canning Company to the Whittier
Cannery, under which titlebusiness was transacted
until 1900, when it became a part of the California
Fruit Canners' Association. At the time the
name was changed he was made manager of the
new concern, and from 1893 to 1900 he served as
manager of the Whittier Cannery. During the
latter year he was given a similar position with
the California Fruit Canners' Association. Under
his able supervision the canning business grew
from an output of eleven hundred cans the first
year to about one million and five hundred
thousand cans in 1899, constituting three hundred
and seventy five car loads of canned goods. Dur-
ing the busy season employment is furnished to
about six hundred hands. The remarkable suc-
33

cess of the business is due in large measure to the
sagacity and shrewd judgment of the manager,
who superintends every detail of the plant, over-
sees all of the work and understands thoroughly
what is being done in every department of the
business. With the ability to grasp every detail,
as well as the weightier matters connected with
the work, he has been enabled to greatly pro-
mote the financial welfare of the company and at
the same time increase the quantity and make
better the quality of the output.

Mr. Vernon was born in Lynn county. Mo.,
December 3, 1864. At the age of four years he
was taken by his parents to Lecompton, Kans.,
where the family settled and where he received
his primary education in the public schools.
When he was eight he accompanied his parents
to Colorado and settled in what is now Leadville,
where he spent a portion of his boyhood years,
with frequent returns to his old home in Lecomp-
ton. His father, Jo.seph S. Vernon, who is a
descendant of Mayflower stock and of Quaker an-
cestry, was born in Ohio and is now making his
home in the state of Washington; the mother,
whose maiden name was Marj' Edgerton, was
born in Ohio and is now deceased. Her ancestors
were pioneers of South Carolina.

In 1884 Mr. Vernon married Miss Cora Brown,
of Oregon. They are the parents of one son,
Walter C. Fraternally Mr. Vernon is connected
with the Masonic order in Whittier and the local
lodge of Foresters. His political views are on
the side of the Republican party. In addition to
his other interests he is president of the Cali-
fornia Consolidated Oil Stock Company and a
promoter and director of this concern, which is
making a name for itself in the oil-development
regions. He has also been interested in the
Citizens' Bank of Whittier and has been one of its
most earnest and intelligent promoters.

In 1899 Mr. Vernon helped to organize the
First Baptist Church of Whittier, of which he has
been, in reality, one of the principal promoters.
It was started with eleven members and now has
fifty. The beautiful church edifice was dedicated
December 31, 1899. His name is connected with
other movements whose value is unquestioned.
In fact, there is no enterprise of a worthy nature to
which his sympathy is not given and whose suc-
cess is a matter of indifference to h'm. Progres-

674

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

sive in spirit, he is interested in anything that
promises to advance the growth of his adopted city .
He has never sought official honors nor has he
cared for political prominence, but in less con-
spicuous, though not less worthy positions, his
ability, energy and sound judgment are always
to be relied upon. His influence is that which a
public-spirited citizen exerts upon his associates in
business and in society and has been of a nature
that increases with the passing years, bringing
to him more and more the confidence of associ-
ates and acquaintances.

(lOHN WESLEY HUNT, M. D. When Dr.

I Hunt came to Southern California, the med-
(*) ical profession of Los Angeles received a dis-
tinguished addition to its ranks, for he has a
record as a physician and surgeon extending
through the Civil war and altogether comprising
more than four decades. In the hospital and on
the field of battle, as well as in the homes of
thousands, he has labored to allay humanity's
ills aud has brought cheer and comfort, renewed
hope and strength, and drawn the hearts of man-
kind toward himself by his helpful sympathy.

In tracing the ancestry of the Hunt family, it
is learned that Captain Hunt was master of an
Irish vessel plying between Ireland and Eng-
land. The captain's son was the founder of this
branch of the family in America, and in Rhode
Island married a lady of Welsh birth. Their
son, William, the doctor's great-grandfather,
was born in Rhode Island and died in New Jer-
sey. His wife, Hannah Malatt, who was born
in France, died in Dansville, N. Y., atthe ad-
vanced age of ninety-five years. It was always
one of her chief pleasures, in her last j'ears, to
recount how General Washington visited her
home in New Jersey, while he was on one of
his marches. Her son, John, the doctor's grand-
father,was born in New Jersey, removed to Penn-
sylvania and later to Grovelaud, N. Y., engaged
in farming and died at Groveland when in his
ninety-second year. He married Mary Ogden,
who died at the age of sixty-seven years. Their
son, Elijah, was born in Pennsylvania, but with
his parents became a resident of New York in
1798; following the example of his ancestors for
several generations he became a farmer. Also

like them in longevity', he attained the age of
ninety years. He married Miss Eunice Huff-
man, who died at the age of fifty-eight years.
Four of their six children are deceased. The
parents of Mrs. Hunt, Peter and Mary (Young)
Huffman, were natives of Pennsylvania. The
former died in Indiana, when seventy -seven
years of age, and the latter died in New York
state.

John W. Hunt was born in Groveland, N. Y.,
October 10, 1834. In the usual manner of farmer
lads he passed his boyhood years, laying the
foundation of his future success in the district
school, where he thoroughly mastered the three
R's. For three years he attended Genesee
Wesleyan Seminary, Lima, N. Y., after which
he returned to the outdoor life of the farm, on
account of his health, which had become slightly
impaired. At the end of a year he became a
clerk in a store, where he remained one year.
He had formed an earnest desire to study medi-
cine and in 1856 he took up the work under the
guidance of Dr. A. C. Campbell, of Lima, N.Y.,
and a few months later went to New York City,
where he took a course of lectures. In March,
1S59, he graduated from the medical department
of the University of New York, and after having
passed the usual competitive examination, in
which he proved to be one of the successful candi-
dates, he was appointed interne on the surgical
house staff of Bellevue Hospital, New York City,
the service being six months junior assistant;
six months .senior assistant, and six months
house surgeon. Just previous to assuming his
hospital service he made a short trip to England,
more particularly to visit the hospitals in London
and observe how such institutions were there
conducted, and the technique of certain surgical
operations.

On leaving the hospital, after eighteen months
of invaluable experience there, he located in Jer-
sey City, N. J., in October, 1S60, and had made
a fair start toward success, when, in April, 1861,
he was requested to accept a position as surgeon
of a New York regiment, then being organized
for service in the war of the Rebellion. He pro-
ceeded at once to Albany, N. Y. , for the required
examination, and three days later was notified
of his appointment as surgeon of the Tenth
Regiment, New York Infantry, already in quar-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

675

ters aud being drilled, at Sandy Hook, N. Y. He
immediately joined the regiment, which was
ordered to Fortress Monroe, Va., about June i,
1861. From the ramparts at Fortress Monroe,
on the afternoon of March 8, 1862, Dr. Hunt
witnessed the first appearance of the Confederate
ironclad, Merrimac, and also the famous battle
between her and the Monitor on the following
day. He states that the "howling" of some of
the balls fired from the Monitor's guns could be
almost as distinctly heard a distance of five or
six miles from where he stood, as if they had
been directly overhead. On the morning of May
8, 1862, the medical director at Fortress Mon-
roe (Surgeon John M. Cuyler, who had been a
surgeon in the regular army for many years)
called upon Dr. Hunt and informed him that he
expected at any moment a large number of
wounded men to arrive from the battlefield at
Williamsburg, and that he had no place to put
them. Pointing toward the frame of a large barn-
like structure, standing near the camp, 175x250
feet, boarded on three sides with rough boards,
without windows, roof or floor, which had been
designed and thus far erected for the storage of
commissary supplies, he said, "I want you to
make a hospital of that building to-day. I will
have all the men you want detailed for your or-
ders, and everything you require shall be on the
ground as soon as it can be brought from the fort,
will you do it ?' ' Dr. Hunt replied that he would
see what could be done, that lumber for roof and
floor, tarred paper to cover roof boards, tools,
nails and one hundred men should be sent at once
and that he would have an estimate made of other
material needed.

Just after sunset the building was completed,
two hundred and fifty cots in position, dressed
ready for patients, an ofiice at the front end for
records, etc. , an operating room at one side near
the center equipped for the surgeons, while at
the rear end was a dining room, with tables and
seats for one hundred convalescents, a kitchen,
with stoves and furniture in place, and store-
rooms for both provisions and clothing. Out-
buildings, drainage and the general sanitary
condition of the immediate surroundings had
also been looked after. Dr. Hunt marks that as
one of his busy days while in the service. Two
days later, May 10, found him with his regiment.

together with several others, on the march for
Norfolk, which city his regiment was the first to
enter, the Confederate troops having evacuated
on the approach of the northern forces, and the
ironclad Merrimac lying near, had been burned
and blown up. The doctor has a piece of one
of her timbers, burned at one end, obtained for
him by a member of his regiment, from the
wreck, one of his souvenirs of the war. He had
been in Norfolk but a few days when he was ap-
pointed by the President and commissioned
brigade surgeon of volunteers (afterward known
as surgeon United States volunteers) in order to
accept which, he resigned his state commission
as regimental surgeon. He was now ordered
back to Fortress Monroe to take charge of the
hospital which had been so recently and hastily
constructed under his supervision. He found it
already christened "Mill Creek General Hos-
pital," and filled to overflowing with wounded
men; later, a number of buildings of like general
character were constructed in the immediate
vicinity, each having a capacity of about one
hundred beds, all of which came under his super-
vision. His labors were exceedingly arduous,
and as a consequence, in September following,
he became seriously ill, and was finally sent
home, it was thought, to die, indeed it was re-
ported at one time that he was dead, but, though
brought to the edge of the grave, he did not
succumb. In December, 1862, being still weak
and unfit for active duty iu the army, he was
honorably discharged from the service.

On his return to Jersey City, in March, 1863,
he was requested to assume the position and
duties of surgeon on a United States transport
for one trip, from New York to New Orleans, and
return, the regular surgeon being temporarily
indisposed. He accepted the position, believing
that the voj'age would aid iu hastening his
further recovery of strength and endurance. In
May following he returned to Jersey City and re-
sumed practice.

In 1864 he was appointed examiner for the
board of enrollment (preparatory for the draught
for the army) in his district. Notwithstanding
he had been honorably discharged from the serv-
ice for disability, thereby being exempt from
draught, he exhibited his patriotic feeling by
sendina; a substitute into the army.

676

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

For almost thirty years Dr. Hunt was engaged
in practice in Jersey City. When he announced
his intention to remove to California, his pro-
fessional brethren arranged a grand banquet in his
honor, and, besides the leading medical men of
the city, many from New York and other cities
attended, as well as some of the editors and
prominent citizens; the presiding officer of the
occasion being ex- Congressman Orestes Cleve-
land, then mayor of the city. Among the
speakers on that occasion ex- Mayor Collins
contributed his testimony to the doctor's worth,
professionally and otherwise, and then, in a
remarkably feeling address, presented him with
a handsome gold-headed cane, on behalf of his
professional brethren. Dr. Hunt accepted the
gift in a few words expressive of his gratitude
and appreciation. This feast was but a slight
indication of the genuine esteem in which he
was held by the people of Jersey City. He did
much to promote the welfare of the place. One
of the lasting monuments to his work is the Jer-
sey City Hospital, of whose medical board he was
the first president, and a member of its surgical
staff for nearly twenty years. He was also for
several years surgeon to the Hudson County
Church Hospital and Home. He was a member
of the Hudson County Medical Society and
many other medical organizations of the east.

When he came to Los Angeles, in 1889, Dr.
Hunt made the change in the hope of benefiting
his wife's health, which has been happily real-
ized. He did not anticipate doing an extensive busi-
ness, and does not now claim to have a large and
lucrative practice, but to be doing only his share
of business. His cheering, sympathetic, conscien-
tious care and advice, have often accomplished
happy results for his patients, when the material
materia medica failed. His judgment and skill
as a surgeon have never been questioned by
either his professional peers or the laity, who
have known him, or had an opportunity to see
the results of his labors.

While in the east he was actively identified
with the Masonic order. In 1892 he was elected
commander of Stanton Post, G. A. R., of which
he is still a member. He and his wife have been
members of the Congregational Church for many
years. His marriage, in Springfield, Mass., Oc-
tober 10, i866, united him with Mi.ss N. Adeline

Reynolds, daugher of H. S. Reynolds. She is a
lineal descendant from Revolutionary sires. Her
mother's grandfather, Thomas Durant, was a
corporal in the colonial army, and participated
with the "minute men" at the battle of Lexing-
ton; later in the war he was promoted to a cap-
taincy. The father of Capt. Thomas Durant's
wife, William Clark, was also a captain in the
Revolutionary army. Dr. and Mrs. Hunt have had
four children, only two of whom are now living,
John Wesley and Carll W. Hunt. The former
was a member of the Seventy-first New York
Regiment, Spanish-American war, and partici-
pated in the battle of San Juan Hill, July i,
1898. A bullet tore his tin cup from his belt
and another passed through his hat, but he was
uninjured by them; later in the day he was sun-
struck, carried to the rear unconscious and lay
upon the ground until the next morning, when
he was taken to the hospital. A few days later
he was placed on board a transport and sent to
the general hospital at Fortress Monroe, where,
just thirty-six years before, his father was caring
for the sick and wounded from the battlefields of
the great Civil war.

30HN F. FRANCIS. Leaders in govern-
ment, leaders in social affairs, leaders in
commerce, leaders in thought and in the
alleviation of the ills of the human race are al-
ways in demand, hence always born. To this
class belongs John F. Francis, whose name is
well known to the citizens of Los Angeles. The
city owes much to his enterprise and wise judg-
ment, and it were well, indeed, had Southern
California a multitude of like noble men to de-
velop her latent resources. As a business man
he possesses the elements of accretion and retain-
ment, as a host he has no superior and as a club
man everyone admires him. His name is associ-
ated intimately with many enterprises for the ad-
vancement of his home town. He is a director
of the Farmers and Merchants' Bank, vice-presi-
dent of the Chamber of Commerce, vice-president
of the Free Harbor League, vice-president of the
Associated Charities, and a prominent member of
the California, Sunset and Jonathan clubs. In
1897 he was president of La Fiesta de Los
Angeles, and as such was largely instrumental

y^y^^nc^'-jt.^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

677

in securing the success of that festival, which
forms so important a part of the social life of the
city.

Born in Clinton, Iowa, Mr. Francis was the son
of a shipbuilder who was employed on the Clyde
and Mersey rivers in England, but came from
there to America and lost his life in the mines of
California in 1853. On leaving school Mr. Fran-
cis started on a voyage around the world; but
with a devotion which leads one to seek the land
of his birth he sought his native country. Pos-
sessing a love for military affairs, at the age of
sixteen he enlisted in the Kansas Volunteer Cav-
alry under the command of Capt. David L. Payne,
with whom he had many thrilling experiences in
the noted Indian campaign on the western Kan-
sas frontier in 1867. Afterward he spent several
years adventuring over the plains and mountains
of Wyoming, Colorado and California, obtaining
a rich fund of information, so that by the time he
came of age he was in possession of valuable
ideas regarding this great country. He next vis-
ited all the great places and points of interest in
Europe, returning to California in 1888. After a
short time here the death of a friend took him
back to Europe, where he remained until 1891.

The marriage of Mr. Francis in 1892 united
him with Dona Maria de Los Reyes Dominguez,
youngest daughter of Don Manuel Dominguez,
whose father, Don Cristobal Dominguez, was an
officer of the Spanish army at the time California
came into the possession of the United States.
During the last European trip of Mr. and Mrs.
Francis, which lasted seven months, they met
many of the leading statesmen on the continent,
visited nearly every place of interest from Scot-
land to the Adriatic and were given a private
audience by the Pope in Rome. These broad ex-
periences of travel and contact with the great
men of both continents have made Mr. Francis a
man of culture, wide in useful knowledge and
replete in social characteristics. He knows so
much and knows so well that his helpful hand
and mind are sought in every movement to en-
large the city's welfare and increase herinfluence
in the great west. Socially he possesses qualities
of a high order. A fine conversationalist, with
agreeable manner, he is the life of every social
circle. Moreover, he is a gentleman of generous
impulses, sanguine in temperament, whole-souled

and open-hearted and attracts and secures confi-
dence at first sight. With his admirable conver-
sational qualities, his fund of anecdotes and his
genial disposition he never fails to entertain his
friends. Through all his life he has shown a
deep attachment to his friends. Coupled with
other qualities is his worth as a citizen, which has
won for him the respect of the citizens of his
home town.

r"DWARD NATHANIEL Mcdonald, a

Ke) worthy representative of sterling Celtic an-
L_ cestors, Edward Nathaniel McDonald exem-
plified in his life the traits for which his race
have been noted in the annals of history — in-
tegrity, courage and strength of mind, independ-
ence of thought and action, and the power of
molding and shaping circumstances into elements
of progress. For nearly half a century his
destiny was linked with that of California, and
his dearest hopes and most ambitious plans cen-
tered here. Her rapid and substantial progress
was a matter of deep concern and rejoicing with
him and, upon his side, he neglected no oppor-
tunity to advance the welfare of his chosen state.

The father of the above-named gentleman,
Collin McDonald, was a native of the highlands
of Scotland, while the wife and mother was born
near Dublin, Ireland. They crossed the broad
Atlantic in an early day, and resided in Oswego
count}', N. Y. , for a number of years. They
were good and reliable citizens of their adopted
land, and were honored and highly esteemed by
all who knew them.

The birth of Edward Nathaniel McDonald
took place upon the parental homestead in
Oswego county, N. Y., May 9, 1832. His boy-
hood was spent in the quiet routine of agricul-
tural pursuits and his elementary education was
obtained in the common schools of his neighbor-
hood. He was an apt and ambitious student
and it was early seen that he possessed the some-
what adventurous spirit which has led to all of
the great discoveries and conquests of remote
and modern times. In 1844 he accompanied his
parents to Berrie, Canada, but in 1848 he re-
turned, alone, to New York state and made his
home in Washington county until 1853, mean-
time learning thoroughly both the blacksmith
and wagonmaker's trades. He was at the most

678

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

impressible age when the glowing accounts of the
"forty-niners" in the far west reached him, and
he determined to seek a home and fortune for
himself as soon as possible in the famous Eldo-
rado of the west.

After a voyage by steamer from Panama Mr.
McDonald arrived in San Francisco October 17,
1853. From there he went to San Pedro, where
he arrived October 25. He found employment
with Alexander & Banning, with whom he re-
mained until 1858, and then embarked in the
mercantile business at San Pedro. However, he
afterward moved his stock of goods to Wilming-
ton and sold the business. His next business
was as superintendent of the building of wharves
and warehou.ses for Banning & Co. In 1859 he
formed a partnership with S. H. Wilson, and
embarked in sheep-raising on Catalina Island,
where he remained for three years, until the dry
season of 1862 forced him to give up the busi-
ness. Obliged to begin once more at the foot of
the ladder, without capital, he returned to Ban-
ning & Co., as a wagonmaster. Soon he had
general charge of their freight business and
workshops. He continued in their employ until
the close of the Civil war. In 1865 he opened a
meat market at Wilmington. The next year he
moved to Arizona, where he had a contract with
Banning & Co., to move freight at six cents a
pound. He freighted on the Arizona river and
in one year earned $15,000. Returning to Wil-
mington in 1867, he again entered the sheep
business, this time meeting with good success.
After fourteen years in that occupation he turned
his attention to extensive farming, in which he
was also successful. During the land boom,
from 1886 to 1890, he sold much of his property,
and invested some of the profits in Los Angeles
city real estate.

For forty-six years he was a resident of Los
Angeles county and during this long period he
beheld its transformation from a condition little
better than a desert to the fruitful and beautiful
land as it appears to-day. With patriotic pride
he strove to perform his full share of the gigantic
labors in which his fellow-citizens have been en-
gaged, in order to accomplish this wonderful
change, and by his means, ballot and general in.
fluence he stood firmly for progre.ss and good
government along all lines of human endeavor.

October 19, 1865, Mr. McDonald married Miss
Mary Hamilton Winslow, of Washington coun-
ty, N. Y. She was a daughter of Thomas and
Mary (Hamilton) Winslow, and was left an
orphan at the age of eight years, after which she
was adopted by James H. and Jane S. Savage.
Shortly before her marriage in 1865, Miss Wins-
low came to California, where she has since
made her home. By her marriage to Mr. Mc-
Donald two sons were born. The elder son,
who was named Winfred Savage, in honor of
Mrs. McDonald's foster parents, was born March
I, 1 87 1, and lived to be a promising young man,
but died June 22, 1896. The second son, Ran-
som Waldon, was born October 26, 1872, and de-
parted this life November 27, 1886. The death
of Mr. McDonald, which occurred June 10, 1899,
left Mrs. McDonald the only surviving member
of the family, hence this last bereavement fell
upon her with especial force. She is a lady of
gentle character, kind to all, and by her long life
of usefulness has won a warm place in the afiec-
tion of the community which has been her home
for so man}- years.

EHARLES C. BROWN, a pioneer of Pasa-
dena, has numerous important interests in
this cit}'. For some j'ears he has engaged
in buying, selling and transferring real estate,
and also carries on an insurance business, repre-
senting the London Assurance Company, of
London, England. He was one of the original
promoters of the Pasadena Lake Vineyard Land
and Water Company, with which he- has since
been ofEciall)' connected; not only has he for
years been a director of the company, but he has
also served as president of the board, and thus
has been influential in promoting its interests in
a more than ordinary degree.

Mr. Brown was born in Wigtownshire, Scot-
land, December 18, 1844, a son of James and
Sarah (Cowan) Brown. His father was a na-
tive of the north of Ireland and moved to Scot-
land when a young man. His mother was a
native of the Scottish Lowlands. The former,
during the greater part of his life, was overseer
of the Bruce estate and resided with the third
generation of the family on that plantation. His
death occurred when he was about eighty-two

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

679

years of age. The boyhood da3-s of our subject
were passed in a region made famous by Robert
Burns in his inimitable poems. In 1859 ^^ came
to America and proceeded to Lake county, 111.,
where he hired out as a farm hand to a Mr.
Horton. Later he was employed by the Cleaver
family in the same county and for several years
managed their farm. During the winter months
he attended the district school, doing chores on
the farm to pay for his board. In that way he
gained the elements of an education, to which
practical experience added in after years.

In April, 1S63, Mr. Brown enlisted in Battery
M, Second Illinois Light Artillery, which was
assigned to the Fourth Army Corps under Gen-
eral Burnside. He enlisted as a private and
was afterward promoted to be sergeant of Bat-
tery M. During the latter part of his service he
was a civil route agent, carrying mail between
different points from April, 1864, until he was
discharged, some three months after the surrender
of General Lee. At the siege of Knoxville he
carried a dispatch across the river to Colonel
Cameron, who commanded the infantry there.
The act was considered a very daring feat, and
in recognition of his bravery he was allowed to
return home for three months as a recruiting
oflScer.

February 3, 1864, Mr. Brown married Miss
Augusta Cleaver, of Lake county. 111. They
had one son, Charles H., now deceased. Their
only surviving child is a daughter, Ethelyn M.

In 1877 Mr. Brown came to California and
took charge of the fruit interests of C. T. Hop-
kins at Oakland, where he remained until 1879.
He then came to Pasadena, his present home,
under a four years' contract to take charge of the
Mutual Orchard Company's interests. After the
expiration of the period stipulated in the con-
tract he remained with the company for eight-
een months, and then turned his attention to real
estate and insurance. The welfare of his city
and county receive a due share of his thoughts.
He favors measures for the benefit of his com-
munity. The Republican party receives his vote,
both in local and national elections. For four
years he served as street commissioner of Pasa-
dena. For a similar period he was a commis-
sioner of Los Angeles county. He is connected
with the Episcopal Church and has officiated as

a vestryman in the same. Fraternally he has
been identified with the blue lodge and chapter
of Masonry in Pasadena.

EOL. I. R. DUNKELBERGER. Surely no
one is more deserving of a place in the an-
nals of his country than the man who has
fought on many a battlefield in order that the
nation might be preserved in its unity, and who,
when resuming the ordinary routine of life,
proved himself no less patriotic and devoted to
whatever he believed to be for the lasting benefit
of the land. This, in brief, is the epitome of
Colonel Dunkelberger's career, but a more de-
tailed account of his life will prove of interest to
his numerous friends.

Needless to say, the family of which he is a
member is of German extraction. About one
and three-quarters centuries have passed since it
was founded in America. His ancestors crossed
the Atlantic ocean in the ship Morehouse, which
arrived in Philadelphia, August 24, 1724. He
was born in Northumberland county. Pa., May
4, 1832. Early in life he entered the law office
of Hon. J. B. Packer, of Sunbury, Pa., where he
continued his studies until he was admitted to
the bar.

The day following that important event in his
history, being the day of the firing on Fort Sumter,
Mr. Dunkelberger enlisted in Company E, First
Pennsylvania Infantry, and was soon promoted
to be first sergeant of his company. May 26,
1861, he was commissioned second lieutenant of
the First United States Dragoons, later known
as the First United States Cavalry. On the ist
of June he was commissioned first lieutenant in
the same regiment. Two years later, in recog-
nition of his bravery, he was promoted to the
captaincy of Company K, First United States
Cavalry. After his distinguished bravery at the
battle of the Wilderness he was made major of
his regiment. For daring and brilliant action
at the engagement of Cold Harbor he was brev-
etted lieutenant-colonel. Though in active serv-
ice during the entire war he was fortunate in
escaping injury in every battle except two.
While he was in command of his regiment, at
Trevilian Station, Va., he was shot through the
body and seriously wounded. After the war he

68o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

continued in the regular army, and for six years
he was stationed in Arizona fighting the Apaches.
At the expiration of that period he resigned his
commission and retired from the army. In 1876
he was reappointed and was ordered to Texas,
but declined to serve. After leaving the army
he established his home in L,os Angeles. Here
he soon won the esteem of those with whom busi-
ness or social relations brought him into contact.
In 1877 his fellow-citizeus recommended him for
appointment as postmaster of Los Angeles, which
position was tendered him by General Grant,
then president. From that year until 1885 he
filled the office with the same zeal and ability
which had characterized him during his army
service.

The marriage of Colonel Dunkelberger and
Miss Mary Mallard, of Los Angeles, took place
February 26, 1867. They became the parents of
seven children, viz.: James Cameron, deceased;
Cordelia D., Orem, Rothermel, Victor, Augusta,
Coey and Josephine. Mrs. Dunkelberger is a
daughter of Joseph Stillman Mallard, of French
descent, whose grandfather, Capt. Jean Mallard,
was an officer under Napoleon. Joseph Stillman
Mallard came to Los Angeles January i, 1850,
and was one of the first three Americans who
brought their wives to this city. He was an
attorney, but later became interested in horti-
culture. A pioneer of the true old type, he was
honored and respected by all. He died in Los
Angeles, May 13, 1894.

EHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER, LL.D.,
is widely known throughout the United
States and many foreign lands for his work
in literature. He comes of sturdy English stock,
his ancestors having been among the eleven
Friends who fled from England in 1657 and
sailed for America on the ship Woodhouse. Five
of the eleven settled in New York, others went
to Rhode Island, while Christopher Holder and
John Copeland established their home in Boston.
However, in the Bay state, as in England, they
found that their religious belief brought them
frequent jiersecution and imprisonment, as in-
tolerance had already taken deep root in Massa-
chusetts. Opposite the Friends' burying-ground
at Lynn, Mass., is the old Holder residence.

which, although erected in 1690, is still in good
condition and is occupied at the present time.
In this house was born Joseph Bassett Holder,
M. D., who became a naturalist of note and was
the author of many scientific works of value. He
was an intimate friend of Louis Agassiz and
Prof. Spencer F. Baird, the latter of whom was
for years secretary of the Smithsonian Institute
at Washington.

In 1859, at the solicitation of Professors Agas-
siz and Baird, Dr. Holder made a thorough exam-
ination of the coral reefs and fauna of the states
and countries bordering on the gulf of Mexico.
During the seven years that he was engaged in
this work he gained a most valuable fund of in-
formation regarding the natural history of the
regions he visited. Afterward he became as-
sociated with Prof. A. S. Bickmore in the estab-
lishment of the American Museum of Natural
History in Central Park, New York City.

Charles Frederick Holder was born in Lynn,
Mass., August 5, 1851. When he was a boy he
had the advantage of study with his talented fa-
ther, whom he accompanied on many important
expeditions, including the tour of the gulf of
Mexico countries. When not more than seven-
teen years of age he contributed articles to the
literary press of the day. In 1875 he became
consulting naturalistof the New York Aquarium,
where he conducted the scientific classification
of specimens and published articles relating to
them.

To Profeissor Holder is due the enlistment of
young people in the study of natural history in
America, for he popularized an otherwi.se dry and
to many a tedious study. His researches and
labors have not been confined to the United
States. His writings have been translated into
the French and Swedish languages and many of
his articles have been published in the leading
magazines of those and other countries. In 1877
he gave up all other interests in order to devote
himself wholly to literary work, his first book,
"Elements of Zoology," being published in 1885.
A year later appeared "Marvels of Animal
Life," which was followed in 1887 by the "Ivory
King," a book devoted to the elephant and his
allies. The same year he published the "Living
Light," which treated of animal phosphores-
cence. During the years 1S88-89 he wrote "A

J-^2^^^^ /^.^c-^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

685

Frozen Dragon," "A Strange Company" and
"Pasadena." He is a fellow of the New York
Academy of Science and a member of the New
York Ivinuaeau Societj' , etc.

In 1886 Professor Holder became a resident ot
Pasadena, and here he has since made his home.
During these years he has identified himself with
the upbuilding and development of California,
particularly along the line of his specialties. He
was instrumental in founding the Pasadena Acad-
emy of Science and has been a trustee of the
Pasadena public library, president of the Pasa-
dena board of education, trustee of Throop Uni-
versity, trustee of Los Angeles State Normal
College and is founder and member of many
clubs and organizations.

/QEORGE W. cole, a typical representative
l_ pioneer of the early days of California,
\^ arrived from Texas in 1864 and settled at
what is now Downey, where he purchased one
hundred and sixteen acres of the old Downey
ranch. In 1875 he settled on his present ranch,
near Whittier. Although he originally owned
two hundred and twenty acres of land, he is at
present the owner of but sixty acres, having
divided the balance among the various members
of his family.

Mr. Cole is a native of Bureau county. 111.,
where he was born April 3, 1827. His parents
were Sampson and Vina (Tompkins) Cole, na-
tives respectively of Kentucky and Tennessee.
They were among the early settlers of Bureau
county. 111., and died in California. When their
son George was twelve years old the family
moved to Carroll county, Ark., and after a short
sojourn there went to the Cherokee nation, near
the Grand river. Here the father bored salt
wells under contract for the Indians, and among
others bored for the famous "Grand Saline" well.
Subsequently the family lived for several years in
Jasper county. Mo., and next located on the Colo-
rado river, thirty-five miles below Austin, Tex.
At the expiration of a year in Texas, George W.
Cole enlisted in the Jack Hayes regiment of
Texas rangers, being first under command of
Zachary Taylor, and later under General Scott.
Their principal work was in the skirmishing line,
although they participated in the battle of Buena

Vista. His term of service lasted one year
and fifteen days, after which he returned to
Burleson county, where the family were still liv-
ing. A little later he went to Jasper county,
Mo. There he was married November 15, 1848,
to Olive Margaret Chilson, who was born in In-
diana in 1832. Her parents, Emer and Mary
(Osgood) Chilson, were natives of Vermont
and Maine respectively, and pioneers of Bureau
county. 111. Mr. Chilson died in California and
his wife in Missouri. Returning almost imme-
diately to Burleson county, Tex., Mr. Cole en-
gaged in general farming and stock-raising for
years. In 1853 he came to California on a pros-
pecting tour, but remained only a short time.

In 1863 Mr. Cole enlisted in Captain Turner's
compan3% C. S. A., and saw service in Louisiana,
and fought in the battle of Donaldsonville, on the
Mississippi river. His service was principally as
a scout and skirmisher. With the expiration ot
his term of enlistment he returned to Texas. In
the spring of 1864 he started for California, mak-
ing his wa}' over the plains with a wagon and ox-
team, the journey taking about eight months.
Since permanently locating on his present ranch,
near Whittier, he has seen many changes come
over the face of the country, and in many of them
he has been an active participator.

Mr. Cole is a Democrat in politics, with strong
independent tendencies. Fraternally he is asso-
ciated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
at Downey, and is a charter member of the same.
He is a member in good standing of the Baptist
Church, and contributes generously towards its
support.

To Mr. and Mrs. Cole have been born eight
children: Aurelia, Mrs. John Tweety; Mary E.,
Mrs. William Keller; California, wife of Hen-
derson Cheney; George W.; Charles E.; Dora,
wife of Jacob Ginther; Joseph A. and Byron S.

^HOMAS C. HOAG. It has been said that
I C no city in the United States contains within
Vy its limits so large a number of the retired
business men of other cities as does Pasadena;
and certainly, after a lifetime of commercial act-
ivity, a man could choose no fairer spot in which
to spend the twilight of his existence. Mr.
Hoag is one of those men whose retirement from

686

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

business and removal to Pasadena have enabled
this city to add to its citizenship a character of
sterling worth and long and intimate connection
with educational and philanthropic enterprises.

Mr. Hoag was born in Concord, N. H., Sep-
tember 7, 1825, a son of Charles and Eliza P.
(Rogers) Hoag, natives respectively of New
Hampshire and Massachusetts. His paternal
ancestors were Quakers, descending from a fam-
ily of English origin. His father, Charles Hoag,
was for twenty-five years or more a book pub-
lisher in Concord, N. H. In 1840 our subject
moved with his parents to Chicago, and soon
afterward accompanied them to Will county,
111., settling on a farm. His education was ac-
quired in an academy of Concord, and after com-
ing west he devoted himself to agricultural and
business pursuits, having no further opportunity
to attend school. In 1846 he began in the gro-
cery business in Chicago, where for a quarter of
a century he was associated with a brother-in-
law, O. S. Goss, under the firm name of Goss &
Hoag. At the time he went to Chicago, in 1840,
it contained less than forty-five hundred inhabit-
ants. He witnessed its rapid growth and his
fortunes advanced with those of the city. Sub-
sequently he engaged in banking in Evanston, a
suburb of Chicago, where he was the head of the
banking house of T. C. Hoag & Co. for eighteen
years, selling out in 1892. His bank was merged
into that now known as the State Bank of Evans-
ton, of which his son, William G., is now the
cashier.

During the long period of his residence in
Evanston Mr. Hoag was particularly interested
in its educational progress. He was a prominent
Methodist, and a generous contributor, not only
to the church itself, but also to the institution in
Evanston that it fostered. Northwestern Uni-
versity. In 1864 he was elected a trustee of this
university and has continued as such to the pres-
ent time, being now one of the oldest on the
board. His wise judgment and long experience
make him a valuable member of the board, and
his counsel is sought in its most important ac-
tions. From 1866 until 1892 he served as treas-
urer of the university, but resigned on retiring
from busine.ss. For years prior to 1892 he also
served as a member of the executive committee
of the board of trustees. The welfare of the in-

stitution has always been very near to liis heart.
Realizing the value of a good education, he has
deemed that he can engage in no work more
valuable to present or future generations than
the fostering of educational institutions. It is
this belief that has caused him, since coming to
Pasadena in 1893, to identify himself with the
work of the Throop Polytechnic Institute, of
which he has been a trustee since 1896, also a
member of the executive committee and its
auditor. He is also, at this writing, a member
of the board of trustees of Pasadena, and the
board of trustees of the First Methodist Epis-
copal Church. While residing in Evanston he
was activelj^ connected with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic order.

The marriage of Mr. Hoag united him with
Maria L. Bryant, of Canterbury, N. H. They
became the parents of five children, viz. : Junius
C. Hoag, M. D., president of the Chicago Medi-
cal Societ}- and a well-known phj-sician of that
city; William G. , cashier of the State Bank of
Evanston; Ernest B., who occupies the chair of
biology in the Michigan State Normal school at
Ypsilanti; Rebecca B. and Edgar D., who are
deceased. Their daughter, Rebecca, was the
first woman admitted as a student to the North-
western University, which opened its doors to
women in 1869, under the presidency of Rev.
E. O. Haven, D. D., former president of the
Michigan State Universitj'.

3 AMES B. OWENS, M. D. The life record
of Dr. Owens shows that he was a man pos-
sessing many noble attributes of character.
The thoughtful student of mankind gleans from
his biography much that is inspiring and elevat-
ing. In his labors as a physician and surgeon
he won a high name among his professional co-
workers and gained the confidence and esteem of
his patients of all classes. While in all business
enterprises he was energetic, firm of purpose,
battling for principles and the right, it was nev-
ertheless as a physician that his best qualities
were exemplified; it was in his ministrations to
those in great need that his highest usefulness
was manifested.

Dr. Owens was born in Trumbull county, near
Warren, Ohio, June 13, 1834. His father, John,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

687

was born in Wales, November 12, 1771, and
accompanied his parents to the United States at
eight 5'ears of age, settling near Lancaster, Pa.,
where he grew to manhood and adopted farm
pursuits. March 4, 1813, he married Elizabeth
Beaver, who was born in Sherman Valley, Pa.,
December 4, 1793, of German descent, and a
daughter of Jacob Beaver. In 1825 John Owens
and his familj' settled in Trumbull county, Ohio,
and later removed to Guernsey county, being
pioneer settlers of northern Ohio. At the time
of the Revolutionary war John Owens was only a
child, but he never forgot the stirring incidents
enacted in Pennsylvania at that time. At the
opening of the war of 1812 he was among the
first to enlist in the American service. At the
time of his death he was ninety-eight years of
age. He was a son of John Owens, Sr., of the
principality of Wales, England.

James B. Owens was one of thirteen children.
Very early in life he developed a desire for knowl-
edge, and for some time attended the schools in
Guernsey county, after which he taught school
to obtain means to complete his education. This
enabled him to pay his tuition in a select high
school, from which he went to Madison College
at Antrim, Guernsey county, and in 1856 he
graduated with high honors from this institution.
In the same year he took up the study of medi-
cine, choosing the allopathic system. In 1S59 he
graduated from the Cincinnati College of Medi-
cine. Immediately afterward he began the study
of homeopathy and received his diploma from the
Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania,
where he graduated in 1866, under the guidance
of the sainted fathers in homeopathy — Professors
Constantinus Hering, Adolphus Lippe, Henricus
U. Guernsey, Carolus Theophilus Raue, and
others.

After mastering both systems of medicine Dr.
Owens selected the principles originated by
Hahnemann, to which he strictly adhered. He
practiced his profession for a short time in Cin-
cinnati, then went to Monroe, Butler county,
Ohio, where he remained some years. In 1865
he removed to Lebanon, Warren count}', Ohio,
where he lived for manj- years, and where he
built up a large and lucrative practice. He was
a sturdy, self-made man, and struggled hard to
get the education that made him one of the lead-

ing homeopathic physicians of southern Ohio.
As a thorough diagnostician and careful pre-
scriber he had an especially high rank. He was
always a student, and the habits formed in this
respect in early years clung to him through life.
He gave much attention to the study of high
potencies, and attributed much of his success to
his knowledge of them. He was devoted to his
profession. Nearly forty years of his life were
spent in ministering to the sick and laboring for
the rights and principles of his profession and its
advancement.

October 4, 1865, Dr. Owens was united in mar-
riage with Miss Mary M. Keever, of Mason,
Warren county, Ohio, a daughter of Abraham
and Ann (Longstreet) Keever. Her father, who
was born June 20, 1807, and became a farmer
and stock-dealer, was a son of Abraham Keever,
Sr. , a farmer by occupation and a native of Penn-
sylvania, of German descent. The senior Keever
served during the war of 18 12. He was a son of
Michael and Susan (Shuester) Keever. His mar-
riage united him with Margaret Jones, a native
of Pennsylvania, of Scotch descent. In 1802 he
and his wife arrived in Warren county, Ohio, be-
ing among the earliest settlers in the vicinity of
Lebanon. Ann (Longstreet) Keever was born
December 6, 1816, the daughter of Aaron and
Mary (Higgins) Longstreet, both natives of New
Jersey. They were among the pioneers of south-
ern Ohio, where they settled about 1813.

In 1861 Dr. Owens assisted in the organization
of the Montgomery County Homeopathic Medical
Society, organized in 1864, and retained his mem-
bership and interest in the same until his death;
was president of the former organization several
times; was a member of the California State
Homeopathic Medical Society and the Southern
California Homeopathic Medical Society, and
was a member of the American Institute of
Homeopathy.

During 1875-76 Dr. Owens spent nine months
in Los Angeles when it was a small village of
seven thousand inhabitants, and at that time he
became acquainted with its pioneer citizens. He
also spent several winters in Florida in search of
health. He came to Los Angeles to remain per-
manently in 1884. Here he became known as a
successful homeopathic practitioner and substan-
tial citizen, and was identified with and greatly

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

interested in the growth and advancement of
the citj'. From earl)- manhood he was a mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
from the year 1885 until his death he was con-
nected with the First Church of that denomina-
tion in Los Angeles. He died on the i8th of No-
vember, 1898, at the age of sixty-four 3-ears, after
a year of acute suflFering. The cause of death
was aneurism of the aorta, complicated by pul-
monary abcesses. Notwithstanding his long ill-
ness, it was only a few months before he passed
away that he consented to give up his work en-
tirely.

The personal qualities of Dr. Owens as a man
of sterling worth, together with his skill as a
physician, endeared him to many of the best peo-
ple of the city where his last years were spent.
He was gifted in a special manner for his chosen
profession. He was considerate and tender, and
always had that sympathy which did more than
medicine to help the patient. A man endowed
with superior judgment and possessing rare qual-
ities of head and heart, he was indeed a blessing
to every home that he entered. So gentle, hon-
est and just was he, that his friends were many,
and these will remember tenderly and kindly the
helpful ministrations and warm friendship of Dr.
Owens.

IT W. SARGENT, president of the Title
K) Guarantee and Trust Company, of Los
L_, Angeles, is a representative citizen, who
for about a decade and a half has been actively
interested in the rise and progress of this beauti-
ful southern city. Whether the elements of suc-
cess in life are innate attributesof the individual,
or whether they were quickened by a process of
circumstantial development, it is impossible to
clearly determine. Yet the study of a successful
life is none the less interesting and profitable by
reason of the existence of this uncertainty, and in
the majority of cases it is found that exceptional
ability, amounting to genius, perhaps, was the
real secret of the pre-eminence which many en-
vied. Thus it appears to the student of human
nature who seeks to trace the history of the rise
of E. W. Sargent, a typical American of the best
class.

In the first place he is of that stanch old New
England stock whence has sprung many of the

grande-st characters who have appeared upon the
stage of action in our fair land's annals during
the past two hundred and eighty years. On the
maternal side he is a descendant of one of the
passengers of the celebrated Mayflower, and sev-
eral generations of both families, the Sargents
and the Hutchinsons, were prominently con-
nected with the early development of the eastern
states. Our subject's father, Croyden Sargent,
now hale and hearty, though over three score
and ten years of age, was born in New Hamp-
shire and there grew to maturity. Possessing
more of the spirit of ambitious adventure than
his forefathers, he decided to try his fortunes in
the west, and in 1S43 settled in the dense forests
of Wisconsin. There he cleared a farm and be-
came well to-do and influential, though his strug-
gles as a pioneer were of the severest type. His
wife, the mother of E. W., was Miss Lucy W.
Hutchinson prior to her marriage.

The nativity of E. W. Sargent occurred in
Oregon, Dane county, Wis., in 1848, and his
boyhood was spent in nature's solitudes. Neces-
sarily his school privileges were limited in his
youth, but he more than compensated for this
deprivation by the persistency with which he
studied and delved in the mines of knowledge.
At last he matriculated in the Wisconsin State
University at Madison, where he pursued his
studies until he attained his majority. He then
went to Iowa and commenced carrying out a
long-treasured idea — that of becoming a lawyer.
While pursuing his studies he supported himself
by surveying and in other practical ways, and
finally, by long-continued endeavor, arrived at
the goal of his hopes, being admitted to the bar
in 1S74. He at once established an ofiBce at
Denison, Iowa, where he remained about five
years. Then going to Atchison, Kans.,he en-
gaged in practice there for seven years, in the
meantime becoming well and favorably known as
a lawyer.

In 1886 Mr, Sargent came to Los Angeles,
where he foresaw that the remarkable trans-
actions in real estate then taking place, often in
a hasty manner, would lead to complications of a
serious nature for investors. Finding that much
anxiety and general uneasiness prevailed here
and elsewhere upon this very point, he set about
the organization of the Los Angeles Abstract

HARMAN HIGGINS.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

691

Company, and for nine years was a stockholder
and an official in that now well-known business
concern. In 1895 he disposed of his interest in
that company and assisted in establishing the
Title Guarantee and Trust Company, which has
a capital stock of half a million dollars. This
company, like the former one, is prospering and
takes rank with the leading organizations of the
kind in the west. Mr. Sargent possesses wide
experience in the particular branch of the law to
which he has devoted his chief attention, and has
marked executive ability as a business man and
financier.

While living in Iowa Mr. Sargent served as
county surveyor and for a period was county
superintendent of schools. He retains his sincere
interest in educational matters and in everything
efiecting the welfare of the people. Politically
he is an ardent Republican, loyally supporting
the platform of his party. Fraternally he is a
Mason of the Knights Templar degree, belonging
to the Los Angeles Commandery and to the
Mystic Shrine. His marriage to Miss Ella Barr,
of Sterling, 111., took place in the Centennial
year. Their only child, Lillian, lives at home
with her parents.

HARMON HIGGINS. In the death of Har-
mon Higgins, who was a California pioneer
and for more than three decades was closely
associated with the upbuilding of Los Angeles
county, Compton and vicinity sustained an ir-
reparable loss, and though several years have
rolled away since he was called to his reward,
his memory is green in the hearts of his former
neighbors and hosts of friends.

The birth of Harmon Higgins occurred in Illi-
nois in 18 1 2, and when he was about a year old his
parents removed with their family to Missouri.
There the child grew to manhood, and on the 2d
of December, 1842, married Melinda Durbin,
daughter of Daniel and Thersa (Fugett) Durbin.
She is a native of Clay county. Mo., and though
now well along in years is as active and energetic
as when she was in the prime of life. She is the
mother of eleven children, all but one of whom
are living to-day, and all of these are married
and are esteemed citizens of the several com-
munities in which they abide. Mrs. Higgins
has over forty-eight grandchildren and eight

great-grandchildren. She has been a true and
loving wife, an exemplary and self-sacrificing
mother and a faithful friend and neighbor, and
all who know her love and admire her.

In 1844 Mr. and Mrs. Higgins set out from
their Missouri home for the far west, making the
almost interminable journey across the plains,
rivers and mountains, and spending seven months
on the trip. At last they reached Oregon, their
destination, and remained in that beautiful and
promising state for sixteen years, in the mean-
time developing a fine farm, which they sold
in i860. Coming to Southern California, of
which they had heard much, they settled in El
Monte, where they dwelt for two years on a
rented farm, and, after making a thorough in-
vestigation of the different districts of the county,
finally concluded that they could do no better
than to locate near what is now Compton. Here
they bought eighty acres, paying $5 an acre for
the property, which they improved so greatly
and which increased so materially in value within
a few years that they sold some of it subsequently
at the rate of $200 an acre. At first the family
resided in a frame building which they had
moved from distant El Monte, but a few years
ago Mrs. Higgins had her present beautiful resi-
dence erected. She is an able business woman
and looks after her many financial investments
with singular keenness and acumen. She shared all
of her husband's business cares and cheered and
aided him by her wise counsel and fidelity as
long as he lived and now she is fully competent
to manage the property which they together ac-
cumulated. Mr. Higgins, after an exceptionally
busy and useful life, passed to the better land,
March 2, 188^, aged seventy-five years, eleven
months and thirteen days. He was for a great
many years an active and faithful member of the
Christian Church, and put into daily practice
the noble principles in which he firmly believed.
Mrs. Higgins also has been a true and tried
member of this church for more than half a cen-
tury, during which period she has had the pleas-
ure of witnessing the remarkable growth of its
membership, and the constantly increasing tend-
ency of the earnest people of this republic to re-
turn to the simple, essential doctrines of the
great Teacher and his little band of humble,
sincere disciples.

692

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Could the historj' of Mrs. Higgins' parents be
given in detail, a very interesting story of early
days on the Kentucky frontier would be pre-
sented to the reader. That worthy pioneer
couple, Daniel and Thersa (Fugett) Durbin,
were natives of the Blue Grass state, and were
reared iu what then was little better than a
wilderness. They spent the first three years of
their married life in a fort in Howard county,
Ky., whence they subsequently removed to the
then far west, Missouri. The father departed
this life in Naper City, and the mother died in
Lake City. They were honest, industrious. God-
fearing people, and played a worthy part in the
annals of pioneer history, leaving to their chil-
dren and to the many who should enter into the
fruits of their labor, the memory of lives well and
nobly lived.

RASPAR COHN. The name of this esteemed
pioneer is intimately associated with the
business development and history of Los
Angeles. He is a pioneer of the class that founds
and builds up commercial cities and it is to such
as he that Los Angeles owes her proud position
in the commercial world. He came to California
and directly to Los Angeles in the year 1859, a
j'outh of twenty years. At that time Los
Angeles was a town of twenty- five hundred or
three thousand inhabitants, among which the
Spanish and Mexicans largely predominated.
The first stage line into the town had been
opened the year previous. There was no tele-
graph; the first message was sent from the little
city in i860. John Temple was building the
old court house, where the Bullard block now
stands. It was not until ten years later that the
first railroad was built into Los Angeles. Like
many of our most substantial and successful citi-
zens, young Cohn reached Los Angeles without
money. A practical education received in his
native country, a good constitution, an honest
purpose and an ambition to succeed, constituted
his capital upon starting in life. That he has
attained success as a business man is conclusive
evidence of the splendid use he has made of this
capital.

Mr. Cohn was born in the town of Loebau,
Prussia, June 14, 1839. His father, Abraham,
was a native of the same place and a dealer in

wool. He made two journeys to this country
and to Los Angeles, the second being in 1880,
after which he continued to live here until his
death in 1892, at eighty-four years of age. He
married Rachael Newmark, who was born in
Loebau and who died at the age of sixty-two.
Of their nine children, six still survive.

When eighteen years of age his desire for
greater business opportunities caused Mr. Cohn
to leave his native land for America. In 1857 he
lauded in New York. From there he visited in
succession the leading commercial cities of the
eastern and middle states. His trip to the Pacific
coast was by the isthmus of Panama route to
San Francisco and thence to Los Angeles by
stage. Here he found employment with Harris
Newmark as salesman and clerk in a store. In
the latter part of i860 he was transferred to old
Fort Tejon to manage a branch store for his
employer at that place, which was at the time a
frontier trading post. Upon the breaking out of
the war between the north and south in 1S61,
the United States government abandoned the
fort as a military post, which wrought such rad-
ical changes in the business situation there that
Mr. Newmark suspended the business and Mr.
Cohn returned to Los Angeles. Soon, however,
he went north to Red Blufi" and established him-
self in the crockery business, where he carried on
a successful trade about four years. On disposing
of the business he returned to Los Angeles in
1865. In partnership with his former employer,
Mr. Newmark, he embarked in the wholesale
hardware and grocery business. For twenty
years the firm of H. Newmark & Co. transacted
an enormous volume of business and became
wealthy. In 1885 the partnership was dissolved
and the now widely known house of K. Cohn &
Co. was founded by Mr. Cohn for the purpose of
dealing in wool and hides. In 1S95 M. J. New-
mark became a member of the firm, since which
time they have dealt in wool exclusively.

As Mr. Cohn has been prospered he has judici-
ously invested his surplus capital iu substantial
enterprises that have had a material and salutary
influence upon the development of Los Angeles.
He was one of the founders of the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce and for a time served as a
director of the same. He is a charter and active
member of the Merchants' & Manufacturers'

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

693

Association and the Los Angeles Board of Trade.
He is a stockholder and a director of the Main
Street Savings Bank of this city and likewise of
the Bank of Anaheim. He is a member of the
Union Warehouse Company of Los Angeles. All
of these institutions have profited by his keen
foresight and wise judgment in the conduct of
their affairs. He has great capacity for work,
tireless ertergy and an intuitive grasp for large
transactions. It is to these admirable business
traits, together with his directness of purpose,
that his phenomenal success in the business
world is mainly attributable.

July 17, 1872, Mr. Cohn married Miss Huldah
Newmark, of Los Angeles. They have two
accomplished daughters, Rae and Estella, who
were educated in the best institutions in this
country and in Berlin, Germany, the classical
music center of Europe.

Mr. Cohn has taken only a passive interest in
politics, either local or national. Up to 1896 he
voted the Democratic ticket. He then voted
with the Republican part}-. With his family he
afi&liates with the Reformed Jewish Church.
He is an active Masou and a member of the
Society of Los Angeles Pioneers.

(lOHN AERICK. For more than a quarter
I of a century the late John Aerick was exten-
(2/ sively and successfully engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits in the vicinity of Los Angeles and
the place which he filled in the community can-
not be filled. Upright and honorable in all of
his dealings, kindly and generous by nature, he
readily made friends, and what is much better,
had the power of retaining such friends always.
Quiet and unassuming, he nevertheless possessed
a forcefulness and firmness of character which
inspired sincere respect, and "none knew him
but to love him, none knew him but to praise."

Born in Sweden, August 22, 1842, John Aerick
passed thirteen years of his life in his native land,
and then sailed to the United States, where bet-
ter opportunities awaited him, as he fondly be-
lieved. Locating on the broad prairies of Illi-
nois, he remained there for about two years,
when the spirit of adventure which prevailed so
generally throughout the country at that day,
took possession of his ambitious young soul, and

he started for the Pacific coast. In 1857 he
reached Los Angeles county, where for a number
of years he was employed at various pursuits, es-
pecially in that of hunting, as he was a skilled
and devoted sportsman and accurate marksman.
Subsequently he turned his attention to farm-
ing and by diligence and well- applied energy
made a success of the undertaking.

Probably the most important event in the life
of our subject was that of his marriage to Eliza-
beth Hunter, who survives him, and who proved
herself a true helpmate in every sense. She is
one of the native-born daughters of Los Angeles,
and has never known nor cared for any other
home. She became the wife of Mr. Aerick Jan-
uary 15, 1870, and to their union nine children
were born, of whom two have married and two
have entered the silent land. Mrs. Aerick has
nobly discharged her duties as a wife and
mother, and now is the proud grandmother of
two children.

The history of Los Angeles county would be
sadly incomplete without due notice of one of its
honored pioneers, Jesse D. Hunter, father of
Mrs. Aerick. He was a native of Illinois and
was captain in the army under command of Gen-
eral Kearney, who captured Los Angeles in 1847.
In 1849 he made the long and perilous overland
journey across the plains to California. At first
he settled in Sacramento, but the same year found
him in Los Angeles, where he continued to dwell
the remainder of his life. He was satisfied that
no fairer earthly paradise could be found by him
and thenceforth he was a devoted and patriotic
citizen of the City of the Angels. His home
during all of the succeeding years was upon a
ranch bordering upon the present Elysian Park,
near the city limits. At the time of his death,
in 1877, he had reached the age of seventy-two
years. His wife, whose maiden name was Keziah
Brown, was born in Kentucky, in 1808, and de-
parted this life upon the old homestead here in
1889. Of their ten children, six are yet living.-

After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Aerick
they removed to a portion of her father's ranch,
which tract Mr. Hunter had given to his daugh-
ter as a wedding present, hoping to keep her near
him. This property, situated near the south-
eastern limits of Los Angeles, was greatly im-
proved by Mr. Aerick during his lifetime, and to-

694

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

da)' it is a very valuable and desirable piece of
land. Five j-ears ago, on the 5th of August, 1895,
Mr. Aerick passed from earth, leaving a multi-
tude of sincere friends, who deeply deplore his
loss. To his posterity he leaves the record of an
unblemished name and honorable career and his
children cannot do better than to follow in his
footsteps.

|~ RANK A. SEABERT. This representative
ly business man of Redondo Beach is one who
I ^ has made his own way in the world, relying
solely upon himself, and in spite of some ob-
stacles which might well have disheartened a
man with less fortitude and energy, has steadily
pursued the pathway toward the ambitious goal
which he set in early manhood. Sterling in-
tegrity of word and deed has characterized all of
his transactions, and his history presents much
of interest and inspiration to the young.

Born in Brattleboro, Vt., in 1838, Mr. Seabert
spent his boyhood there, and, as he was not very
strong, he was educated by private tutors. Later
he went to Boston, where he continued his
studies in the Heathcote school, and finished his
literary education in Brown's Acadeni}-, where
he was duly graduated. Then, putting into
practical form a long cherished wish, the young
man matriculated in Bellevue Medical College
and Hospital, of New York City, but it was not
long ere his health failed and he was obliged to
return home.

After resting and recuperating for nearly a
year Mr. Seabert began upon his long and suc-
cessful railroad career by accepting a position
with the Vermont Central, in whose employ he
continued for a number of years. He then was
tendered a better position with the Delaware,
Lackawanna & Western Railroad, and, having
accepted it, he made his home in Scranton for
some years. At first he was a member of the
civil engineering corps of the company, but later
served as track master and assistant superin-
tendent, and at length was promoted to the very
responsible position of superintendent. In the
last-named capacity he served for fifteen years,
having his home in Bufifalo, N. Y. He not only
became very popular as a railroad oflHcial there,
but also was highly honored as a citizen, and for
over seven years was a member of the board of

education of Buffalo, four years of that period
being chairman of the board which had in charge
the examination of teachers and other important
matters. He was a director 'of and chairman of
the railroad department of the Young Men's
Christian Association for six years and a trustee
ofthe Young Men's Christian Association of the
Fitch Institute, trustee of Calvary Pre.sbyterian
Church, president of the Eagle Loan Association,
a member ofthe committeeof management of the
Fitch Hospital, president of the Western New
York Car Service Association, and one of the
committee who framed the rules and by-laws by
which the association is managed.

The long strain of business responsibility at
length proving too great for Mr. Seabert he re-
signed his position in 1894 and came to Cali-
fornia. The corporation which he had so long
and faithfully served retained the hope that he
would resume his duties after a period of rest,
and for many months they continued to send him
checks, as usual each month, as though he still
was in their employ. Within less than a year
after coming to California Mr. Seabert had so far
recovered his health and ambition that he ac-
cepted the position of assistant superintendent of
the Tucson and Yuma divisions ofthe Southern
Pacific Railroad, when it was proffered him. His
headquarters were in Tucson, Ariz., and it was
not until about two years ago that he definitely
determined to leave the railroad business.
Accordingly he resigned, but the company, like
the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, in past
years, hoped that he would reconsider his de-
cision. His record as a railroad man is one of
which he has reason to be proud, and, while he
was kind and approachable at all times to those
who were employed in minor capacities under his
jurisdiction, they well knew that their work
must come up to the mark in every particular,
for he was thoroughly business-like, and exacted
the same accuracy and fidelity to the company
which he himself always rendered.

Less than two years ago Mr. Seabert pur-
chased his present business in Redondo Beach, and
has met with success in this totally different ven-
ture. He employs five clerks and now transacts
the bulk of the local business, as he keeps a full
line of dry goods and notions, hardware, gro-
ceries and general supplies. His courtesy and

>7^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

697

genuine desire to meet the wishes of the public,
and his excellent judgment in the management
of his business, remarkable in one who has de-
voted his life to such widelj' different pursuits,
are bringing him the general custom. While
deeply interested in the success of the Republican
part}', in whose principles he always has firmly
believed, he has had little time to devote to
politics.

Forty years ago Mr. Seabert married Miss
Mary E. Bird, of Pennsylvania. They have a
son and a daughter, namely: Charles P., who is
employed as a conductor on the Southern Pacific
Railroad, and Jennie T. , who resides with her
parents. The family are identified with the
Presbyterian Church, and for many years our
subject has been a liberal contributor to the cause
of Christianity. He hasextended a helping hand
to his brother-men upon many an occasion, but
his charity never has been ostentatious, and few
beside the recipient of his favors ever learned of
the matter.

30HN M. MENEFEE. An exten.sive and
prosperous horticulturist, and a business
man of sterling worth and integrity, Mr.
Menefee occupied a prominent position among the
fruit growers of the San Gabriel valley, from the
time of his settlement in Covina until his death.
He was born September 4, 1843, in Callaway
county, Mo. , whither his father, Alfred Menefee,
had removed from his Kentucky home when
ready to settle in life.

Mr. Menefee received excellent educational ad-
vantages, and having in his youth improved
every opportunity for increasing his knowledge
he acquired a familiarity with everyday topics,
and throughout his entire life kept himself well
informed in regard to current events. Early in
life he established himself as a merchant at Calla-
way county. Mo., but subsequently removed to
Mexico, Mo., where he was engaged in business
for many years as a furniture dealer and under-
taker. In 1892, desiring to change his occupa-
tion to one of an entirely different nature, he
came to Los Angeles. Later he purchased the
ranch now occupied by his sons. This contains
fifty acres of land which was then in its primitive
condition, the virgin soil being covered with
brush and cacti. With characteristic energy he
34

began its improvement, and in course of time had
the larger part of it under a good state of cultiva-
tion, with ten acres of it devoted to the raising of
lemons, while the remainder is set out with orange
trees. A man of enterprise, ready to adopt all
new methods that promised success in his line of
business, he became one of the most successful and
best-known horticulturists of Covina, and his
death, which occurred in February, 1898, was a
loss to the community in which he resided.

For a number of years Mr. Menefee was a di-
rector, and the vice-president, of the Covina Irri-
gating Company, and was also a director of the
Columbia Savings Bank, of Los Angeles, a posi-
tion for which his large business experience well
qualified him. Politically he was a .stanch sup-
porter of the principles advocated by the Demo-
cratic party, and fraternally was a high degree
Mason, having been made a Knight Templar in
Mexico, Mo. After coming to Covina he united
with the Christian Church, of which he was a
faithful member.

April 23, 1868, Mr. Menefee married Jennie V.
Davis, who was born November 11, 1848, in
Callaway county. Mo., and died May 26, 1S96,
in Covina, Cal. Five children were born of their
union, all now living in California, namely: Ida,
Mrs. P. S. Thompson, of Los Angeles; Charles,
of Covina; Clarence W., of Covina; Bessie, Mrs.
Glen Edmunds, of Redlands; and Margery, of Los
Angeles.

HARRIS NEW MARK. No one in Los Ange-
les stands higher in the estimation of the
public than does Harris Newmark, who has
been actively associated with the city's welfare
for almost half a century. He is a native of Ger-
many, his birth having occurred near the village
of Lobau, July 5, 1834. His father, Phillip, was
born in the town of Newmark, Germany, and
when arrived at man's estate he engaged in mer-
chandising. He lived and died at his old home
in the Fatherland. His wife, Esther (Meyers)
Newmark, the mother of our subject, was born in
the same locality as was her husband, and she
died at the same age— seventy-two years. The
parents of Phillip were Meyer and Rose New-
mark, both of Germany, where they lived until
death.

Harris Newmark, the worthy namesake of a

698

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

worthy and venerated citizen of Los Angeles,
was reared in his native land, and when he was
only fourteen years of age he set out to make his
own way in the world. He was in his twentieth
year when he came to the United States, sailing
from Liverpool in the good ship, Star King, July
10, 1853. He was tossed to and fro upon the
ocean for forty-nine days, but finally arrived
safely in New York. There he remained only
long enough to get some financial assistance from
a brother, in order to continue his journey to the
west, where he had determined to locate. He
landed in Los Angeles, October 22, 1853, on the
ship Goliah. Here he immediately took a posi-
tion as a clerk with his brother Joseph, who al-
ready was established here in business.

At the end of ten months Harris Newmark
had made such excellent progress that he was
enabled to open a small store on Commercial
street, and there he continued in business until
1862, when he turned his attention to the com-
mission business, and this occupied his time for
three years. From 1865 to 1886 he was con-
nected with the wholesale grocery house which
has borne his name and which under his able man-
agement grew within a few years from a small,
unknown enterprise to its present proportions.
To-day it ranks with the great wholesale houses
of the Pacific coast, few, outside of San Francisco,
comparing with it in the amount of business
transacted annually. Though since 1886 he has
been retired from the firm, which now is known
as M. A. Newmark & Co., he still stands at the
head of the firm of H. Newmark & Co. , and has
numerous investments, which yield him a hand-
some income.

From time to time Mr. Newmark has purchased
real estate, and by his transactions in this direc-
tion has made a goodly fortune, though he has
really given the matter little attention, as his
other interests always were more urgent. In
1865 he bought a small lot on Main street, having
a little adobe house upon it. This place he made
his home for several years. The house was the
width of the lot, and as there was no way to get
from the street into the back yard, save by going
through the house, Mr. Newmark approached a
neighbor who owned several acres adjoining his
property, with a proposition to buy twenty feet
frontage of him for a driveway. The neighbor

agreed, telling him in an oflf-hand way that he
might have it, if he wished, and thus the only
cost of the land was for the deed and recording,
and lawyer's fee. To-day there stands a sub-
stantial three-story building, still owned by Mr.
Newmark, the twenty feet obtained as a present
is worth to-day $15,000. One day, as he was
passing the old city hall on his way home to din-
ner, he saw a crowd gathered around the mayor,
who was playing the auctioneer, and was just
then crying out "Going at seven, going at seven!"
Mr. Newmark called out "and a half," and the
mayor promptly yelled, "Sold." Indeed, Mr.
Newmark was not sure but that he was "sold,"
for he had not the slightest idea what it was that
he had bought, or whether he had raised a seven-
cent or a seven-dollar figure. He was informed
that he had become the owner of nineteen acres
of land, situated to the southwest of the city, and
that he must pay for it at the rate of $7.50 per
acre. He lost no time in keeping to his side of
the bargain, but it was not until years afterward
that he even went to see the property, though in
the meautime he had been approached by parties
several times in regard to the land. One day in
1886 a man came to Mr. Newmark when he was
very busy and asked the price of the ranch, and,
in an absent-minded sort of way, he replied:
"You can have it for $10,000." Very soon the
would-be buyer handed over a check for $2,000,
"to bind the bargain," and the remainder of the
price was paid in due season. He relates scores
of other instances of his peculiar experiences in
business deals here, especially in the early days
of his residence in this city, many of them going
to prove that "it is better to be born lucky than
rich."

In 1858 Mr. Newmark married Sarah New-
mark, and of the eleven children who blessed
their union two sons and three daughters are yet
living. One son is prominently connected with
the wholesale grocery house of M. A. Newmark
& Co., which his father founded, and the other
son is still attending school. With the exception
of the latter, all of our subject's children are mar-
ried, and he has nine grandchildren. All of the
members of the family are very highly esteemed
in social circles and possess ihe friendship and
genuine regard of all who know them.

For many years Mr. Newmark was the presi-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

699

dent of the Hebrew Congregation, and for years
he served as one of the trustees of the organiza-
tion. Since 1856 he has been identified with the
Masonic order, his membership having been with
Lodge No. 42 during this long period. He pos-
sesses a kindl}' nature and lias been instrumental
in the uplifting and cheering of many a fellow-
traveler along life's highway.

EHARLKS EDWARD HUBER. The Huber
family has been very prominently connected
with the development of Los Angeles since
the time when it was an unpromising, straggling
adobe village with very few inhabitants, save
those of the Latin race. Mr. Huber was born in
Kentucky, February 17, 1845. His ancestors
came to this country from Germany and both of
his grandmothers attained the age of ninety
years. His parents, Joseph and Appolonia (Gan-
ter) Huber, were likewise natives of Germany.
The father came to the United States when he
was about eighteen years of age, and became a
citizen of Louisville, Ky. In 1855 he came to
California and at the end of three years returned
to Kentucky for his family. They proceeded to
New York City in May, 1859, and made the
journey to the Pacific coast by way of the isth-
mus of Panama, fhe father, who was financialh^
interested in vineyards and wine manufacture
here, died in Los Angeles in August, 1864. The
Huber tract, named for him, and situated on
Broadway, increased materially in value while it
was in his possession. He served as a member
of the city council for two years and won the
high regard of the entire community. His widow,
who had come to this country with her parents
when she was young, died at her home here
when she was in her eighty-third year. Of their
eight children, three are yet living. One son, Jo-
seph, was employed in the county clerk's office in
this county for a numberof years and also was the
efficient county treasurer for some time. He was
a prominent business man and for several years
was bookkeeper in the Hellman Bank of Los An-
geles. The family has been identified with the
Catholic Church for generations, and to its work
each member has liberally contributed.

C. E. Huber was a youth of about fifteen years
when he made the long and eventful journey to

the Pacific slope, from his old home in the Blue
Grass state. Those were the days when men's
souls were tried and when speedy justice often
was meted out with scant ceremony. While go-
ing from Aspinwall to Panama, at the isthmus an
old Californian was stabbed by a ruffian and
though at first it was strongly urged that he
should be hanged at once, the witnesses of the
tragedy finally agreed to give him a trial. The
sentence of the hardened man was death, and the
crowd took the rope which was around our sub-
ject's box and tied the murderer, who, according
to the verdict, was to be shot at the end of nine
days. Of a gang comprising seventy-five of the
worst types of the border ruffian this one seemed
to be the most hardened and desperate.

Landing in San Pedro, C. E. Huber and the
other members of the parental family soon made
plans to continue their trip to Los Angeles, where
they arrived July 17, 1859. For many years he
has been actively associated with the real estate
and building interests of this city and for a quar-
ter of a century he made his home on Broadway,
between Eighth and Ninth streets, this being the
first house erected on Broadway near that place.
For about one decade he was extensively inter-
ested in the raising of fruit and other products.
He then was in the employ of the American Bak-
ing Company for a year. His financial and ex-
ecutive ability coming to the notice of some of
the public officials, he was appointed by the sher-
iff to the management of a bankrupt stock of
goods, and for seven years worked under the or-
ders of Sheriffs Mitchell, Rowland and Currier.
His father had been a campaign speaker of no
small ability and influence, working for the suc-
cess of the Democratic part}-, and his sons fol-
lowed in his footsteps. Our subject was elected
a councilman in Los Angeles, the first Democrat
chosen from the old third ward, and subsequent-
ly was a candidate for the council from the fourth
ward. For the past three years he has been in
charge of the Currier block, and for over twelve
years has been agent for the property next to the
Wilcox building, a block on Main street and
property on South Hill street and Broadway. All
of this is improved and valuable property, yield-
ing a large income. He is enterprising in all of
his business dealings and stands well in the es-
teem of the general public.

7CX5

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

When he was in his thirtieth year Mr. Huber
married Miss Margaret Brass, the ceremony tak-
ing place February 2, 1873. She died within
five years and left two children, another having
died in infancy. Mary Louise, a lady of good
educational attainments, is employed as a teacher
in the city schools, and Margaret G. resides at
home.

ROBERT F. TRAIN. Southern California,
with its wonderful and illimitable promise,
offers a temptingfield to many lines of busi-
ness enterprise, and realizing its possibilities,
thousands of representatives of every line of com-
mercial activity have flocked hither. Thus to
have achieved even a modicum of success, es-
pecially along the so-called professional lines,
plainly indicates marked ability and zeal. The
reputation of the firm of Howard, Train & Will-
iams, however, is so high that the names stand
foremost in the minds of the majority of the citi-
zens of Los Angeles, where their chief offices are
situated. The firm has accomplished far more
than this, and to-day the inhabitants of that far
away island paradise, Honolulu, Hawaii, have
become familiar with the firm name, as many of
their fine and modern public buildings and beaii-
tiful private residences are monuments to the
genius of the enterprising young men.

The parents of our subject, John Farquhar and
Elizabeth (Hood) Train, were natives of Manch-
line, Ayr, Scotland, and Derby, England, re-
spectively. The former, who was a commercial
traveler, died in Nottingham, England, about
twenty-eight years ago as the result of an acci-
dent, and the mother departed this life in 1S83,
when in her fifty-fourth year. They were earnest
members of the Church of England and deeply
interested in the temperance cause, or whatever
tends towards morality and righteousness. Many
of the Trains were prominent in military and po-
litical circles in Scotland and England, and of the
Hoods, tradition traces them back to the cele-
brated and probably fictitious Robin Hood, and
to the historical figure of the Earl of Huntington.
Mrs. Elizabeth Train passed her last years at
Ashborne, Derbyshire, and her brother, Henry
Hood, is still a resident of that town. Their
father, Francis Hood, a native of London, re-
moved to Derbyshire after his marriage, and for

a luimber of years prior to i860 was successfully
engaged in carrying on a merchant tailoring es-
tablishment in Ashborne.

Robert F. Train was born in Nottingham, Eng-
land, December 4, 1870, and spent fourteen years
of his life in his native land. As his father died
when he was only two years old, and his mother
when he was in his fourteenth year, he early felt
the sorrows and responsibilities of life and was
matured thereby. He has two brothers, J. H.
Train, of Los Angeles, and F. J. Train, of Syd-
ney, Australia, and with the latter attended
school until his mother's death. In November,
1884, he accompanied his aunt Susie to the
United States, and for three years lived in Illinois
and Nebraska. There he continued the higher
studies and then embarked upon his future career
by entering the office of a local architect, and
under his instructions mastered the rudiments of
the business. For nearly a year he was employed
as a clerk in a bank, after which he worked as
an architectural draughtsman in Denver and Col-
orado Springs. Desiring further qualifications,
he next attended the University of Illinois, at
Champaign, 111., where he pursued a thorough
course in architectural engineering.

About that time there were fine opportunities
offered to architects for the World's Fair build-
ings, and he found plenty of highly instructive
and valuable work therewith. Subsequently he
returned to Denver and Colorado Springs, and at
length, in July, 1894, came to Los Angeles,
where he had little difficulty in gaining a footing
in a business sense. At the end of the year he
entered into partnership with G. A. Howard, Jr. ,
and opened an office at No. 125^^ South Spring
street. Ambitious and enterprising, they soon
won favorable attention from the public. In
1896 they opened a branch office in Honolulu,
and removed the Los Angeles offices to No. 254
South Broadway in the following year. Certain-
ly, within a comparatively short time, the firm
has disposed of a vast amount of business, and
one can show numerous splendid examplesof the
variety and excellence of their designs, worked
out in enduring brick and stone. Mention of a
few of the fine buildings which the firm have de-
signed may not be uninteresting: the Fullerton
Union high .school, the school of Placentia, the
third Presbyterian Church, and the Boyle Heights

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

701

Presbyterian Church; the residences of Senator
R. N. Bulla, Mrs. M. T. Bennett (at Ninth and
Alvarado streets), Percy R. Wilson, W. S. Will-
iams, and H. R. Gage; Wright & Callender
building, Masonic Temple at Fullerton, bank
building at Whittier, residence of W. T. Will-
iams in Pasadena, etc.; in Honolulu, the Inter-
Island SteamshipCompany'sbuilding, the Camp-
bell block, the Portuguese Church, large sugar
warehouses, public schools, government buildings
and attractive residences, notably that of S. M.
Ballou, unraistakablj' pronounce the progressive-
ness of the young men of the firm of Howard,
Train & Williams, and indicate the brilliant fu-
ture in store for them.

The marriage of Mr. Train and Miss Vera May
Creeth was solemnized in this city, in September,
1897. She is a daughter of Alexander and Kate
(Higgins) Creeth, who were natives of the north
of Ireland, and are now living in Los Angeles.
Mrs. Train was born in Knoxville, 111., and re-
ceived good educational training. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Train are very popular in local society, and
are identified with the Congregational Church.

Since he became a voter Mr. Train has given
his allegiance to the Republican party, and is
particularly interested in whatever makes for the
permanent welfare of this country and the com-
munit)' in which he dwells. He belongs to the
Fraternal Brotherhood and the Masonic fraterni-
ty, and several literary societies.

English ancestry. His father, who settled in
Hendricks count3^ Ind., in a very early day, be-
came a very prominent citizen and for some time
served as a county commissioner. He is still
living in Plainfield and is now eighty-eight years
of age.

The education acquired by our subject in the
schools of Plainfield was thorough, and he grad-
uated from the high school with honors. In
1887 he left his native town and came to Cali-
fornia in company with Mit Phillips, the two set-
tling in Whittier and engaging in the drug busi-
ness under the firm name of Phillips & Starbuck.
One year later Mr. Starbuck purchased his part-
ner's interest and afterward conducted the busi-
ness alone until 1898, when he became manager
of the Home Oil Company. He was one of the
organizers of this company and one of its first
directors, and has continued to serve as a direc-
tor to the present time. In political belief he is
a stanch Republican, devoted to the welfare of
his party. For four years he served as postmas-
ter of Whittier, but with that exception he has
held no public office. He is an incorporator of
the Whittier Educational Association and for
some years was a trustee of the same. In re-
ligion he is of the Quaker faith. October 23,
1888, he married Emily Cox, daughter of
Jeremiah and Elzena Cox, of Thorntown, Ind.

(31 LVA STARBUCK. Not the least interest-
U ing part of the history of California is the
/ I discovery and development of oil in the
southern part of the state, and a large number of
enterprising citizens have became interested in
bu}'ing up oil lands and sinking wells. Among
these men mention belongs to Mr. Starbuck, of
Whittier, who is secretary and manager of the
Home Oil Company, a recently organized but
very flourishing concern of local note. He has
made his home in Whittier since 1887, and dur-
ing the intervening years has been associated with
various enterprises of a noteworthy character.

Mr. Starbuck was born in Plainfield, Ind.,
May 29, i860, a son of Samuel and Luzena
(Jessup) Starbuck, natives respectively of North
Carolina and Indiana, and both descendants of

(TOHN TEMPLE. Prominent in the early
I history of the new Los Angeles — the city
Q) built upon the old and fragmentary Los
Angeles of the Spanish-Americans — stands the
name of John Temple, and, as the old residents
of this section are well aware, a great deal of the
present prosperity of the busy metropolis of Los
Angeles county should be placed to the account
of such energetic, far-seeing business men as he
was. Coming to the unpromising little adobe
village of several decades ago he saw at a glance
the commanding position it was to occupy in the
future in the history of the Pacific coast, and with
a rare courage he launched his financial bark
here, unheeding the disheartening prophesies of
his friends. He erected the historic old Temple
block, the old court-house and several other
buildings, and also was extensively engaged in
merchandising, stock-raising and horticulture.

702

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

A native of Reading, Mass., he apparently had
inherited the shrewdness and excellent judgment
for which the Yankee is proverbial, but in all his
dealings with his fellow-men he was always
actuated by sterling uprightness and high prin-
ciple. At the time of his death, in 1866, he was
the lessee of the Mexican government mint, and
his investments and business interests were
legion.

j ORING W. FRENCH, D. D. S. The
I C pioneers of Los Angeles have no more high-
1_2^ ly respected member of their association than
the subject of this article, who has been all that
a patriotic, upright citizen could be, preferring
the public welfare to his own, and in ever}' possi-
ble manner using his means and influence for the
improvement of the city which belong ago chose
as his place of habitation. He stands high in
his profession, and is one of the oldest and
most honored members of the Southern California
Dentists' Association.

It is a matter of no surprise to those who know
him that Dr. French is a descendant of sterling
old Revolutionary stock, who cheerfully placed
country before every other consideration. His
paternal great-grandfather. Captain French, with
the spirit of a true patriot, commenced talking
strongly for independence of the American coIo
nies before the war was declared, and, coming
home one day, announced to his wife that he was
about to enlist to fight for his principles. Quite
naturally, woman-like, her spirit quailed at first,
thinking of the horrors and possibilities of war,
and she urged him not to leave his little family
and imperil his life. Striding to the wall where
hung his old flint-lock musket, grown rusty with
non-use, and with an old charge of powder in it
still, he turned to her and said: "I'll try to fire
that old load, and if it goes I'll go." An instant
later there was a terrific report from the trusty-
old weapon, and Captain French went forth to
battle for the land which was to be an inheritance
of his children and children's children for gen-
erations.

John J. French, father of our subject, was a
native of New York, where he followed the trade
of a brick mason, and also engaged in agricultural
pursuits. Hearing glowing reports of the great
west, he started on a prospecting tour, and

floated down the Ohio river in a flat-boat until
he arrived in Indiana. He became one of the
pioneers of that state, his home for years being
in Ohio county. He sometimes went to Cincin-
nati or some other city and worked at his trade
in order to procure readj- money for some special
purpose, and thus it happened that he built the
first brick house constructed in the city mentioned.
He died, loved and respected by all who knew
him, at his old homstead in the Hoosier state,
when he was in his eighty-fifth year. The
mother of our subject bore the maiden name of
Mary Hargrave, and she, too, was a native of
the Empire state, and died in Indiana when in
her sixty -second year. She had sixteen children,
seven of whom are living.

The birth of Dr. French occurred on the paren-
tal homestead in Ohio county, Ind., January 31,
1837. He received a district-school education,
and when he was sixteen years of age he com-
menced learning the printer's trade in Jeflferson-
ville, Ind. After following this calling for four
^•ears he decided to take up dentistry, and, going
to Louisville, he began studying for his chosen
profession. At the end of a year or more of
steady work he went to Greensburg, Ind., where
he engaged in practice for six years, making an
excellent record for one of his years and limited
experience.

In 1S62 he responded to a call from the presi-
dent for troops, and enlisted in Company B, Sev-
enty-sixth Indiana Infantry. He served for six
months, reporting for duty every day of that pe-
riod, and in the spring of 1863 was mustered out
and discharged at Indianapolis. Returning to
Greensburg, he soon made his plans to go to Cal-
ifornia, and upon his arrival here commenced
practicing at La Porte. After spending five years
there he came to Los Angeles, where he felt that
a wider field awaited him, and the same success
has attended him here that he has uniformly en-
joyed wherever he has been located.

When he was thirty- two years of age Dr.
French married Miss Mary Champion, and their
two children, Charles E. , now attending medical
college, and Carrie, who is at home, are well
educated, intelligent young people. The family
stands well in the social circles of the city, and
their home bears the impress of culture and high
ideals. Thev attend the Unitarian Church.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

703

Dr. French was a pioneer in one direction, and
deserves special credit for it; he was the first to
introduce the beautiful Kentuck)' blue-grass
lawns into this city, and also brought the first
lawn-mower here. Los Angeles undoubtedly
bears the palm for handsome green-velvet lawns,
it being one of her chief charms always remarked
by the visitor from other points.

Dr. French is a charter member of the Society
of Los Angeles Pioneers, and is one of the oldest
members of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Politically he always has been a Republican, since
casting his first ballot for Abraham Lincoln at his
first candidacy. lu 1882 he served as a member
of the city council, and then, as ever, used his
influence in the cause of education, progress and
good government.

QEV. a. C. SMITHER. The many tour-
1^ ists who throng Los Angeles every year are
r\ enthusiastic in their admiration of the city's
architecture. While this is, perhaps, most no-
ticeable in the residential portions, yet it is also
conspicuous in the public buildings and the
churches, and the tout ensemble forms a picture
well worthy the artist's brush or the poet's pen.
Among the recently completed edifices mention
belongs to the First Christian Church, which oc-
cupies one hundred feet on South Hope at the
corner of West Eleventh street. The architect-
ure of this building is modern, the interior ar-
rangement convenient and the decorations artis-
tic, the whole combining to form a comfortable
church home for the six hundred or more mem-
bers of the congregation. The building up of
this church is largely due to the personality and
influence of its pastor. Rev. A. C. Smither, un-
der whose leadership the membership has been
greatly increased, every department of work has
been fostered, and the small house formerly oc-
cupied by the congregation has been replaced by
the present structure.

By birth a Kentuckian, Mr. Smither received
his primary education in the public schools of
Frankfort, and at the age of seventeen entered the
University of Kentucky at Lexington, from which
he graduated in iS86. For two years afterward
he preached in Kentucky and Tennessee; but,
realizing that he who would be successful in the
ministry must be equipped with every advantage

education can give, he took up the study of
theology in Butler University, near Indianapolis,
Ind., remaining there until his graduation in
i8go. Immediately afterward he came to the
Pacific coast and took charge of the Temple
Street Christian Church in Los Angeles. At
that time the congregation was small and its in-
fluence was scarcely felt even in its immediate
neighborhood; but under his skilled leadership
the First Christian Church was evolved, a new
building erected in an excellent location and the
church placed upon a substantial working basis.
He is an ardent and enthusiastic worker, and de-
votes himself earnestly to the welfare of his
church. Among the people of his denomination
in California his name is a household word; and,
while he is not so well known in the east (never
having held a pastorate there), yet through his
articles in the various papers published by the
Disciples, he has made hosts of friends in that
section of the country, all of whom unite in wish-
ing his work in this city the most abundant
success.

July 29, 1 89 1, Mr. Smither married Miss Ger-
trude Clough, who was born in Massachusetts, a
descendant of Puritan ancestors; but who, at the
time of their marriage, was living in Los An-
geles, Cal. Mr. and Mrs. Smither have one
child, a son, Chester Campbell Smither.

30HN HARRISON TEMPLE is a son of
F. P. F. Temple, an early settler of Los An-
geles county, whose wife was a daughter of
William Workman, a wealthy pioneer of Puente.
She fell heir to large landed estates and great
herds of cattle and other valuable possessions.
Mr. Temple was very successful as an agricult-
urist and stockman, and, as prosperity had blessed
him beyond his expectations, he at length con-
cluded to become a banker, but in this undertak-
ing he failed.

The birth of John Harrison Temple, son of
F. P. F. Temple, took place at Merced ranch,
February 27, 1856. He received the advantages
of a liberal education, and, after completing his
course at Santa Clara College, he went to his
father's old home in Reading, Ma.ss., where he
pursued special studies. Later he attended Bry-
ant & Stratton's Business College in Boston.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

His father died in 1875, when the young man was
nineteen years of age, and important affairs de-
volved at once upon him. He became the owner
of seventy-five acres of the Raucho Potrero de
Felipe Lugo and seventy-five acres of the estate
formerly belonging to his maternal grandfather,
William Workman, at Puente. The first-men-
tioned tract is highly productive and finely im-
proved. The ranch which his grandfather owned
is a beautiful piece of property to-day, being im-
proved with numerous substantial buildings and
lying in one of the loveliest valleys in California.

HON. FREDERICK LAMBOURN. The
pioneers of this great commonwealth were
of sturdy stock, fitted to endure the hard-
ships and the vicissitudes of frontier life. In
common with other pioneers, Mr. Lambourn
hewed a path to success, unaided and alone, and
with no capital except his physical and moral
strength. Of English birth, he was born in
Kent, January 7, 1837, and was a son of Levi
Lambourn, a native of Wiltshire, England, and
a farmer and merchant. About 1846 the family
came to the United States and settled in Marshall
county, 111., where the father engaged in farm
pursuits and was a very active worker in the
Whig party. He died in Illinois when sixty
years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden
name of Anna Allen, was born in Kent, England,
and died in Marshall county, 111. They were the
parents of nine children, all but two of whom are
still living.

The primary education of our subject was ob-
tained in England, but he was educated princi-
pally in Illinois. The death of his mother when
he was twelve years old broke up the old home
and he started out in the world for himself. He
secured employment, his wages he frugally
saved, in order that he might apply them to
securing an education. He studied in Granville
Academy and Judson College and later entered
Eureka College. During his collegiate course he
had been a leader in debates and literary ex-
ercises.

Within eight miles of Eureka College Mr.
Lambourn engaged in teaching school until fail-
ing health rendered a change imperative. April
I, 1859, he started for the great west, going down

the Illinois river to vSt. Louis, thence to Atchison,
Kans., where horses and mules were bought for
the party's trip across the plains. The party
were at Independence Rock when they were passed
by Horace Greeley on his historic trip to the
west. It had been given out that Greeley would
speak at Sweet Water, but for some unknown
reason he failed to appear, and the five thousand
people assembled to honor him were disappointed.
With this crowd was a brass band, which laid
over at Sweet Water I0 celebrate the 4th of July
in true western fashion. The objective point of
the party was Pike's Peak. However, as they
traveled westward they constanth' met returning
gold-seekers, all of whom had the same story to
tell of hardships, suffering and disappointment.
These .stories caused the party to decide to go to
California via Salt Lake. Up to this time Mr.
Lambourn had been ill from the effects of an at-
tack of typhoid fever in Illinois, and he had been
traveling with patent medicine preparations, but
after two months' travel he was so fully recovered
that he threw away his stock of drugs. The
fresh, pure, balmy air had restored him to
strength and health and rendered medicines un-
necessary.

At Pacific Springs the party met some of the sur-
vivors of the great Mountain Meadow massacre.
When they reached Salt Lake City the party dis-
banded and Mr. Lambourn remained there for
several weeks, enjoying the civilization of that
city, set like an oasis in the desert, the pinnacle
of its temple gleaming in the summer sun as
brightly as gleamed the tabernacle of the Israel-
ites during their journey in the wilderness.
Finally another party was organized and he ac-
companied them via the southern route to Cali-
fornia, stopping at San Bernardino, but soon
locating in El Monte. He reached his destina-
tion with just ten cents, the price of postage in
those days for a letter east, and he immediately
forwarded to those at home the joyful news of his
safe arrival in California. He at once secured
employment at driving oxen, for which he was
paid $1 per day and board. Next he ploughed
with mules for thirty days. He then rented a
tract of ground and planted it to corn. When
the crop was laid by he filled out a term for a
teacher in El Monte, in which way he secured a
start. His next position was with William

^^^^^-^^:^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

707

Workman, first- as private tutor for his grand-
children and then as superintendent of his ranch.
After fourteen years with the same emploj^er he
resigned to accept a position as member of the
state assembly, in 1875-76. During his term of
service he was chairman of the committee on
agriculture, a member of the committee on county
boundaries and public buildings and grounds.
Among his associates in the legislature were
Judge McKenna, James McGuire, and Attorney-
General McConnell, the latter being his most in-
timate friend and associate.

Early in 1876 Mr. Lambourn came to Los An-
geles, where he has since made his home.
Associated with W. F. Turner he built a brick
block at Nos. 235-237 Aliso street, and opened a
wholesale and retail grocery, which they have
since conducted. In 1864 Mr. Lambourn was
made a Mason. He was a charter member of
HoUenbeck Lodge No. 319 and was treasurer of
the lodge from its organization until June, 1900,
when he resigned ou account of sickness.

After coming to Los Angeles, in 1876, Mr.
Lambourn married Georgia A. Morrison, of El
Monte. They are the parents of three children,
Frederick Francis, William Walter and Georgia
May Lambourn.

rjEV. JEREMIAH CLAY. To be esteemed
1^ beyond the average and universally beloved,
p\ to have no harsh word uttered of one during
a long and useful pilgrimage on earth, and to
pass beyond the shadow whence no mortal fol-
lows, and know that hearts and lives unnum-
bered will be lonely beyond the sound of our
comforting voice, is a consummation attained by
the few elect. Such an one was Jeremiah Clay,
who, through the various avenues of his activi-
ties, was lighted by the highest and most lumin-
ous humanitarian principles.

The earliest impressions of Jeremiah Clay were
gained on his father's farm in Cooper county.
Mo. , where he was born October 22, 1831. His
parents were William and Sarah (Collett) Clay,
natives respectively of Virginia and Tennessee.
They belonged to a branch of the family made
famous by the great Henry Clay. About 1835
they moved into Platte county. Mo. , where their
son Jeremiah grew to a strong and noble man-
hood, and when eighteen years of age began to

teach school, being identified with one school for
fifteen consecutive years. While diligently as-
sisting his father around the farm, and gleaning
lessons of usefulness from his association with
the fields and trees and birds that he loved so
well, he became impressed with the fact that the
ministrj' offered a splendid field for his active and
enthusiastic nature. For always, above and be-
yond the possible worldly attainments of the fu-
ture, he saw the good that he might render his
fellow-men. No royal road to a college educa-
tion seemed apparent, and he undertook to edu-
cate himself. His work among the suffering and
needy occupied his attention during the day, and
he ofttimes studied until the dawn came stealing
in through the windows. After beginning to
teach his responsibilities were multiplied, and
during fifteen years he served from two to four
churches, preaching two or three times on Sun-
da)', and riding on horseback from forty to one
hundred miles a week. Probably none of the
early pioneer clergymen faced more unflinch- '
ingly, and conquered more thoroughly, the ad-
verse circumstances with which their path was
strewn.

From his combination of interests, principally
from his savings while teaching, Mr. Clay was
enabled to enter Pleasant Ridge College in Platte
county. Mo., from which institution he started
out on his life work as a minister of the Baptist
church. In the pioneer days of northwest Mis-
souri, this eloquent tongued preacher of the gos-
pel of light deeply impressed his mission and
character upon the hearts and minds and lives
of thousands of people, touching their ofttimes
sombre existence into one of beauty and useful-
ness and charity. In one meeting of three weeks
he is said to have baptized eighty-six.

In connection with his ministerial work Mr.
Clay conducted the affairs of a large farm which
he owned, and also filled the office of superinten-
dent of schools in Platte county. In addition, he
was moderator of North Liberty Association for
a period extending over many years. While
living in Platte county. Mo., Mr. Clay was mar-
ried to Mary F. Burruss, a native of Platte coun-
ty, and a daughter of the Rev. Philip J. and
Linnie ("Guthrie) Burruss, the former of whom
was for many years identified with the Baptist
church of Platte county. Rev. Mr. Burruss and

7o8

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his- wife were born in Kentucky, and their
daughter Mary was educated at Camden Point
Academy, in Platte county, and also at the
Platte City Academy. She is a member of
the Baptist Church, and is identified to a large
extent with the intellectual and social life of
Rivera.

Owing to continued failing health Mr. Clay
was obliged to seek a change of climate and loca-
tion, and so left the many who had been the ob-
jects of his solicitude in Missouri, and turned his
face towards the brighter skies and the sun-
kissed meadows of California. The change was
necessarily a grateful one, for his long continued
and arduous duties in the pioneer work had un-
dermined his health, unusually rugged though
he had been. Upon his arrival in 1886 in Cali-
fornia he held pastorates in Downey, Compton
and Rivera, and became the possessor of a ranch
hear the latter place, of fifty-one acres.

This was his especial pride and care and was a
solace during the hours of respite from his minis-
terial duties. But the flowers and sunshine
and fragrant air were only temporarily healing,
and perhaps it was ordained that the last four
years of his life should be passed under the gentle
care of wife and daughters, of whom there were
two, Laura Verda and Dullie Maj-. Mr. Clay
died April 13, 1897, ^"<i ^^^ services were con-
ducted by his friend and pastor. Rev. \V. H. Pen-
dleton, D. D., after which his body was handed
to the Masonic Brotherhood, who honored it with
their beautiful service and laid it to rest in the
cemetery at Whittier.

The character and attainments of Mr. Clay are
best understood when described by one who knew
and loved him well and who sat at his feet an
humble pupil in Missouri, and followed his future
life with anxious solicitude: "As a student he
was painstaking and scrupulously accurate, look-
ing into the why and wherefore of any proposi-
tion that came before him. He studied with but
one aim and that was to be useful in the Master's
service." * * * * "As a preacher he was logi-
cal, at times eloquent, always Biblical, and ten-
derly pathetic in appeal to the unconverted."
■Jc. :;; :|-, ^^ "But it was in his home that his great
character reached the highest. There was never
a man more devoted to wife or fonder of his chil-
dren than was Jeremiah Clay. He was never too

tired or too busy to attend to all their wants. He
never forgot or neglected his family. His was
a home of sorrow and suffering, lo.sing, as he did,
six children through death, and when at all pos-
sible he was there to minister comfort and help.
I have known him to ride ten miles on horseback
through snow, after preaching at night, in order
to be with his sick wife or baby. Truly he was
a good husband and a kind father. To know the
man was to love him. In the school room he had
the respect and confidence of the children. In
public affairs he was trusted and honored. In his
pastorates he enjoyed the esteem of his parish-
ioners to a larger degree than any pastor I ever
knew."

GILBERT FENNER KERCHEVAL. Dur-
lA ing his residence of almost a quarter of a
/ I century in Los Angeles, Albert Fenner
Kercheval greatly endeared him.self to a niiilti-
tude of sincere friends, who have deeph' de-
plored his loss since he was called to the silent
land. He came of a family noted in history,
the patronymic of which was originally Coeur
de Cheval. They were French Huguenots, who,
in the times of bitter persecution by the Catholics
on the Continent, were strong enough and cour-
ageous enough to remain steadfast to their faith,
and thus won the admiration of the world, even
of their cruel and relentless enemies. At the
time of the revocation of the edict of Nantes the
family was obliged to flee from France, and
seeking refuge in England, where one of the
number soon died, broken-hearted, the others
sought to repair the almost hopeless fortunes of
the family, for its large estates had been con-
fiscated.

Louis Coeur de Cheval, the head of the family
just mentioned, soon embarked for America, and
took up his abode in Virginia, where his name
was anglicized into its present form. From the
Old Dominion his descendants went forth to the
wilds of Illinois and Indiana, and finally scat-
tered far and wide throughout the Union. Louis
Kercheval, father of our subject, was a native
Virginian, and his wife, Mary (Runyon) Ker-
cheval, came from an honored Kentucky family.

Albert F. Kercheval, one of the youngest of
several children, was born at Eaton, Preble
county, Ohio, March 10, 1829, and was taken to

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

709

Hickor}^ Farm, near Joliet, 111., when a small
boy. He was orphaned at an earl)' age, his
mother dying when he was six or seven years
old, and his father a (ew years later. He then
became a member of the household of his eldest
sister, Mrs. Thomas Stevens, of Joliet. He re-
ceived a common-school education, supplemented
b}' a course in a private academy in Joliet, and
thus qualified himself for his future life.

When he was about nineteen years of age, the
great excitement occasioned by the finding of
gold on the Pacific coast took possession of the
youth, and, in company with an elder brother
and an uncle started on the long and perilous
journej' to California. He thus was one of the
veritable "forty-niners," as he reached this state
ere that memorable year in western history was
completed. During the five or six years of his
stay here he was engaged in mining and other
enterprises, and, having accumulated what then
was considered a good fortune, he returned to
his eastern home. After some time spent in re-
newing the old friend.ships, he went to San An-
tonio, Tex., where he invested extensiveh- in
property, both city and out-lying land. He re-
tained a large portion of this property until with-
in a few years prior to his death, when he dis-
posed of it.

In 1857 Mr. Kercheval married Miss Sarah
Adelaide Wilson, of Perry sburg, Ohio, and for
some time subsequently they made their home in
Perrysburg, Ohio, the native place of the wife.
Then, going to San Antonio, Tex., they re-
mained there for several years, finally coming to
California, and for a period residing in Court-
land, near Sacramento. When the mining fever
was at its height in Nevada, Mr. Kercheval con-
cluded to try his fortune there, and for several
years he dwelt in Austin, where he was con-
nected with various mining enterprises, mer-
chandising and agriculture. The failure of mines
in which he had heavily invested and the fail-
ing health which came upon him at about the
same time, led him to think seriously of return-
ing to California. In 1870 he came to Los An-
geles, where he passed the rest of his life, in the
enjoyment of the beauties of nature in this Para-
dise of the Union. He became an enthusiastic
horticulturist, devoting much time to the im-
provement of his place and orange orchard. He

was honored by being elected to the presidency
of the Los Angeles County Horticultural Com-
mission, and he also served as a member of the
city council of Los Angeles.

Mr. Kercheval was a scholarly man and es-
pecially in the last decades of his life did he de-
vote much time to study and literature. He had
the qualities of mind and heart which the true
poet is gifted with, and musical rhythm was in-
nate in him from childhood. In 1884 he pub-
lished a volume of poems, which was received
by the public with marked appreciation. The
press favored the work with highly laudatory
notices, and a host of his old friends and ac-
quaintances, here and in the east, treasure this
little volume wherein is contained some of the
most beautiful thoughts of one "who is not
lost, but gone before. ' '

Mr. Kercheval died at his home in this city,
January 24, 1893, after a brief illness. His
death occurred only a few months subsequent to
that of his wife, and thus the lives which had
peacefully and happily flowed along together for
more than three and a-half decades were soon
re-united. They lost their eldest daughter,
Eugenia, in San Antonio, and a son, Eugene,
died while in Courtland. The three children
who survive are: Leland N., Veuia A. and
Rosalie W. The last-mentioned has inherited
much of her father's poetical abilit)', and has
composed numerous poems of true merit and
beauty.

0ANIEL NEUHART, one of the able busi-
ness men of Los Angeles, deserves special
mention in the annals of this city and coun-
ty, as he has been prominently associated with
many of the enterprises which have fostered the
growth and prosperity of this region. He is in-
tensely patriotic and hopeful for Southern Cali-
fornia and never has regretted his choice of this
city as a permanent home.

Like his father before him, Daniel Neuhartwas
born in Rupertsweiler, Palatinate of Bavaria,
Germany, the date of his nativity being June 22,
185 1. When he was less than a year old he was
brought by his father, Daniel Neuhart, Sr. , to
the United States, the family arriving upon these
shores on the ist of May, 1S52. With the excep-
tion of our subject's paternal grandfather, Law-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

rence Neuhart, who came to this country in 1856,
and died here, all of his grandparents lived until
death in Germany. His mother, Catherine, was
a daughter of Louis and Catherine Kestner.
Daniel Neuhart, Sr. , located upon a farm near
Woodsfield, Ohio, soon after his arrival in Amer-
ica, and there he continued to carry on his home-
stead until his death, at the age of fifty-seven
years. His wife, Catherine, who was a native
of Lemberg, Germany, survived him many years,
her death taking place in February, 1897, when
she was in her sixty-ninth year. Of their four
sons and four daughters, all but two are living.

In his boyhood, Daniel Neuhart of this sketch
received an ordinary district school education,
and when he was sixteen years of age he left
home and began serving an apprenticeship to the
drug business. At nineteen he went to Caldwell,
Ohio, where he was engaged in the same line of
business for a period of thirteen years, meeting
with financial success. In July, 1883, he came
to Los Angeles, and for three years managed a
ranch near the race-track adjacent to this city,
after which he was employed by the firm of Gil-
let & Gibson for a short time. In 1887 he be-
came the secretary of the Los Angeles Gas Com-
pany, and continued to act in that capacity for
three years. During the two years following he
was engaged in the brokerage business, and for
the past decade he has been the secretary of the
Simi Land and Water Company.

The business and financial ability so noticeable
in Daniel Neuhart appears to have been an in-
heritance, as his father also was specially skilled
in the same direction, and for four years served
as county treasurer of Monroe county, Ohio, win-
ning well-deserved commendation for his zeal
and good judgment in the management of the
county's finances. Our subject also won honor
in the grand old Buckeye state, where for three
years he served as county auditor of Noble coun-
ty. He has taken an active part in Democratic
politics ever since becoming a voter, in 1872,
when he cast his first presidential ballot for Hor-
ace Greeley. In 1892, before he had become
much acquainted in Los Angeles, he was, never-
theless, the Democratic candidate for the ofiBce of
city treasurer. For eight years he has been a
valued member of the Democratic county com-
mittee. Fraternally he is a Mason, being identi-

fied with Peutalpha Lodge, Signet Chapter and
Los Angeles Commandery. With his family he
attends the Presbyterian Church.

The marriage of Daniel Neuhart and Miss
Anna E. Frazier was solemnized June 22, 1S76,
in Caldwell, Ohio. Her father, Judge William
H. Frazier, a distinguished member of the Ohio
bar, occupied a position as judge of the court of
common pleas and for sixteen years presided on
the bench of the circuit court. He also organized
the Noble County (Ohio) National Bank, of
which he has been president ever since. Four
children blessed the union of Daniel Neuhart
and wife, namely: Justine, Hugh Frazier, Georgia
and Florence.

HUBERT KNOX, postmaster of San Dimas,
came to this place in 1894 and has since,
with the exception of one year, been a resi-
dent here, engaging principally in horticultural
pursuits. It was during 1893 that he crossed the
continent from Maine to California, his first loca-
tion being at Ontario, and his second at the
mouth of San Dimas Caiion, where he is now in-
terested in fruit-growing. Besides his other en-
terprises he acts as local agent for the Home
Mutual Insurance Company, whose main ofiice is
in San Francisco, this state.

The father of Mr. Knox was Rev. George
Knox, a man of high standing in the Baptist
denomination and the possessor of many noble
attributes of character. During the Civil war he
served as chaplain of the First, Tenth and
Twenty-ninth Regiments of Maine Volunteers,
and remained at the front until he was acci-
dentally killed just after the battle of Cedar
Creek. His patriotic spirit and zeal were in-
herited, as his father had served with valor in the
war of 18 1 2. The Knox family is of Scotch ex-
traction, and the first of the name in America
settled near what is now Lowell, Mass., prior to
the Revolutionary war.

Hubert Knox was born in Topsham, Me.,
January 3, 1863, and his parents. Rev. George
and Sarah M. (Barron) Knox, were also natives
of Maine. The death of his father deprived him
of that parent when he was too young to realize
his loss. Under his mother's devoted care he
grew to manhood, fitted for the responsibilities of
life. After completing the public-school studies

^'^'<^£^^-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

he spent two )-ears at what is now Colb)- College
iu Waterville, Me. His first work as a means of
livelihood was farming, but he soon left the farm
and went to Portland, Me., where for eighteen
months he was a clerk in the general office of the
Maine Central Railroad. From there became to
California, of which state he bad received favor-
able reports as to its fertilitj' of soil, beauty of
climate and prospects for the future. He is now
the owner of fourteen and one-half acres of land,
his home being on a five-acre tract that is under
citrus fruit culture.

No one who knows Mr. Knox intimately is in
doubt concerning his political views. He is a
very stanch Lincoln Republican. He was ap-
pointed postmaster at San Dimas May 29, 1899,
and fills the position with credit to himself and
satisfaction to his constituents. He is interested
in educational matters and is an efficient school
trustee in the Mud Springs school district. By
his marriage to Miss Fannie S. Lambert, of
Brunswick, Me., he has six children, Helen G.,
Harold H., James L., George N., Jessie A. and
Donald G.

pGJiLLIAM B. STEWART, who is one of
\ A / the deputy county assessors for Los An-
V V geles count}' and a member of the board of
education of Pomona, has made his home in Po-
mona since 1895 and owns and cultivates an
apricot orchard covering ten acres. He has made
acquaintances throughout Los Angeles county,
for he has been identified with its interests since
April, 1883, the date of his arrival here. In
horticulture he is making a specialty of apricots,
never having devoted his attention to the raising
of citrus fruits.

Mr. Stewart was born in Scioto count}', Ohio,
November i, 1856, a son of William and Jean-
nette (Bryden) Stejvart, both natives of Scotland.
His father came to America after reaching his
majority, and for a time sojourned in New York
City, whence he moved to Scioto county, Ohio.
At Raven Rock, that county, he built a stone
mill, which he operated for three years. At the
same place he owned a stone quarr}', from which
he quarried stone that was cut into blocks of cer-
tain sizes for building purposes. This stone was
used in the construction of many of the most
substantial business buildings of that part of

Ohio. Late in life he retired from milling and
quarrying and turned his attention to agricul-
ture, operating a farm in Scioto county until his
death in 1S75. Although he had received no
educational advantages he was one of the best-
informed men in his locality, having acquired
through his own eilorts a fund of knowledge at
once broad and deep. Politically he voted with
the Republicans.

The educationof our subject was obtained large-
ly in the high school of Portsmouth, Ohio. At
sixteen years of age he entered the Portsmouth
National Bank, in which he filled the position of
paying teller for ten years. The confinement of
his position, which was one of great re.sponsibil-
ity as well, told upon his strength. He became
ill and was forced to resign his position in order
that he might travel for his health. He came to
California, and in its delightful climate soon re-
gained his former sturdy physical condition. As
soon as he was able to engage in business he ac-
cepted a position as secretary of the Hayden &
Lewis Hardware Company, of Los Angeles. One
year later he resigned and embarked in the real-
estate business in Los Angeles, in which he con-
tinued for several years. Subsequently he was a
dealer in wall paper, paints, oils, etc. On clos-
ing out that business he came to Pomona and
bought the fruit orchard which he now culti-
vates. In April, 1897, he was elected a member
of the board of education of Pomona for four
years, and he is now serving his third year as
secretary of the board. For two years he has
been a deputy county assessor. Politically his
views are in sympathy with the principles of the
Republican party.

In 1884 Mr. Stewart married Miss Mary Utley,
of Rome, N. Y. They have five children: Jay
Gilbert, Amy Bryden, Wallace, Donald and
Walter Penman. The family are connected with
the Episcopal Church.

I EWIS FARMER. The farming community
I C of El Monte township has a successful rep-
\~) resentative in the person of Lewis Farmer,
who is well and favorably known for his energy
as an agriculturist and his integrity as a man. In
18S3 he came to Los Angeles county and three
years later settled on his present farm, which

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

comprises twenty-four acres. By perseverance
and the exercise of wise judgment he has made
the ranch a profitable investment. He has
planted eighteen acres to walnuts and apples,
both of which have proved sources of fair rev-
enues.

Descended from an old Kentucky family, Mr.
Farmer was born in Harlan county, that state.
May 15, 1848, a son of William C. and Catherine
(Branson) Farmer. He spent the years of boy-
hood on his father's farm and attended, during
the winter months, a public school that was near
hi.s home. On reaching manhood he selected
agriculture for his life work, believing his chances
of .success greater in it than in another occupa-
tion with which he would be less familiar. In
1870 he married Ellen Rice, a native of Ken-
tucky. They are the parents of five children:
Henry C, who is living at Monrovia, Cal.;
Lulie E., wife of J. N. Stewart, who is at pres-
ent a teacher in the Bassett (Cal.) public school:
William F., Ava K. and Robert, who are with
their parents.

Leaving the home farm soon after his marriage
Mr. Farmer became proprietor of a hotel at Har-
lan, the county-seat of Harlan county, when he
was twenty-three years of age. This hotel he
conducted for some years. He also served as
clerk of Harlan county for one term of four years,
being elected to the oflSce by the people of Har-
lan county. From Kentucky, in 1879, he moved
to Gove county, Kans., and embarked in farm-
ing and stock-raising. The country was new,
improvements few and farmers scattered; and
after a few years he decided he could do better
elsewhere, so in 1883 he came to California. In
addition to farming and walnut-growing he has
for years devoted his leisure to carpentering,
being a natural mechanic, as was also his father.
He is a member of the Mountain View Walnut
Growers' Association, incorporated.

Probably no citizen of his district is a firmer
friend of education than Mr. Farmer. Realizing
the value of a broad knowledge, he advocates
the public-school system, which he considers one
of the chief factors in the prosperity of the United
States. For twelve years he has served as a
school trustee of the La Puente school district,
in which position he has been enabled to advance
the welfare of the local school. Other move-

ments of a beneficial nature receive his synipathj-
and aid. Fraternally he is connected with the
Masons and Independent Order of Foresters at
El Monte, and in religion is identified with the
Cumberland Presbvterian Church.

(lAMES FULTON. From the time that he
I crossed the plains in 1849 to the present daj'
Qj Mr. Fulton has been deeply interested in the
development of California. His mind is a store-
house of useful information concerning the days
before California was admitted into the Union, as
well as those later times of its history as a state.
Led to undertake the toilsome journey across the
continent by the hope of discovering gold, he first
tried his fortune in the mines and then drifted
into other occupations, being at this writing en-
gaged in horticultural pursuits at Pomona, where
he has made his home since 1886.

The Fulton family is of Scotch extraction.
Richard, son of Thomas Fulton, was born in
North Carolina, and in early manhood became a
pioneer of Indiana, where he married Rebecca
Barnhill, who was born in Kentucky. The sub-
ject of this sketch was their son. He was born
in Lawrence county, Ind., January 28, 1827, and
.spent his early boyhood years amid the then
frontier surroundings of his native locality.
When he was sixteen his parents moved to
Buchanan county. Mo., and there he lived for six
years. With his father, a brother, and many
others, he started for California in 1849, spend-
ing four months in the long journey, which was
made with ox-teams. His first work as a miner
was in the fall of 1849, when he worked in the
mines on the South Juba river. He spent the
winter at San Jos^, where the first California
legislature was at the time convened. The then
governor of California, Peter^H. Burnett, was a
former Missouri friend of Richard Fulton, the
latter being sheriff of Buchanan county when
Peter H. Burnett was district attorney. The
following spring after he came to California
James Fulton went into the mines of Nevada
county, where he spent several mouths. In the
fall of 1850 he bought a large herd of cattle from
emigrants. These he sold in different parts of
California. Subsequently he worked at teaming
and freighting to the mines. Next he engaged

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

715

in farming near San Jos(5. In 1S53 he returned
to Missouri via the isthmus. After his arrival he
bought a drove of about one hundred and fifty
head of cattle. With these he started across the
plains to the coast. He was unfortunate in losing
a large number of head, but sold the remainder
at a good profit, with the exception of those with
which he stocked a farm in Sonoma county. He
carried on a general business in raising stock
until i860, when he disposed of his interests, and
for the four following years he engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits in the same county. While he
was there the San Francisco & North Pacific
Railroad was built through his farm and that of
his brother Thomas. They laid out a town
which was named Fulton in honor of the Fulton
family, which is well and favorably known in
Sonoma county, Cal. For some time he served
as postmaster of the new town, where he con-
ducted a warehouse for seven years. In 1S80 he re-
moved to Azusa, where he resided four years, and
then built a home on Bellevue avenue, overlook-
ing the city of Los Angeles, and resided there
nearly two years. During the latter part of 1886
he removed to Pomona, his present home. For
the last six years he has been retired from active
business, and in the evening of his life enjoys a
well-earned competency and rest from toil and
labor.

The wife of James Fulton was Melissa Wilson,
a native of Indiana, who died in 1876. She was
the mother of six children. Only two sons are
now living; the older, James W., resides at
Pomona and has a son, Wiford Austin Fulton.
The younger son, Somers B., is county clerk of
Sonoma county. A grandson of James Fulton,
Frank Logan Bloomer, is a student of the Los
Angeles high school. The family are believers
in the doctrines of the Christian Church, of
which James W. Fulton has been a prominent
member for many years and was instrumental in
building up the Christian Church of Pomona.
Our subject had the distinction of voting at the
first state election in California. He has been a
supporter of the Democratic ticket, but voted for
McKinley in 1896.

In reflecting upon the advancement of Cali-
fornia, Mr. Fulton cannot but compare the
present with the past. Fifty years ago mining
was the principal (in fact almo.st the only) in-

dustry. There were but few towns and the
plains were a wilderness. The brave, determined
spirit of the early pioneer established respect for
law and order. What a wonderful transforma-
tion the passing years have wrought! On every
hand are prosperous, thriving cities, the abodes
of law-abiding citizens, with busy streets, large
stores, fine churches and attractive residences.
The agricultural regions, too, have undergone a
radical change. The wilderness has been made
to blossom as the rose. Orchards of orange
and lemon trees reflect the color of the gold that
the pioneer of 1849 came to seek. Broad fields of
alfalfa and barley occupy tracts that do not
respond to fruit cultivation. Comfortable homes
and a contented people bear evidence to the ad-
vance in the prosperity of one of the most de-
lightful regions in the world.

(lACOB A. PERKINS. The name of Jacob
I A. Perkins is prominently identified with
O the growth of the country around Rivera,
and although there are settlers who came earlier
to cast their fortunes with the possibilities of the
new country, there are scarcely any enterprises
that have been raised for the advancement of her
material interests with which his name has not
been associated in some capacity.

A native of Bastrop county, Tex., he was born
October 23, 1850, and is a son of Jacob and Maria
(Ferrell) Perkins, natives of the Carolinas. His
father migrated from Tennessee in 1848, and
bought his farm in Texas, where he became a
prominent agriculturist in the community, ac-
tivel)' participating in the afiairs of his county up
to almost the time of his death, which occurred
in Texas. On this farm in the wilderness of
Bastrop county, Tex., Jacob A. Perkins early
showed a predilection for farm work and indus-
triously mastered every detail of the various
duties incident to the management of a well-
regulated farm. During the winter months he
studied diligently at the district schools, thus fit-
ting himself for an early struggle for independ-
ence. In the spring of 1S70 he decided to start
out in the world for himself, and to undertake
the long journey to California. He was not
without incentives or encouragement, for there
were many from the same part of the country

7i6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

who scented splendid chances in the far awaj'
territorj'. Thus it happened that quite a caravan
started from Texas across the plains and over the
hills, mounted on horses which they rode for one
thousand and two hundred miles, as far as
Omaha, Neb. There he took the train and upon
his arrival in California he began working on a
ranch in San Joaquin county, where he lived un-
til January, 1874, going then to Los Angeles
county. For a time he resided near Whittier,
and in 1876 settled permanently on the ranch
which has since been his home, and where he has
so successfully turned his attention to horticul-
ture. The home ranch contains fifteen acres
under walnuts. In addition, he owns another
ranch of forty-six acres near Los Nietos, ten
acres being under walnuts.

Mr. Perkins married Jane Passons, a daughter
of Oliver P. and Nancy Passons. The sketch of
Oliver P. Passons appears on another page of this
volume. His wife, Mrs. Nancy Pa.ssons, was one
of the earlj' pioneers of Los Aii^eles county, and
in her eighty-third year is living on the old Pas-
sons homestead at Rivera. To Mr. and Mrs.
Perkins have been born seven children, six of
whom are living: Minnie M., Maud, Perry A.,
Myrtle, Lola and Edward L. Walter died at the
age of seventeen months.

In politics Mr. Perkins is a Democrat, and has
figured conspicuously in several of the undertak-
ings of his party. A member of the board of
trustees of the Rivera school district and secretar)^
of the same, he has given general sati,sfaction in
the discharge of his duties. He is a member of
the Masonic order at Downey, and the Indepen-
dent Order of Odd Fellows at Rivera. He is
connected with the Los Nietos and Ranchito Wal-
nut Growers' Association.

Gl CLARENCE WEEKS. The beautiful
LJ homes of Los Angeles county are the pride
I I, of all her citizens; the far-stretchii;g acres of
orange groves, bearing the hue of the gold that
once led thousands across the deserts to the El-
dorado of the west; the long rows of walnut
trees or the not infrequent deciduous growths al-
ternating with the citrus fruits; the packing-
houses that are, in season, filled with the busy
hum of many workers; the ranch-houses, replete

with every comfort, and whose fortunate owners,
can, "beneath their own vine and fig tree,"
breathe in the sun-kissed and health-laden air,
all this forms a picture that cannot be found, in
its entirety, in*any other part of the world.

It is said that every Californian delights in
horticulture. Certainly Mr. Weeks is no excep-
tion to this rule, as is shown by his country home
near Alhambra, which bears a fine variety of
oranges and is a typical California homestead.
The place was opened by him in January, 1877,
and under his direct personal supervision has
been brought to its present state of cultivation
and improvement. During this long period he
has witnessed the development of the county, the
growth of its resources and the advancement of
its interests. Doubtless no one has taken a
greater interest than he in its progress along every
line of human activity, and he has proved him-
self to be a public-spirited citizen in all that this
word means. In politics his first presidential vote
was cast for Rutherford B. Hayes, but in local
matters he does not allow party affiliations to
conflict with personal views regarding a candi-
date's eligibility for office.

The Weeks family has been represented in
America ever since 1773, when they came to this
country and settled in Columbia county, N. Y.,
where they engaged in farm pursuits. In that
county was born May 11, 1820, Dewit Clinton
Weeks, father of A. Clarence, and there he was
reared. In early manhood he went to New York
City and engaged in contracting and building.
His ability was such that in time he came to be
recognized as one of the foremost builders of the
metropolis. Among his most important contracts
was that for the famous Vanderbilt mansion,
which occupied five years in construction. Dur-
ing the Civil war he was in charge of negro refu-
gees near Washington, D. C. He had a stroke
of paralysis in Florida and was taken from there
to New York where he died August 3, 1S96. He
had married, January 7, 1840, to Miss Elizabeth
Winslow, who was born in Hudson, N. Y.,
March 19, 1821, and who is still living at the old
New York homestead. Of the six children born
to their marriage, all but one are still living.

In the city of New York the subject of this
article was born June 24, 1S54, and there his
education was obtained. At an early age he be-

WILLIAM T. MICHAEL.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

gau to assist his father in building, with which
occupation he became thoroughly familiar. In
1876, having resolved to settle ou the Pacific
coast, he left his home and came to California.
After a short time in San Francisco he proceeded
to Los Angeles county, where he has since re-
sided. He was united in marriage, August 18,
1880, with Miss Mary G. Foss, a daughter of
Bishop Cyrus D. Foss, of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church and ex-president ofWesleyan Uni-
versity. Seven children have been born of their
union, all of whom are receiving good education-
al advantages. The family are connected with
the Methodist EpiscopalChurch, in which Mr.
and Mrs. Weeks are active workers.

WILLIAM T. MICHAEL. In the industry
that forms the staple occupation of people
in the frost-protected regions of California,
Mr. Michael has engaged for some years and
with gratifying success. While he had no expe-
rience in the raising of citrus fruits at the time he
came to the west, yet his energy and adaptability
were such that he quickly acquired a thorough
knowledge of every detail connected with horti-
culture, and he has therefore been able to conduct
his business enterprises in a profitable manner.
He owns a ranch of thirty -eight acres in the Po-
mona valley near Lordsburg, all of which is under
oranges in good bearing condition.

It is said, and the name so indicates, that the
Michael family is of German extraction. Robert
Michael, our subject's father, was a native of
Pennsylvania, and engaged in farming and the
lumber business in Clearfield county, that state.
From there he removed in 1864 to Linn county,
Kans., where he still makes his home, keeping
in touch with the activities of life in a manner
unusual for one of eighty eight years. He mar-
ried Emeline Rose, who died in Pennsylvania the
year before he came to Kansas. Our subject was
born in Clearfield county. Pa., March 11, 1855,
and accompanied his father to Kansas, where he
grew to man's estate, meantime attending the
Liiin county schools. In early manhood he mar-
ried Sarah Irene Richards, of Linn county.
They are the parents of seven children now living;
35

Alfred L., Emeline R., Lloyd L., William F.,
Edward, Wilfred M. and Clyde R., and lost a
daughter, Irene, when she was quite young.

During 1874 Mr. Michael removed to Santa
Cruz, Cal., where he was employed in a dairy
and cheese factory. From there he came to Po-
mona, where he now resides. He accepted a po-
sition as manager of the old Meserve ranch, com-
prising thirteen hundred acres near North Pomona
and this large tract he managed for almost three
years. After his marriage, however, he engaged
in agricultural and horticultural pursuits for him-
self, and through energy and industry has gained
a name as a leading fruit-raiser of his locality.
While living in Kansas he identified himself
with the Ancient Order of United Workmen at
Blue Mound, that state, and since coming to Cal-
ifornia he has been connected with the Modern
Woodmen of America and the Fraternal Brother-
hood in Pomona. Both he and his wife are active
members of the Pomona Baptist Church and con-
tribute to its maintenance. His tastes have not
been in the line of public activities. He is a man
who prefers private life and the quiet pursuit of
his chosen occupation; nevertheless he does not
neglect any duty as a citizen. He keeps posted
concerning the problems our government is called
upon to solve, believes thoroughlj' in Republican
principles and aims to inform himself as to the
progress of civilization throughout the world
and the interchange of amenities or the stern
realities of warfare between the principal nations.

I EWIS EBINGER. Success comes not to
I C the man who idly waits, but to the faithful
|_2f toiler whose work is characterized by intel-
ligence and force; it comes only to the man who
has the foresight and keenness of mental vision
to know when and where and how to exert his en-
ergy, and thus it happens that but a small propor-
tion of those who enter the " world's broad field
of battle " come off victors in the struggle for
wealth and position. As the historian passes in
review the hosts of successful business men of Los
Angeles county, his attention is called to a gentle-
man who undoubtedly is one of the most popu-
lar and prosperous in his line of occupation in
the city of the Angels, Lewis Ebinger; and, be-
lieving that his many friends and acquaintances

720

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

here will be glad to have presented to them a
brief synopsis of his career, the following has
been compiled:

He is a native of Wurtemberg, German j', his
birth having occurred August 30, 1844. His
father, Jacob P. Ebinger, was born in the same
house as was our subject, and throughout his
busy and useful life he was actively engaged in
farming and stock-raising. He died on the old
homestead in Germany when in the sixty -fourth
year of his age, loved and mourned by the entire
community. His wife, the mother of our subject,
was Miss Martha Elwanger in her girlhood. She,
too, was a native of the same locality as was her
husband, and her death took place in her old
home when she was forty-two years old. She
was the mother of thirteen children, all but three
of whom survive.

Lewis Ebinger was a child of seven years when
he was deprived of his mother's loving care, and
when he was fifteen became to the United States,
as he had an elder sister living in Philadelphia.
Leaving Bremen, April 10, i860, on the good
ship Elizabeth, he arrived in the Quaker city at
the end of a voyage of forty-two days. After
spending three years in the home of his sister he
was the master of the baker's trade, to which
business he had been devoting his chief attention
in the meantime.

Though so recent a citizen of his adopted
country, Mr. Ebinger early espoused the Union
cause, and at the age of nineteen, in October,
1863, he offered his services and enlisted in Com-
pany F, Seventy -third Pennsylvania Infantry.
He continued in the ranks until the close of the
war, faithfully performing his duties, and receiv-
ing an honorable discharge when he was no lon-
ger needed.

Returning to Philadelphia, Mr. Ebinger re-
sumed work at his trade, but at the expiration of
six months he started to California by way of the
Isthmus of Panama, the trip from the Quaker
city to San Francisco taking only twenty-two
days.

Arriving at his destination near the close ot
April, 1866, he remained in that vicinity until
October, 1868, when he came to Los Angeles.
His first employment here was in a brick-yard,
for he was no idler, and when he could not find
his accustomed work todohe took the next thing

presenting itself. Here he assisted in making
the brick used for the construction of the old
Pico House. Later he went to Watsonville,
where he stayed until 1871, after which he served
for two years as a fireman in this city, under ap-
pointment of Mayor Rowan. In 1875 he em-
barked in the bakery business on Spring street,
and at the end of twelve years he removed to his
present location on the corner of Spring and
Third streets. Here he is now conducting an ex-
tensive and lucrative business as a caterer to the
leading families of the city and to a fine class of
tourists and transients. By the exercise of cor-
rect principles, and by his uniform courtesy and
evident desire to please his customers, he has won
the esteem and confidence of the public, and has
made a comfortable fortune.

The Grand Army of the Republic has no more
loyal admirer than Mr. Ebinger, who was one of
the nineteen charter members of Bartlett Post, of
this city. He also belongs to the Ancient Order of
United Workmen, the Red Men, the Bakers' As-
sociation, several German societies, and formerly
was active in the Odd Fellows' Society. Politic-
ally he has been a Republican, and cast his first
presidential vote for General Grant.

The marriage of Mr. Ebinger and Miss Mina
Boshard took place December 2, 1875, and six of
their eight children survive, namely: Mina,
Oscar, Arnold, Lewis, Estella and Irvin. The
family reside in a pleasant home, and the children
are being given excellent educational training
for the active duties of life.

O. MONROE. One of the progressive citi-
zens of Monrovia is C. O. Monroe, who
was a pioneer here, and even prior to the
laying out of the town was a firm believer in the
future of the place, which existed chiefly in his
imagination. He was a prophet, indeed, and it
may truthfully be said of him, that he "is not
without honor in his own country," and is known
far beyond the limits of his home town, and,
wherever known, is highly esteemed.

Bearing the surname of one of the noblest fam-
ilies in the United States, our subject comes from
the same stock whence sprang President James
Monroe. His father, Sanders Alexander Mon-
roe, was born in \'irginia August 9, 1814, and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

721

the mother, Catherine, was also a native of the
Old Dominion, her birth taking place Jul}' 6,
1815. This couple removed to Kentucky , and later
to Scott count}', Ind., and to Iowa. Their six
children were: William N., C. O., F. M.,E. Lea,
Mattie and George W.

C. O. Monroe was born November 13, 1848,
in Scott county, Ind. He received a good com-
mon school education and pursued his higher
studies in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He then embarked
in railroading, which line of business he followed
in various capacities for some years. He became
well known as a contractor, and, in connection
with his brother, was engaged in the construc-
tion of numerous railroads throughout the south-
west, especially in Mexico and California. Thus
becoming familiar with the resources of the Pa-
cific coast, he concluded to cast in his lot with its
rapidly increasing population.

It was in 1885 that Mr. Monroe permanently
located in Monrovia, which place he assisted in lay-
ing out, planting shade and ornamental trees, and
taking the initiative in many important matters,
such as that of the construction of the first water
system and reservoir. He also was actively asso-
ciated with the building of the San Gabriel Val-
ley Rapid Transit Railroad, which played an
important part in the early days of the history of
this section, by competing with the Southern
Pacific, which ultimately obtained possession of
it. Mr. Monroe was the superintendent of the
line at the time of its completion and equipment.
Having thus intimately identified himself with
the best interests of Monrovia, he was elected a
member of the city council, where he remained
for nine years, being re-elected time after time.
He used his influence in all kinds of improve-
ments, the development of the water system,
bettering of the streets, the establishment of the
numerous beneficial local laws, temperance and
other high standards of city government, which
have accrued to the welfare of the place, making
it a veritable paradise for families. In national
affairs he is an ardent Republican, and frater-
nally he is a Mason and Odd Fellow.

As he deserves, Mr. Monroe has been pros-
pered in his personal interests. His beautiful
home is situated in the midst of a large and thrifty
orange orchard, and here are grown the fine
"Gem of the Foot-hills" brand of oranges, which

are shipped and used extensively in the east and
northern states. He possesses ability as an agri-
culturist, and everything about his ranch be-
speaks the careful attention which he bestows
upon it.

The marriage of Mr. Monroe and Miss Sarah
Elizabeth Rodgers was solemnized February 21,
1872. At an early age death had deprived her
of both parents and she was reared in the home
of Robert Metcalf. Three daughters were born
to our subject and wife in Iowa, namely: Birdie
M., January 10, 1873; Minnie Lea, July 10, 1875;
and Edna C, January 31, 1878. Ethel O. was
born in Monrovia, January 4, 1889. Minnie L.
is the wife of Rev. A. P. Brown, pastor of the
Baptist Church of Monrovia, one of the largest
numerically in Southern California. The young
pastor is extremely earnest, energetic and heart-
felt in his noble work, and during the eight years
of his association with this congregation its mem-
bership has been greatly increased, two hundred
having been added to the church rolls inside 01
six years. In his work here he has found an
active assistant in his wife, whose pleasant, win-
ning ways and earnestness in advancing the
cause of Christianity have won the love of the
people of this locality. Mr. Brown is a son of
William K. and Frances (Polk) Brown, formerly
of Greenwood, Ind., and is a direct descendant of
one ofthe prominent old southern families, whence
sprang President J. K. Polk; Col. Thomas Polk,
who wrote and read the first Declaration of Inde-
pendence at Mecklenberg, N. C, May 20, 1775;
and Capt. Charles Polk, who removed from the
old estates ofthe family in Virginia to Kentucky
in 1779, and was noted -there as an Indian fighter
and pioneer. The Polks originally came from
Ireland to America about 1660, and received
large grants of land from Lord Baltimore. Rev.
A. P. Brown was born in Indiana in 1866, and
when he was about a year old his father died, his
death undoubtedly being due to the long years of
hardship and exposure which he had borne as a
soldier in the Union army during the Civil war.
Even in his high school days young Brown
evinced unusual scholarly ability, and in 1886 he
was graduated at the head of his class in the
college at Franklin, Ind. He studied medicine
in Indianapolis and Louisville, and attended the
Rochester (N. Y.) Theological Stminarv for a

722

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

period, and in 1890 was graduated with honors
ill the divinity school of the University of South-
ern CaUforuia. In the meantime he supplied pul-
pits of churches in El Monte and Rivera, Cal.,
and after his ordination, in 1890, became pastor of
the Palms Baptist Church, where he succeeded in
more than doubling the membership and in spur-
ring on his people to the building of a pretty
house of worship, which was dedicated free of
debt.

From his youth Mr. Monroe has been identi-
fied with the Baptist Church, and his family also
is actively connected with this denomination. He
has served as a trustee, and in other ways has
forwarded religious work. Fraternally he is
connected with the Odd Fellows and Masons,
and is a faithful exponent of the principles of
these great and noble orders.

^RED E. TWOMBLY, a trustee of Pasadena
rg and one of the well-known business men of
I ^ the city, was born in Vermont June 16,
1864, being a son of Aaron Twombly, for many
years a dry-goods merchant and haberdasher of
Lyndonville, Vt., but now a resident of Pasade-
na. His mother, Mary A. Twombly, is deceased.
In the fall of 1S75, when he was about eleven
years of age, he accompanied his parents to Lyu-
donville, and that place continued to be his home
for a considerable period of years. While there
he was a student in the Lyndon Institute. Later
he graduated from A. B. Meservy's business col-
lege at New Hampton, N. H. After completing
his commercial course he clerked in his father's
store. It was there that he gained his thorough
knowledge of all the details connected with a
mercantile business. The experience thus ac-
quired has proved invaluable to him since.

In the fall of 1886 Mr. Twombly came to Pasa-
dena. He was a young man, energetic, capable
and persevering. With a desire to familiarize
himself with commerce in the west he sought em-
ployment as a clerk. For one year he was con-
nected with the dry-goods house of Cruickshank
& Co., of Pasadena. At the expiration of that
time he became a member of the firm of Randall
& Twombly and inaugurated the business with
which he has since been identified. The firm
continued in existence until January 1, 1896,

when Mr. Randall died and Mr. Twombly be-
canie the sole proprietor. He carries in stock a
full line of hats and haberdashery, and has built
up an excellent patronage in the same. He is
recognized as one of the enterprising business
men of Pasadena and enjoys the confidence of
the business men here, as well as the general
public.

By his marriage to Miss Laura Johnson, of
North Hatley, province of Quebec, Mr. Twom-
bly has three children, Ralph F. , Beruice Ida and
Everett E. In politics he is a Republican. He
takes an interest in municipal- affairs, and in
April, 1900, was elected a city trustee for two
years. Since coming to Pasadena he has become
identified with the Knights of Pythias and the
Masonic order.

p GjlLLI AM ANDREW SPALDING was born
\ A/ in Ann Arbor, Mich., October 3, 1852.
V V When a lad of thirteen years he accompa-
nied his parents on their removal to Kansas City,
Mo., and there continued to make his home until
the year 1874, when he became identified with
the citizens of Los Angeles.

Ephraim Hall Spalding, the father of WilHam
A., was born in Greene, Monroe county, N. Y.,
April 18, 18 1 6. When a youth of seventeen
years he made his way west, locating for a time
at Ypsilanti, Mich., whence he later removed to
Ann Arbor. He departed this life in Los Ange-
les in April, 1888. The lady whom he married,
October 13, 1834, bore the maiden name of Jane
McCormick. She died in July, 1895.

William A. Spalding and Miss Mary E. Den-
nison were united in marriage at St. Louis, Mo.,
October 10, 1875. Their union has resulted in
the birth of eight children, two of whom are
deceased. Those living are Jane McCormick,
William Dennison, Helen Godfrey, Volney Ayers,
Thomas Richard and Mary Louise.

Since coming to Los Angeles Mr. Spalding has
created for himself so numerous a body of per-
sonal friends that it is not likely that his name
or influence will soon pass out of the community
in which he has for so long been recognized as a
directing spirit. He has followed journalism most
of the time since taking up his residence here,
recently filling the position of president and gen-
eral managerof the Herald Publishing Company.

^j^. /^cc^^-<^^U^^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

7^5

He has held several public positions, having
served for four years as state commissioner of
building and loan associations, and at this writ-
ing is president of the Los Angeles board of free-
holders. In politics he is a true representative of
the Democratic party, and while maintaining his
principles with all the vigor and eloquence neces-
sary to present them to the public notice, he is
sufficiently just to fairly investigate opposing
views and opinions. Sociallj' he is a member of
the Jonathan and Sunset Clubs, ex-president of
the University Club and ex-president of the
Academy of Sciences.

I INDLEY M. BALDWIN. Upon his arrival
It in California in 1887, Mr. Baldwin found a
LJ waving field of barley upon the ground
where is now situated the town of Whittier.
With the contagious enthusiasm of one who
seeks a land of greater possibility than he has
5'et known, and filled with the desire to be
among the stanchest and most progressive of her
sons, the closest of her adherents, he applied
himself to her development with a faithfulness
that has never wavered during all the subsequent
years. With the assistance of the few other
pioneers, also in search of brighter conditions,
they surveyed and laid out the town, and in-
stituted such measures of improvement as were
consistent with their somewhat limited means.
With the increase of population there were al-
most immediate gratifying results, until to-day
Whittier and vicinity raises a proud head as one
of the garden spots in a land of gardens.

Lindley M. Baldwin was born in Morgan
county, Ind., March 17, 1853. His parents,
Caleb and Matilda (Lindley) Baldwin, were na-
tives of North Carolina, and very early settlers
in Morgan county, where they lived until their
son Lindley was in his sixteenth year. They
then took up their residence in Hardin county,
Iowa, where the boy grew to man's estate. He
was early trained to an appreciation of the
dignity of an agricultural life, and was given op-
portunities for acquiring an education above the
average farmer's son. After studying at the
public schools he received an academic education
at the New Providence Academ}', at New Provi-
dence, Iowa, and later engaged in agriculture

and stock-raising for a number of years in his
own township. While living in Hardin county,
Iowa, he became prominently identified with the
various interests of the communitj-, and served
as justice of the peace for several years. In 1887
he came out of the east and settled in the ex-
treme west, where he has since impressed his
strong personality and earnest efforts upon the
appreciative comminiity of Whittier.

Mr. Baldwin's varied interests in the place of
his adoption include his position as president and
organizer of the Home Oil Company, on whose
board of directors he previously served for two
years. In politics he is a Republican, but en-
tertains liberal views in local affairs, and usually
votes for the man he thinks best qualified to fill
the position. In 1888 he was elected justice of
the peace, and still holds the office, as well as
that of postmaster, to which he was appointed in
1899. He is an active member of the Friends
Church, and liberally assists in the conducting
of its charities.

Mr. Baldwin married Sarah Reece, of Hardin
county, Iowa, and of this union there is one son,
Clyde F. Baldwin.

r"DWARD S. FIELD. About three score
ry years ago this prominent and highly-hon-
Ll. ored citizen of Los Angeles was born in the
village of Leverett, Mass. His venerable father,
De Estaing S. Field, was born in the same place
August 24, 1S13, and died at the residence of his
son at Los Angeles March 7, 1900. He was an
agriculturist in his early life, but later devoted
his energy to merchandising. The mother of our
subject, Mrs. Editha (Crocker) Field, died about
twelve years ago at Monson, Mass. They were
the parents of several daughters, but one by one
they passed to the silent land, and E. S. Field is
now the only survivor of the family. Mrs. Field
was a native of the stanch old Bay state, and her
father was a man of distinction and influence.
Alpheus Field, father of De Estaing S. Field, was
for years president of a bank, and at the time of
his death, when fifty-five years of age, was am-
bitiously carrying forward numerous financial
plans of importance in the community in which
he dwelt, as well as to himself

E. S. Field received a fair education for his day

726

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in the schools and academy at Amherst, Mass. ,
but at the age of eighteen started out to make
his own way in the world. Desiring to master
the book and stationery business, he entered upon
a five years' apprenticeship, the first year receiv-
ing $50 and the second year $75 for his services,
but had to board himself. A portion of this five
years he was at Amherst and Springfield, Mass.,
and the rest of the time was in Troy, N. Y.

Perseverance and industry rarely fail of success,
and so it was in the case of Mr. Field, who brave-
ly bore the hardships and privations which fell to
his share. The year prior to that which witnessed
the close of the Civil war he went to Indianapolis,
where he established himself in the book and
paper business, and by diligent and judicious
methods won the confidence of the public and a
remunerative patronage. In the spring of 1883
he came to Los Angeles, where he at once em-
barked in the real estate business, and gave his
earnest attention solely to that line for eleven
and a half years, meeting with financial success.

That Mr. Field is popular and considered capa-
ble of properly attending to the interests of the
people has been unmistakably shown during the
past few years. In the fall of 1894 he was
elected on the Republican ticket as one of the
county supervisors, and at the expiration of his
term of office, four years later, he was re-elected.
He was the only Republican supervisor at that
time who was ever renominated and re-elected
after filling one term, and his success is the more
remarkable owing to the fact that another candi-
date for nomination on his ticket refused to retire
into "innocuous desuetude" and ran on a so-
called "independent" ticket, being defeated, nev-
ertheless, by a large majority. Mr. Field cast his
first presidential ballot for Lincoln, and has since
stalwartly stood by the Republican party.

All kinds of worthy enterprises find a true
friend and sympathizer in this progressive citi-
zen. One of the founders of Occidental College
of Los Angeles, he served as one of its trus-
tees and president for several years, the insti-
tution now being well known among the educa-
tional factors of the Pacific coast. His labors in
behalf of the Young Men's Christian Association
redound greatly to his credit.

Formerly, in Indianapolis, he held the office ot
president of the same for a period, and since com-

ing west he has been one of the directors of the local
branch and member of the state executive commit-
tee. During some four years he was chairman of
the board having the affairs of Los Angeles coun-
ty hospital in charge, and numerous other useful
modern organizations here and elswhere have re-
ceived his substantial support. Fraternally he
belongs to the Royal Arcanum. Since his early
manhood he has been identified with the Presby-
terian Church. For years he was an elder in the
Second Church of Indianapolis, with which he
held membership, and here for a number of years
officiated in the same capacity in the First Pres-
byterian Church.

The beautiful home of Mr. Field near the
corner of Coronado and Seventh streets, is situ-
ated in one of the finest residence sections of Los
Angeles.

The marriage of Mr. Field and Miss Sarah M.
Hubbard took place in Indianapolis June 6,1866.
Her father, William S. Hubbard, who for many
3'ears was numbered among the energetic and
successful business men in that city, has made his
abode there for more than sixty years, and is still
living, highlj- honored by all who know him.
To Mr. and Mrs. Field were born three sous and
four daughters, two of the sons dying in infancy.
Those living have received excellent educational
advantages. E. S. Field, Jr., is now serving as
deputy surveyor of Los Angeles county. The
oldest daughter, Helen, is the wife of Murray M.
Harris, a prominent pipe-organ manufacturer of
this cit}'. She and her next j-ounger sister, Edith
H. , are graduates of the normal school here. The
other daughters are Carrie L., who is a student in
Occidental College, and Florence, who gradu-
ated in the class of '99 from the city high school.

pGJiLLIAM FRANKLIN .SNODGRASS, a
\ A / prominent horticulturist of the San Gabriel
YV valley, is a native of Des Moines, Iowa,
where he was born January 13, 1862. He is a
son of Nelson and Elizabeth (McDivitt) Snod-
grass, also re.sidents of the San Gabriel valley.
Nelson B. Snodgrass, one of the pioneer set-
tlers of Southern California, was born in Hamil-
ton county, Ind., March 12, 1834. His parents
were Charles and Elizabeth Snodgrass, of Virginia
and Tennessee respectively. Charles Snodgrass

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

727

was a soldier in the war of 18 12, and represented
his countrj' with courage and valor. While the
boy Nelson was very young he moved with his
parents from Indiana to McDonough county, 111.,
where they resided for about seven years, thence
going in 1847 to Polk county, Iowa, where they
cast their lot with the early dwellers of that un-
cultivated region, becoming in time successful
agriculturists. As may be imagined, their oppor-
tunities were confined to a limited radius, partic-
ularly in the matter of education, and the chil-
dren of pioneers were, indeed, fortunate in secur-
ing a few months of winter schooling each year.
Nelson Snodgrass, nevertheless, became a force in
the community, and held most of the political
offices within the gift of the people. In 1877 he
and his family moved to Walla Walla, Wash.,
where the}' continued their horticultural and ag-
ricultural pursuits until, in 1885, they migrated
to the San Gabriel valley in California. Mr.
Snodgrass owns twenty-four acres of land, mostly
under oranges, which was originally in an ex-
tremely wild and uncultivated state.

Mr. Snodgrass married Elizabeth A. McDivitt,
of La Grange county, Ind., and they have three
children living; William F.; Ettie M. , now Mrs.
Madden; and Horace W. Mr. Snodgrass' politi-
cal sympathies are with the Republican party.
In the estimation of those who are privileged to
know him, he is an estimable gentleman, and a
broad-minded, public-spirited citizen.

William Franklin Snodgrass spent his boyhood
in his native city of Des Moines, Iowa, and en-
joyed opportunities for education quite remote
from those to which his father had access. After
finishing his course in the public schools he had
two years of training in what is now the Whit-
comb College, of Walla Walla, Wash., whither
the family had in the meantime removed. He
subsequently engaged in the cigar, tobacco and
confectionery business for two and a half years,
after which, in 1886, he took up his residence in
the San Gabriel valley. His ranch of twelve and
one half acres is situated one and a half miles
west of Covina, and is principally under orange
cultivation. He is unusually successful in his
chosen line of work.

Mr. Snodgrass married Cora M. Newcomb, of
Walla Walla, Wash., and of this union there are
five children: Mabel V., Ida B., Myrtle A., Har-

ry H. and Retta M. While variously interested
in the affairs of the community in which he lives,
Mr. Snodgrass has no particular political aspira-
tions. His sympathies are, however, with the
Republican party. Fraternally he is associated
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Rebekahs and the Encampment of Covina.

(TOHN SCOTT. Notwithstanding the varied
I enterprises and industries that from time to
G/ time have diverted the attention of the peo-
ple, the growing of citrus fruits still remains the
principal industry of this section of California.
Among the men who took up tracts of wild, un-
cultivated land and transformed them into fine
orange groves, may be mentioned Mr. Scott of
Duarte. His success has been more than ordi-
nary, a fact due to his thorough knowledge of
horticulture in all its branches and also to his
industrious application and wise judgment in the
managements of his interests.

A son of Archibald and Mary (Nelson) Scott,
natives of Scotland, the subject of this article was
born in Lancashire, England, in 1845. As he
grew to manhood on a farm, he easily gained
familiarity with every department of agriculture,
and this proved very helpful to him in subsequent
years. In 1877 he crossed the ocean to Canada
and settled in Ontario. From there he came to
California in 1882 and after visiting various lo-
calities with a view to settling, he established his
home at Duarte. He purchased, just east of the
town, ninety acres comprising twenty-five acres
of hill land that extended to the San Gabriel
river. Almost all of the land was in a wild state.
Little attempt had been made to bring it under
improvement. At once he began to clear the
ground, after which he built the necessary build-
ings. His residence occupies a fine location
among the foot-hills, affording a magnificent view
of the San Gabriel valley, stretching away for
miles to the hills of Puente.

Of his land, Mr. Scott has more than thirty
acres devoted to various fruits, ten acres being in
Washington Navel, ten acres in Valentia late
and three acres in Blood oranges. The Wash-
ington Navel he has found to be the finest orange
grown in California. In addition to his oranges
he has engaged in raising olives, and has an or-

728

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

chard of apricots, figs, peaches, prunes, also
twenty acres in apples. He has always been in-
terested in any enterprise for the development of
the resources of the land in this locality. For
years he served as water commissioner of his dis-
trict and also as president of the Duarte Mutual
Irrigation and Canal Company, in both of which
positions he rendered able service to the people of
his communit3% assisting in the solving of the
water problem, always one of the most difficult
to the people in localities that depend upon irri-
gation. He was horticultural commissioner for
Los Angeles county for almost six years; he is
interested in politics and is a stanch Republican,
In 1876 Mr. Scott married Miss Sarah Fisher,
a native of England and a daughter of Henrj- and
Elizabeth (Sumner) Fisher. Four children
were born of the marriage, namely: Elizabeth
Mary, Margaret Crawford, Archibald and Alice
Marion. The family are Episcopalians in relig-
ious belief.

(Tames D. DURFEE. About three miles
I south of El Monte, on the Temple road, may
(2/ be seen a fine farm, the pride of its owner,
James D. Durfee. When he purchased the prop-
erty, in i860, its one hundred and twenty-five
acres were wild and uncultivated land, and it
gave little indication of its present beauty and
prosperous condition. However, by a close ap-
plication of the knowledge of California ranching
which five previous years had given him, he has
made his propertj- one of the finest homesteads
in the San Gabriel valley. The land being for
the most part moist, irrigation is unnecessarj-,
and the fertile soil shows its wonderful produc-
tiveness in the fine fruits and farm products now
grown. On the farm is one of the finest herds
of Jersey cattle in the state, and the dairy prod-
ucts are given high rank by commission mer-
chants. For thirty years Mr. Durfee has en-
gaged in the dairy business, and at one time he
had a herd of one hundred and twenty-five cows.
Since his introduction of the famous Richmond
.strain in his fast horses his ranch has become
noted for the excellence of its equine stock, and
as a trainer he has few equals. As a ranchman
he early learned the sure results of mixed farm-
ing; his fruits, nuts, grains, hay and dairy have
yielded him a sure income. Thirty acres are

under walnuts, and some of the trees, planted in
1864, are marvels of growth and productiveness,
not a few measuring over nine feet in the girth.
Besides the sale of walnuts, he also sells alfalfa
and other farm products in large quantities. He
has proved beyond a question the value of variety
in products. "Always something to sell" ex-
plains the success of his method of farming.

Mr. Durfee was born in Adams county. 111.,
October 8, 1840, and, on the paternal side, is of
Scotch-Irish extraction. His parents, James and
Cynthia (Soules) Durfee, were natives respec-
tively of New York and Rhode Island. His
father, who was a soldier in the war of 181 2,
afterward settled on the Western Reserve in Ohio,
thence moved to Missouri and finally settled in
Adams county. 111., where he died in 1S44. His
wife died about two years later. Of their large
family James D., Jr., was one of the youngest.
He was cared for by the older members of the
family. At the age of fifteen, with his brother
George, he started from Carroll county. 111., via
Omaha, Neb., for the west, being one of a partj^
of emigrants that traveled with sixty-five wagons.
He drove four yoke of oxen through, via Salt
Lake City and the southern routCj to California,
arriving at San Bernardino (then a Mormon set-
tlement) one year after leaving Illinois. For a
year he made his home with his brother, then
went to Sacramento, and after a time settled in
El Monte, where he rented land for a year and
then invested his savings in his present property.
His long residence in this county entitles him to
membership in the Society of Pioneers, with
which he is actively connected. He assisted in
organizing the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut
Growers' Association, and for three years before
its incorporation served as president of its board
of trustees.

During the years of his residence at El Monte
Mr. Durfee's manly qualities have won for him a
host of friends. He is a firm believer in correct
education, in moral and mental development, in
industry and energy, and in all the essential
characteristics which combine to form the true
and upright man. Politically a Republican, he has
frequently represented his party in conventions.
For years he has served as trustee of his school
district, which he helped to organize. In 1887-
88 he was assistant assessor of his township.

CZT^i^/^^^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,

731

In 1858 Mr. Durfee married Miss Diantha
Cleminson, by whom he has two children: Eva
I., who married Albert Slack Januar}' 12, 1890,
and has two sons, Howard Albert Slack, born
April 9, 1891, and Perry Durfee Slack, born Au-
gust 6, 1895. James Roswell Durfee married
Stella Cain in September, 1S94, and they have
two children: Diantha Ruth, born July 12, 1895,
and Miles Roswell, born January 25, 1898, all of
El Monte.

Mrs. James D. Durfee's father, John Clemin-
son, came from England in the year 181 2, a
young man, and in Missouri married Miss Lydia
Lightner, who was born in Lancaster county,
Pa., July II, 1800, and died in El Monte August
II, 1873. John Cleminson died at the same place
November 28, 1879.

GlURELIUS WINFIELD HUTTON. In
LJ Abbeville district. South Carolina, April 8,
/ I 1805, was born Aquila D. Hutton, and in
Edgefield district of the same state, in 1812, was
born Elizabeth H. Tutt, the parents of A. W.
Hutton, who was born near Hopewell, Greene
county, Ala., July 23, 1847. His parents both
died near this place, the father's age forty- seven
and the mother's age forty two. Aquila D. Hut-
ton followed farming and the practice of medi-
cine. Six boys and two girls came to this union.
Three died before their father, leaving one
daughter and four sons as survivors. Our sub-
ject's paternal grandparents were Gen. Joseph
and Nancy (Calhoun) Hutton, the latter a cousin
of John C. Calhoun. General Hutton was born
in South Carolina in 1769. Elizabeth Tutt, the
maternal grandmother of our subject, settled in
Arkansas about the year 1859, and there died at
the home of one of her children. Referring to
his sister, who had much to do with rearing
them, Judge Hutton says: "In 1853 my sister
married David H. Williams, M. D. On the
death of my mother, or just prior (I am uncertain
as to exact time) , Dr. Williams became guardian
of myself and brothers, and after the death of my
mother we lived with his faniiljr, my sister prov-
ing from that time to the present, not only a
sister, but a mother. To her and her husband,
both of whom still live at Gainesville, Ala., a
large part of the credit for the good is due."

Judge Hutton was married February 24, 1874,
to Kate Irene Travis, who was born in Gaines-
ville, Ala., May 3, 1851, a daughter of Amos and
Eliza (Coleman) Travis. Her father was a na-
tive of North Carolina, and was born about 1805,
and her mother was born about 1820. They
came to Los Angeles in 1869, where they resided
until 1885, when they returned to Alabama.
There they died, he on the 2d of August, 1886,
and she April 26, 1896. There have been born
to Judge Hutton and wife three sons and seven
daughters. Three daughters and one son are
dead.

B}' inheritance from his parents our subject
acquired property suflScient to have given him a
liberal education, but all of it then on hand was
swept away as one of the results of the war of
1861-65. Up to the age of ten he was reared on
the old home place in Alabama, when the lands
were sold, and the family moved to Gainesville,
the same state, eight miles from his father's old
homestead. At the age of seven he entered
school, which like all of his schools, previous to
entering college, was the old common or field
schools, the parent or guardian paying the tui-
tion. He spent his vacations and holidays hunt-
ing and fishing. At the age of sixteen he
enrolled as a student in a military school, the Uni-
versity of Alabama, at Tuscaloosa. As a cadet
he rendered service at various points in be-
half of the Confederacy. He remained a member
of the corps of Alabama cadets, being a private
in Company B, until April, 1865, when the uni-
versity was burned bj' Federal cavalrj' under
General Croxton. The cadets then marched to
Marion, Ala., where they were apprised of Gen-
eral Lee's surrender. There they were disbanded
and sent home, he reaching there with gun, ac-
coutrements, knapsack and overcoat. He found
Confederate bonds depreciated in value, the
negroes freed and himself without property.

About January, 1866, he entered the law office
of Bliss & Snedecor, at Gainesville, his brother-
in-law advancing and paying $100 per annum to
Mr. Bliss for special instruction, which he was
faithfully given twice each week. Mr. Bliss was
an elderly man, a native of New Hampshire, a
lawyer of eminence and ability. He settled in
Alabama in the "flush times," back in the '30s.
He had been the senior partner of Joseph G.

732

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Baldwin, the author of the book "The Flush
Times of Alabama and Mississippi," so well
known to many lawyers. Mr. Baldwin subse-
quently became a citizen of California, and at-
tained to the chief justiceship of the state. Re-
maining with Bliss & Snedecor about one year
and ahalf, Judge Hutton desired to enter the
law department of the University of Virginia.
His preceptors then offered to procure his admis-
sion to the bar if he would remain with them,
guaranteeing him $500 the first year, but the
young student desired to avail himself of the
benefits that come through training in a., good
in.stitution, and matriculated in the university in
the autumn of 1867. The regular course was
two years, but he undertook both the junior and
senior courses, and by hard application was, in
June, 1868, a few weeks before his legal maturity,
graduated a B. L. along with about thirty others
of a senior cla.ss of seventy five or eighty. Some
of the third year students failed in this gradua-
tion, for the well-known high standing of this
institution could send forth none who were de-
ficient in thoroughness.

On his return home he determined to locate in
the then little known state of California. As
Mr. Travis' family were turning in the same
direction, he accompanied them, sailing from
New York, January 23, 1869, and arriving via
the Isthmus, in San Francisco, February 15,
1869. There he remained until April of that
year, and then came to Los Angeles, where he
has resided ever since. Immediately upon his
arrival he entered the office of Glassell & Chap-
man, working for his board and lodging. At
the end of the first month they voluntarily paid
him $50.00, commencing at the beginning of his
service, saying his services were worth more than
mere board and lodging. This Mr. Hutton has
ever appreciated. He remained with the firm
but a short time, and then began practicing law,
and while the way up was by no means shorn of
difficulties, heyet managed to exist. In 1871 he
became a member of Golden Rule Lodge No.
160, I. O. O. F., and is still a member. He was
one of the original stockholders in the San
Gabriel Orange Grove Association, the corpora-
tion which purchased and laid out the lands
upon which Pasadena was originally founded.
He acted as attorney for the company. In De-

cember, 1S72, he was elected, by more than five
times the votes of his opponent, city attorney
of Los Angeles. In December, 1874, he was re-
elected, being the first person chosen twice in
succession. At this election he was the only
candidate voted for on the general city ticket who
was elected, and yet he had more votes than his
two opponents combined. There were no political
city conventions or tickets in those days. As
city attorney he drafted the first special charter,
(that of 1874) for Los Angeles. The city had
been incorporated under a general law, and vari-
ous special acts had been passed by the legislature
down to that period. In 1876 the charter was
revised by him and the city council. There have
been two other citj' charters since then, but in
both may be found many of the wise provisions
laid down in that of 1874. He has recently been
elected by the people one of a board of fifteen
freeholders to prepare and submit to the electors
of the city a new city charter under the pro-
visions of the constitution of the state. At this
writing the work is yet to be completed. As
city attorney he assisted in drafting the ordin-
ance granting the first franchise for a street rail-
way, and conducted the legal proceedings for the
condemnation of lands donated by the city to the
Southern Pacific Railway Company, in pursuance
of the vote of the people for rights of way into
the city. Prior to his incumbency, so far as can
be learned, there had never been used in the
ma3'or's or municipal court any complaints, war-
rants or commitments. After .some efforts he suc-
ceeded in convincing the proper officials that the
law required such formalities.

In February, 1887, the number of superior
judges of the county was increased from two to
four, and a full meeting of the bar was held to
select two attorneys for recommendation to the
governor. There were six applicants. On the
fir.st ballot, two being voted for at once, Mr.
Hutton received a four-fifths vote. Governor
Bartlett appointed him to one of the positions.
On the distribution of the business of the courts,
recommended by a committee of prominent at-
torneys, assisted by the late Judge Brunson, who
had resigned as superior judge, there were as-
signed to Judge Hutton's department, three-
fourths of all the common law and equity cases
tried without juries, and nearly all the law and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

733

motion calendar. He presided for some of the
other judges and tried a few cases with juries,
but never in his own department did he have a
jury. He gave general satisfaction, as was
evidenced by the support given him in the elec-
tion of 1888. In the celebrated issue between
the Southern Pacific Railway Company and one
Coble, with reference to the overlapping land
grants, Judge Hutton, in a case involving one
hundred and sixty acres found for the defendant,
thus declaring the land grants forfeited, and
opening them to settlement. This was the first
decision by any court of this important question.
Subsequent cases involving the same question
were instituted in the United States circuit
court, and Judges Ross and Sawyer decided them
in favor of the railroad company and against the
government and the settlers. An appeal to the
United States supreme court was next had, and
this court reversed the rulings of Judges Ross and
Sawyer (See 146. U. S. R. p. 570-615) and
laid down the law as Judge Hutton had done in
the Coble case.

In 1 888 he was one of the nominees of the
Democratic party for superior judge, and because
of his strict rulings affecting the admission of
foreigners to citizenship he was endorsed by the
American party. At the election in November,
the election being a presidential one, the county
was carried by the Republicans, Harrison beat-
ing Cleveland by nearly four thousand votes.
Not a single Democrat voted for throughout the
county was chosen. In August, 1S89, there
being a temporary vacancy in the office of United
States district attorney for the southern district
of California, Judge Hutton, without his solicita-
tion, was appointed to fill the vacancy by Justice
Field. He continued in the office six months
of President Harrison's term.

In January, 1891, the revolution of Chili broke
out, and one Trumbull came to the United
States and purchased a cargo of ammunition and
arms for the insurgents. These were put on board
a vessel in San Francisco and carried to a point
near the Island of San Clemente, and placed on
board the Itata, a vessel of the insurgents, which
immediately proceeded to Chili. The United
States cruiser Charleston was sent after her, and
brought her back with the cargo. Prosecution
was instituted against Trumbull and the vessel

and cargo for violation of the neutrality laws.
Judge Hutton was employed in these cases as
special counsel in behalf of the United States.

More recently Judge Hutton has been the local
solicitor for the United States Trust Company of
New York, the trustee for the holders of the fir.st
mortgage bonds of the western division of the
Atlantic & Pacific Railroad Company in the sev-
eral foreclosure suits in the United States circuit
courts of Northern and Southern California. The
amount of the bonds thus involved was over
$16,000,000. The property was sold and merged
into the Santa Fe S}'stem.

At one time Judge Hutton was associated with
Hon. Olin Welborn, the present United States
district judge, in law practice. He is still en-
gaged in professional work and has his office in
the Temple block, in which building he has had
his office for more than thirty years. He is a
member of the Chamber of Commerce and Camp
770, United Confederate Veterans.

Of his children Judge Hutton says: "Our
eldest child, Kate, though better known as Blos-
som, was married in 1896 to Mr. Raphael W.
Kinsey, then and now of the California Bank.
She died leaving an infant son, April 11, 1897.
Our second child, Aurelius W. H., Jr., died at
the age of nineteen years, April 13, 1895. He
gave the strongest evidence of making for him-
self an honorable name in the broad field of
electrical discoveries and inventions and their
application. Our seventh child, Irene, died
May 22, 1895, aged eight years. Our tenth, a
little daughter, was never named. Our living
children are: Mignonette; William Bryan, named
for one of my brothers, who as lieutenant in
Company A, Fifth Alabama Battalion, was killed
at the battle of Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863;
Helen; Elizabeth; Travis Calhoun; and Eugenia
F., the last being named for my sister."

(tjAMUEL BRADFORD CASWELL. This
?\ Californiapioneer of 1855 was born inTaun-
\Z/ ton, Mass., January 3, 1828. His ancestors
were of English extraction and were among the
earliest settlers of Taunton, having settled there
in 1630, about ten years after the landing of the
Pilgrims at Plymouth. His maternal ancestors
were Leonards. He lived at Taunton until about

734

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

seventeen years of age and then removed to Fall
River, the same state, but soon thereafter settled
in Wareham, where in 1849 he married Miss
Mary B. Gibbs. From 1852 to 1855 he engaged
successfully in merchandising at Wareham. The
year 1855 found him going, via the Isthmus of
Panama, to California. From San Francisco he
journeyed to the gold mines of Nevada county.
He was among the pioneers of the Yuba river
district and one of the originators of the system
of hydraulic mining, which worked such a revolu-
tion in mining in those days. In 1864 he re-
turned to Massachusetts, where he made an ex-
tended visit. June of the following year found
him in Los Angeles, where he formed a business
partnership with John F. Ellis. They carried on
an extensive and profitable business in merchan-
dising at the corner of Arcadia and Los Angeles
streets up to 1875.

From 1875 to 1878 Mr. Caswell was a clerk of
the city council. He served for one term as
councilman and also as a member of the county
board of supervisors. In 1879 he was made audi-
tor of accounts by the Los Angeles City Water
Company and served as such until the time of his
sudden death, February 3, 1898. He always
took a lively interest in the affairs of his adopted
city and contributed much to its welfare and
progress. He was one of the founders of the pub-
lic librar>', fostered its interests during its days
of struggling uncertainty, watched its growth
with personal pride and lived to see it one of the
finest institutions of its kind in the country.
While evincing always a becoming interest in
public matters, he was retiring in his tastes and
manners, and did not aspire to public positions or
prominence. The offices he held came to him
practically unsought, and he was chosen because
of his peculiar fitness for the positions tendered
him. He was a man of affairs, held broad views
upon all matters of issue and possessed the keen
discrimination of an astute and successful busi
ness man. His sterling integrity and many
noble qualities of mind and heart drew to him a
wide circle of lifelong friends. His sad and sud-
den demise was a genuine loss to the community
in which he had lived almost thirty-five years.
He passed away at his home, corner of Grand
avenue and Fifth street, his death being caused
by heart failure. Mrs. Caswell survived him but

a short time, going into physical decline and died
February 15, 1899. She was born in Wareham,
Mass. , April 9, 1830, and possessed many woman-
ly graces and social accomplishments. They left
a v^aluable estate and an honorable and untar-
nished name to their only son, William Mitchell
Caswell, a prominent banker of Los Angeles, of
whom mention is made elsewhere in this work.

EHARLES WINTHROP FISH, A. M., M.D.
The medical profession in Los Angeles is
represented by many men of long experi-
ence, broad culture and eminent skill. Among
them no one holds a more honorable position
than Dr. Fish, whose office is in the Homer
Laughlin building. No. 315 South Broadway.
Although still a young man he has given abun-
dant evidence of the ability which qualified him
for a high place in his profession.

In common with the majority of men promi-
nent in Los Angeles professional circles. Dr.
Fish is of eastern lineage, birth and education.
Both his paternal and maternal ancestors were
identified with American history from a very
early period. The former were residents of New
England, the latter of Pennsylvania. Without
exception they were men and women of intelli-
gence, energy and a high sense of honor. His fa-
ther, Ezra Thayer Fish, was a native of West
Swanzey, N. H., and from there went to Penn-
sylvania, where he married, reared his family
and spent the remainder of his life. He was a
business man and his mercantile interests were
various and important. He died in Meadville,
Pa., at the age of seventy-three. His widow,
whose maiden name was Sarah Jane Campbell,
was born in Mercer county. Pa. A few years
after the death of her husband she came to Cali-
fornia and for several years has made her home
in San Diego.

Charles Winthrop Fish was born at Mount
Hickory, Mercer county. Pa., July 23, i860.
He attended the public schools until twelve years
of age, after which he attended private educa-
tional institutions, and was graduated from Al-
legany College in 1S81. In 1882 he entered the
medical department of the Western Reserve Uni-
versity at Cleveland, Ohio, and was graduated
from there in 1884. After his graduation he

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD.

735

settled at Meadville, Pa., and for ten years en-
joyed a large and successful practice. During
that time, in 1886-87, he made an extensive
European tour, studying while abroad in the
clinics of Berlin, Vienna and London. In 1892
he made his first visit to California, coming for
rest and recreation. Being impressed with the
great possibilities that lay in the near future of
Southern California and of Los Angeles in
particular, he decided to make his home here,
and in 1895 opened his office in Los Angeles,
where he has since resided, and successfully
practiced his profession. He is a member of the
Los Angeles County Medical Society and of the
Academy of Medicine, and is associated with
Dr. J. Y. Stewart in the Woman's Surgical Hos-
pital.

At Oakland, August i, 1894, Dr. Fish mar-
ried Miss Catherine Goodfellow, who is a Cali-
fornian, her father having been Milton J. Good-
fellow, a prominent and honored pioneer of the
state. They have two children: Winthrop Good-
fellow and Farnum Thayer Fish.

I AFAYETTE D. WOODWORTH is one of
It the old settlers and successful horticulturists
U of lower Azusa, in the San Gabriel valley,
and owns in his home ranch sixteen and one-half
acres, mostly under orange culture. He was born
in Chittenden county, Vt., May 13, 1824, being
a son of Jabez and Mehitable (Shaw) Wood-
worth, both natives of New England, the former
of Scotch extraction, and the latter of English
lineage. When a small boy Lafayette Wood-
worth accompanied his parents from Chittenden
county to Franklin county, Vt., where he passed
his childhood days in a manner similar to other
farmer boys, learning every department of farm
work and going to the district schools during the
winter time.

When about twenty-two years of age Mr.
Woodworth started out in the world for himself.
Believing he could accomplish more in the mid-
dle states than in the east, he settled in Kenosha
county, Wis., where for some years he engaged
in general farming and stock-raising. Not con-
tent, however, with the prospects of a permanent
residence in Wisconsin, in 1852 he .set out, in a
wagon, across the plains, with California as his

destination. For a time he tried his luck at min-
ing in the neighborhood of Hangtown. He was
also employed in Oakland as head-sawyer in the
redwood mill owned by James Henry Howe.
During his gold-mining experience he was for a
short time employed in the old world-famed Sutter
mill, where California gold was first discovered.
Returning, via Nicaragua and New York to Wis-
consin, he resumed farming, in which he contin-
ued for many years, meeting with success. How-
ever, his old love for the Pacific coast continued
and in 1887 he returned to California and took
up his permanent residence on his present ranch,
two and one-half miles west of Covina.

While living in Wisconsin Mr. Woodworth
married Miss Eliza Smith, who was born in
Madison county, N. Y., but at the time of her
marriage made her home in Kenosha county. Of
this union there are eight children living, three
of whom reside in California. The names of the
children are as follows: Mrs. Frances Patterson,
of Sioux City, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Vincent, of Cal-
ifornia; Joel N. Woodworth, of Sioux City, Iowa;
Mrs. Emma Larrabee, of Kenosha county. Wis. ;
Harvey P.; William C; Mrs. Lillie Hoskins, of
Detroit, Mich.; and Lafayette D. W^ood worth, Jr.

As to the politics of the administration Mr.
Woodworth entertains unusually liberal views,
although he usually votes the Republican ticket.
During his residence in Wisconsin he gained
considerable prominence in a political way and
held most of the offices within the gift of the peo-
ple of Bristol and Pleasant Prairie townships,
Kenosha county. His rise in life is due to his
own untiring efforts. He has surmounted many
obstacles in a courageous manner and has won
the confidence of his friends and associates.

EHARLES R. FICKETT. There is no oc-
cupation of more vital importance to the
progress and welfare of a community than
that of contracting and building. In the hands
of the builder, to some extent, lies the health of
a city or county. Nor is this his sole influence
upon his town, for he also affects the local views
in regard to art as represented in architecture,
and therefore his importance cannot be exagger-
ated. It may be said, concerning the buildings
erected by Mr. Fickett during his long career as

736

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a contractor and builder, that they have uniform-
ly been substantial and adapted to their various
purposes. His work has been of a permanent
uature. Into his buildings nothing that is of poor
material has ever been tolerated. Hence, his
workmanship is conceded to be first-class.

A pioneer of California, Mr. Fickett came to
this state in the fall of i860 His first location
was in San Francisco, where he engaged in con-
tracting and building until 1874. He then set-
tled in Los Angeles, where he successfully fol-
lowed his chosen occupation. In 1891 he came
to El Monte district and settled on a ranch of
thirty -six acres, which he now owns and occu-
pies. This property he has planted partially to
walnuts. He is a member of the Mountain View
Walnut Growers' Association. However, he has
by no means retired from his chosen calling, and
still takes contracts for the erection of dwellings
and business blocks.

In the far-away state of Maine Mr. Fickett was
born, in Cumberland county, September 6, 1837,
a son of Daniel and Paulina (Turner) Fickett,
also a native of Maine, and descendants of pioneer
settlers of that state. The maternal grandfather,
Isaac Turner, was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war. Both the Turners and the Ficketts are of
English extraction. Daniel Fickett was a prom-
inent citizen of Cumberland county, and stood
very high in farming and business circles. He
was interested in military matters, and as a militia
ofiBcer, trained the members of the state guard at
frequent intervals.

As a boy Mr. Fickett lived on a farm . His educa-
tion was obtained in public schools, supplemented
by reading, observation and practical experience
in the years of manhood. At the age of nineteen
he began to learn the trade of a carpenter and
builder in Portland, Me., where he served an ap-
prenticeship of three years. Next he worked as
a journeyman for a short time. In i860 he es-
tablished himself in California, where he soon
secured work at his trade, and from that time to
this he has been busily engaged in following his
chosen occupation.

His political views are strictly Republican.
During his residence in San Francisco he was
coiuiected with the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows in Oakland. In 1889, in Los Angeles, he
married Mrs. Agnes David.son, who was born in

Nova Scotia, and by her first husband, Andrew
Davidson, had two children, Lewis H. and Les-
toque D.

YER JOSEPH NEWMARK. The New-
mark family was founded in America b}-
Mr. Newmark's father, Joseph, who was
born in Germany and came to the United States
about 1830, settling in New York, where he en-
gaged in business for many years. In 1854 tie
came to the then small city of Los Angeles, and
here he passed his remaining years until his death,
at the age of eighty-three. His wife was about
sixty-seven years of age at the time of her death.
Of their six children, all but one are living.

Myer Joseph Xewmark was born in New York
City August 4, 1838. His primary education was
obtained in the schools of that city, but soon he
was sent to England, his mother's native land,
and for three j-ears he was a student in the gram-
mar schools in that country, returning to the
United States when thirteen years of age. For a
time he was a student in the grammar depart-
ment of Columbia College. In December, 1852,
he left the east with his mother, brother and four
sisters (his father having preceded his family in
1851), and reached San Francisco in April, 1853,
via Cape Horn. In the mad scramble for the
precious metal, which engrossed everybody on
the western slope, he found no opportunity to re-
new the study of law, at which he had spent
eighteen months previous to leaving New York.
He therefore embarked in mercantile pursuits.

The family came to Los Angeles in September,
1854, but soon afierward Myer returned to San
Francisco, remaining there until 1857, when he
came again to Los Angeles and resumed his long-
interrupted studies. He had established a profit-
able business, but disposed of his interests for an
amount sufficient to enable him to devote his en-
tire attention to his books. When he had barely
attained his majority, in 1859, he was admitted
to practice before the local courts, and the next
year was admitted to the state supreme court, his
sheepskin, which he proudly cherishes, bearing
date of January 14, i860. He formed his first
law partnership with E. J. C. Kewen, but dis-
solved it shortly, and became a partner of J. L.
Brent. The latter, at the opening of the Civil
war, joined the Confederate .service, in which he

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

737

rose to the rank of brigadier-general. The third
partner of Mr. Newmark was Volne}- E. How-
ard. In 1862 he was elected city attorney, but
resigned his office in a few months, relinquished
his practice and went to Nevada. Later he prac-
ticed law in San Francisco until 1865, when he
retired because of pressing business interests.

The business career of Mr. Newmark has been
remarkably successful. He became a member of
the firm of H. Newmark & Co., of Los Angeles,
and for them opened a branch house in New
York, where he purcha.sed goods for western
houses, and at the same time he handled Califor-
nia products, including wool and hides, on com-
mission. He remained in charge of the New
York branch until i87i,when he returned to Los
Angeles and joined the firm here. Soon after-
ward he assisted in organizing the first chamber
of commerce in Los Angeles, an organization
that assisted materially in advancing the com-
mercial prosperity of the city. In 1879 he re-
tired from the business and removed to San Fran-
cisco, where he remained some years. In 1885
he accepted from President Cleveland an appoint-
ment as consul to Lyons, France. For three
years he and his family remained abroad. After
his return to San Francisco, in 1888, he devoted
a few years to the management of his personal
interests.

However, Mr. Newmark had always looked
upon Los Angeles as his home, and in 1894 he
returned to this city and identified himself with
the firm of K. Cohn & Co., one of the best-known
wool and commission houses in the south. He
was a member of the board of freeholders that
drafted the charter in 1898. The same year he
was elected vice-president of the chamber of com-
merce, which position he held until February,
1900, when he was chosen president. He is also
vice-president and a director of the public library.
Interested in politics, in 1875-76, he was chair-
man of the Democratic county committee, Hon.
Stephen M. White being its secretary.

Mr. Newmark was married in San Francisco in
1S74, and is the father of a son and daughter.

The following character sketch of Mr. New-
mark, which appeared in the Los Angeles Herald
May 20, 1900, IS a graphic portrayal of the man,
and we quote from it as follows: "Myer Joseph

Newmark is the happy victim of circumstances.
With a strong predilection for the bar, and self-
educated for the legal profession, he has never-
theless devoted the greater part of his career to
commercial pursuits. That he has achieved
marked success is best attested by the position he
occupies in the business world on both sides of
the continent, for Mr. Newmark is as well known
in the trade centers of New York as he is in San
Francisco or Los Angeles.

"M. J. Newmark impresses one instantly as
possessing ever}' qualification that enters into the
composition of a successful man of affairs. Rather
under medium height, his .slight but strongly-
knit figure, tastefully, though unassumingly,
clad, betrays nervous energy in every movement.
He is a restless being, one of those high-strung
men who must ever be on the move. Five min-
utes of entire repose would be actual punishment
to him. The very way in which he sets about to
write a letter or sign a check shows the' tension
he is under every minute during the day. One
hand makes a grab for the pen, while the other is
arranging the paper. An energetic stab at the
ink-well, and then it would take an expert with a
typewriter to keep up with him until his effort is
finished. When he talks, voice and gestures dis-
play the same abrupt, decisive manner. All the
time his restless, clear, gray eyes are taking a
quick but accurate inventory of his auditor, not
a detail escaping his mental summary. He never
wastes words any more than he wastes his min-
utes. That he ever managed to hold himself
down to the plodding drudgery of his books long
enough to master the dry details of law is a
mystery to those who know him best. Mr. New-
mark impresses you at once as one who recog-
nizes instantly what he wants to do, what action
is to be taken, and he does it without loss of time
or words.

"A good-shaped head, its outlines unconcealed
by hair, except where a thin grayish fringe sur-
rounds the base, sets squarely on a pair of rather
slender shoulders, erect and well poised. The eyes,
apparently, have little need of artificial aid, the
occasional lifting of a pair of gold-bowed glasses
to the bridge of the shapely nose seeming to be
more of a habit than a necessity. A square-cut
mouth, fringed with a neatly-trimmed gray mus-

738

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tache, completes his facial adornment, his whole
appearance giving the lie to the sixtj'-two jears
which he confesses.

"Mr. Newmark has been a resident of Los
Angeles for manj- j-ears, its continuity being
broken, however, by sojourns in San Francisco
and New York, while three years were spent
abroad. It was ia Los xAngeles that he finished his
studies which gave him admission to the bar, and
it was here that he entered upon the practice of his
profession. This city, too, has been the scene of
his most successful business ventures. He has
done much to build up the commercial interests of
Los Angeles — as much, probably, as any other
single individual. He it was who helped to found
the original chamber of commerce, and he I's now
at the head of that body, devoting himself to its
welfare and foremost in its constant work for
progress."

BW. SCHEURER, M. D., has won more
than national fame by his remarkable dis-
coveries and methods in a field hitherto
practically unoccupied. As his name implies, he
is of German extraction, and his nativity took
place in the city of Heidelberg. From a long
line of German ancestors he doubtless inherited
much of his keen love for studj' and deep re-
search and the capacity for earnest, persevering
labor.

When he was a child Dr. Scheurercame to the
United States and his education was obtained in
the schools of Missouri and Iowa. In the latter
state he attended the Iowa Wesley an University,
where he graduated with the highest honors, be-
ing the valedictorian of his class. He also at-
tended and graduated from the Wesleyan German
College and later took post-graduate courses in
both institutions. When he had completed his
studies in the university and German College he
attended the American Medical College of St.
Louis, and prior to his graduation in 1891 from
the last-named institution, he acquired much
useful knowledge of actual practice in the city
hospitals and under the supervision of experi-
enced phy.sicians and surgeons. He continued
to reside in St. Louis for some time, while laying
the foundations of his future career as a physi-
cian, and then, believing that the west afforded
better opportunities to wide-awake young men,

he came to California, and locating in Santa Ana,
built up a large and lucrative practice, at the
same time serving in the capacity of health offi-
cer there for five years.

Having devoted considerable attention to the
subject of osteopathy. Dr. Scheurer established
at Anaheim his successful school of osteopathy,
which he carried on for some time with great
success. This was the first institution of the
kind on the Pacific coast, and to day there is not
a city or town of great pretentions to importance
in this land where there may not be found prac-
titioners of this particular school or system . It is,
iudeed, remarkable that, whereas even the mean-
ing of the word osteopathy was a few years ago
unknown to all save a few professional men, it
now often forms a subject of conversation in all
circles of intelligent society. A few facts in re-
gard to it, gained during a visit to Dr. Scheurer,
will prove of interest to many.

Neuropathj', or neuropathic treatment, as
taught and practiced by the doctor (its discov-
erer) and those of his school, is the most nearly
perfect manipulatory treatment thus far in use,
and it will reach hundred of pathological condi-
tions which do not yield to medical treatment.
The nerves, muscles, arteries and veins are ma-
nipulated in such a waj' as to bring about a nor-
mal or healthy condition of the whole body. In
order to get the highest results from this method
of treatment the operator must have a perfect
knowledge of anatomy, physiology and physical
diagnosis. It is a well known fact that there is
no pathological condition which nature does not
try to remove. If, therefore, it can be discovered
what nature is trying to accomplish the first .step
towards victory over disease has been made. In
the neuropathic system all of the muscles of the
body are scientifically exercised, while the nerves
are at rest. A perfect circulation is established
and thus nutrition and all of the functions of
the bodily organs are materially improved.
Many nervous and chronic diseases and diseases
of women which ordinary medical treatment, or
the application of electricity even, fails to benefit,
ofttimes yield readily to neuropathic treatment.
Osteopathy, which is employed as a valuable ad-
junct of neuropathy, is the scientific method of
treatment by the proper manipulation of the
banes, tendons and ligaments of the bodv.

&^,

I'hoto by Schumacher, I,os Angeles, Cal.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

741

In May, 1899, Dr. Scheurer established the
Neuropathic Infirmary and School at Long
Beach, and is the president of this institution,
which is located near the northwest corner of
Second and Pine streets. Only a few students
are taken at a time in this college, and none are
graduated until the course has been thoroughly
mastered. All physicians are charged $ioo for
the course, which requires from three to six
months, while students, other than physicians,
pay $200, and it takes from sixteen to twenty-
four months, according to the student's ability.
Patients are treated in the infirmary, and every
comfort and convenience is provided. Both male
and female nurses and doctors are connected
with the institution, all acting under the super-
vision of our subject or his experienced assist-
ants.

Ten years ago Dr. Scheurer married Miss
Flora C. Northrop, of Missouri, and their pleas-
ant residence in Long Beach is brightened by the
presence of their three daughters, who are named
respectively in the order of birth, Cora, Delia
and Jennie.

From the time that he arrived at his majority
until the present time the doctor has been a
faithful adherent of the Republican party. Fra-
ternally he is a Mason, a Knight of the Macca-
bees, and is identified with the Fraternal Aid
Society. He is popular with all who know him,
and has been steadily rising in the estimation
of his brother physicians for the past decade.

|AJOR GEORGE E. GARD. For more
than thirty years Major Gard has been in-
timately identified with the events of Los
Angeles county, the civil and political history of
which would be incomplete without the links
which his life forms. He was born in Warren
county, Ohio, in 1843, a son of Dr. William V.
H. and Lucretia (Williamson) Gard, natives of
Ohio, the latter a highly educated lady and for
some time an instructor in a private school at
Middletowu, Ohio. He was a nephew of Dr. I.
N. Gard, of Greenville, Ohio, a state senator, and
a cousin of Hon. Tom Corwin.

After the death of his father Major Gard went
to live with his grandfather, Garrett Williamson,
in Hamilton, Ohio, where he graduated from the
36

high school. In 1859, in company with his
uncle, he came overland to California, bringing
a number of fine thoroughbred horses and cattle.
He spent two years in San Jos6, later engaged in
raining in Mariposa count}', afterward superin-
tendent of the sawmills owned by Lovejoy &
Gard, and subsequently was assistant superin-
tendent of the mills of the Mariposa Mining Com-
pany. His love for military' service and his
patriotic devotion to country led him to enlist in
the Union army during the progress of the Civil
war. He was a prime factor in the organization
of Company H, Seventh California Infantry, in
1864, and by vote of the company received the
appointment as first sergeant. The company
served in Arizona and New Mexico until March,
1866, when it was mustered out at Drum Bar-
racks, Los Angeles county.

The war ended, Major Gard engaged in busi-
ness in Wilmington until 1868, when he estab-
lished the first ice factory in Los Angeles, and
afterward conducted the business for three years.
Later, for one year, he was deputy in the county
clerk's oflSce, then was chief deputy under Charles
E. Miles, county recorder, for two terms. For
three years, from 1872 to 1875, he was employed
by the city as a member of the city detective
force. He served faithfully and well as United
States marshal, under appointment by President
Harrison, from 1890 to June 30, 1894. From
1875 to 1879 he was chief deputy recorder; in
1 88 1 was appointed chief of the police of Los An-
geles City; in 1882 was chosen deputy sheriif;
and in 1884 was elected sheriflFon the Republican
ticket. As a criminal hunter he had few supe-
riors. When others had spent months in fruit-
less efibrts to capture Evans and Sontag, the no-
torious train robbers and murderers, he undertook
the task and succeeded. Until the abolishment
of the bureau, in 1895, he had charge of the
Southern Pacific staff of detectives, including all
lines from Ogden to San Francises, and Portland
to El Paso.

In 1886 Major Gard engaged in horticultural
pursuits, locating and improving a fine orange
farm in the Azusa valley. During the great
boom, which spread over Southern California in
1887-88, he and some associates laid out the
town site of Alosta, just south of the coast range
foot hills in the great Azusa valley, a section of

742

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Los Angeles county, conceded to be one of the
most picturesque, as well as the richest in natural
advantages, of any portion of the state.

Politically Major Gard is a stanch Republican.
In 1880 he served as chairman of the county cen-
tral committee, and in 1888 was chairman of the
sixth congressional district committee. He is a
charter member of Bartlett Post No. 6, G. A. R.,
in which he has filled the various offices up to
and including that of post commander. In 1890
he was elected department commander of the
G. A. R. , Department of California, which in-
cluded the states of California, Nevada and the
Hawaiian Islands. Prior to this time he had
served as junior and senior vice department
commander and also upon the staff of the national
commander of the Grand Army of the Republic.
In 1869 he married Kate A. Hammell, who was
born in Washington, D. C, a daughter of Dr.
William and Barbara (Von Delier) Hammell,
natives of Germany, but for years residents of
Washington, where Dr. Hammell was a success-
ful physician and the family physician of ex-
President Fillmore. Major Gard and his wife
have two children: William Brant and Georgetta
Miles Gard.

^HEODORE PARKER LUKENS. It was
f C in the season of the year when the forests
Vy glow with the splendor of richly tinted
leaves that the subject of this article came upon
life's scenes. His birthplace was New Concord,
Muskingum county, Ohio, October 6, 1848, the
date of his birth. On both sides his ancestors
were Quakers. His father, William Ellison
Lukens, was born in Pennsylvania in 1807 and
died in 1887, at the age of eighty years; he mar-
ried Margaret Cooper, a native of Baltimore,
Md., born December 27, 1817, and died in Rock
Falls, 111., in 1888. The family settled in Ster-
ling, III., when our subject was a child of six
years. His education was therefore obtained
principally in the schools of that city. In boy-
hood he became familiar with gardening and
the nursery business, under the capable instruc-
tion of his parents. At fifteen years of age he
left school and gave his entire time to work, .since
which time he has, through his eflforts and
without any outside assistance, accumulated a
competency.

While living in Sterling, March i, 1871, Mr.
Lukens married Miss Charlotte Dyer. Soon
afterward he settled in Rock Falls, 111. , and em-
barked in the nursery business. While a resi-
dent of that town he took a warm interest in local
affairs and for some time served as a member of
the town council. Ill health after a few years
obliged a change of climate, and, hearing much
concerning the health-giving, sun-kissed land of
California, he came hither. The year 1880 found
him a resident of Pasadena. At first he engaged
in ranching and also in the piping business. In
1884 he turned his attention to the real-estate
business. January 7, 1891, he accepted a posi-
tion as cashier of the Pasadena National Bank,
which office he filled with marked ability, win-
ning the confidence of the stockholders and de-
positors. His keen acumen in all matters con-
nected with finances caused him to win a place
among the foremost financiers and bankers of
the region. In 1893 he was chosen president of
the bank, and in this capacity continued until
March, 1897, when he resigned. In 1892 he was
elected president of the Mutual Building and
Loan Association of Pasadena, which responsible
position he has since filled. The talents which
he possesses fit him for trusts of an important
character. Combined with mental vigor and
alertness he has a high sense of honor and an un-
wavering integrit}' of character.

Notwithstanding his intimate connection with
important business interests Mr. Lukens has not
neglected the duties of citizenship. He keeps
abreast with the issues of the age and is thoroughly
posted concerning momentous questions. For six
years he was a member of the city council of
Pasadena, during three of which he held the office
of mayor. He has also served eight years as a
trustee of the state normal schools. These pub-
lic trusts committed to his care are evidences that
he has ability which is recognized and appreciated
by his fellow-citizens. Fraternally he is con-
nected with the Masons, the Odd Fellows and the
Ancient Order of United Workmen. At one
time he served for nine months in the United
States cavalry.

It is -said that every man has his "hobby."
Perhaps it may be said truthfully that if Mr.
Lukeus has a hobby it is his fondness for nature.
He realizes that "To him who in the love of na-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

743

ture, holds communion with her visible forms, she
speaks a various language." He is a close stu-
dent of nature and finds recreation in frequent
trips into the mountain country of the state. His
fund of knowledge of the local fauna, forests, in-
sects and mineralogy is limitless. He has made
contributions on this subject to the periodicals of
the day. He is also an amateur photographer
and has taken pleasure in securing* some un-
usually fine views of mountain scenery.

3ULIAN H. MELVILL, who is numbered
among the leading business men of Los An-
geles, is a worthy scion of an old and honored
Massachusetts family. Indeed, his paternal great-
grandfather was a member of the famous Boston
"tea party," and subsequently was the first col-
lector of the port of Boston. The next in line of
descent, our subject's grandfather, possessed the
same spirit of independence and patriotism as did
his father when he decided to dispense with "the
cup that cheers and not inebriates" for the sake
of principle and country, and when the second
struggle with Great Britain came on he enlisted
and served in what became known as the war of
1812. The father of J. H. Melvill was for many
years captain of boats plying the Mississippi
river, and from 185 1 until the beginning of the
Civil war the family resided in Galena, 111. The
mother, who was a Miss Bates prior to her mar-
riage, was a direct descendant of John Dwight,
who played an important part in the colonial
history of the Bay state.

Born in Pittsfield, Mass., in 1846, Julian H.
Melvill removed to Galena, 111., when he was a
child of five years. From his youth he has had
many a battle to fight with poor health-, and,
owing to that fact, he did not attend school until
he was in his fifteenth year. He received his
early education mainly at the hands of private
tutors, but in 1861 he had become strong enough
to enter the Galena high school. The same year,
however, the family removed to Davenport, Iowa,
where he completed his high-school course and
qualified himself thoroughly for the actual duties
of life.

In 1868 the young man was given a position
as chief deputy in the second United States in-
ternal revenue district, and though he remained

in this responsible office for three years and han-
dled a great many thousands of dollars every
year, to his credit it may be said that so syste-
matic were his methods that when he turned over
his accounts to the government at the end of that
period there was found a discrepancy of only one
dollar. He had resigned his position in order to
give his entire attention to the profession of his
choice, for in the meantime he had devoted much
of his time to the mastery of the law, and was
admitted to practice in the district courts of Scott
county, Iowa, March 6, 1871. On the 9th of
October, 1872, he was admitted to practice before
the supreme courts, and the same year he moved
to Springfield, Mo., where he established himself
in business. Handicapped seriously by failing
health he went to the West Indies in 1874 and
rested and traveled for about a year. Then,
feeling much stronger, he went to San Francisco
in 1875, and the ensuing year saw him located
on the sea-coast at Santa Monica. For the next
eight years he was in the employ of the United
States topographical engineering corps, and by
his out-door life and the benefits derived from
this sunny southland, permanently re-estab-
lished his health.

In 1887 Mr. Melvill became financially inter-
ested in the Los Angeles Abstract Company, but
at the end of three years disposed of his stock
and in 1893 furnished Ventura county, Cal., with
a complete set of abstract books. In 1895 he as-
sisted in the organization of the Title Guarantee
& Trust Company, and was the treasurer and
superintendent of the same for eighteen months.
In April, 1897, he became the secretary and gen-
eral manager of the Fidelity Abstract Company,
which he was an influential factor in organizing,
and to this now prosperous and highly useful and
valuable enterprise he still gives his time and en-
ergy. His long experience and legal knowledge
serve him in good stead, and to his splendid man-
agement and foresight must be attributed much
of the success of the company.

By a former marriage Mr. Melvill had one
daughter, Naomi, who was killed in a railroad
wreck two years ago. She possessed exceptional
ability as a teacher and was a talented young
lady, loved by all who knew her. For some time
prior to her untimely death she had held a posi-
tion as assistant principal of the high school at

744

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Bangor, Wis. The lad)- who now bears the
name of our subject was formerly Miss EttaWil-
lard, of Massachusetts.

Politically Mr. Melvill is active in the ranks of
the Democratic party, and at pre.sent is serving
as secretary of the central committee of this city.
He is a member of the Foresters of America,
holding the office of past chief ranger of Los An-
geles Court No. 30. Upon several occasions he
has been a delegate from his home lodge to the
grand lodge of the state, and is very popular
with the fraternity at large.

3AC0B RUDEL. What can be accomplished
by a man having the requisite amount of en-
ergy and determination is shown in the case
of Jacob Rudel, of San Gabriel. W^ith many
disadvantages which the native-born citizen of
the United States knows nothing about, he never-
theless conquered all obstacles in his pathway,
and rose to his present position of affluence and
respect in the comraunity^the secret of his suc-
cess being industry, perseverance and strict
rectitude of word and deed.

The parents of our subject, Henry and Mary
(Hartman) Rudel, were natives of Frankfort-on-
the Main, Germany. The father for years man-
aged the old homestead, and there he died, in
1899, at the age of eighty-nine years. The
mother departed this life at the age of seventy-
six years.

Jacob Rudel was born in 1853, on the parental
homestead adjacent to Frankfort. He remained
on the farm until he was fourteen, when he went
to the city and commenced learning the trade of
a coppersmith. When nineteen years old he
bade adieu to the home and friends of his youth
and sailed for the United States. Arriving in
New York City he followed his trade there until
1875, and then went to Sacramento, Cal., where
he worked at his trade until 1881. He then
came to Los Angeles, and here he was employed
as a brazier for two seasons. Next he removed
to the San Gabriel valley and commenced the
arduous task of reducing some land to cultiva-
tion. He purchased a tract of wild cactus and
weed-covered land, and later, having succeeded
so well with this property, he invested in another
piece of similar size. He has made a beautiful

homestead of his eighty acres of land, and has
spared himself no labor or expense in the great
undertaking. He has made it his special busi-
ness of late years to manufacture wine from the
excellent grapes produced in his thriving vine-
yards, and finds a ready sale for his goods in the
markets of the east and elsewhere.

Fifteen years ago Mr. Rudel married Eliza
Vogel, who was born in Switzerland, where she
passed nineteen years of her life. She then
crossed the ocean, and at length found her way
to the Pacific coast, where she met her future
husband. Four children bless their union, name-
ly: Millie, Edward, Walter and Anna Marie.

In his political views Mr. Rudel is not a
partisan, but u.ses his ballot for the principle or
nominee whom he believes to be the right one
for the time and place. He is deeply concerned
in local affairs relating to the growth and pros-
perity of this community, and at the same time
keeps thoroughly posted and in touch with the
wider events effecting the nation.

(TOHN W. SILER is one of the most enter-
I prising, progressive and liberal-minded men
(2/ living in the vicinity of Downey. His in-
terests are many and extensive, and managed
from the reliable standpoint of devotion to prin-
ciple and to the interests of the entire community.
He is a director of the Los Nietos and Ranchito
Walnut Growers' Association and a promoter
and organizer of the walnut irrigating district,
and for four years a director of the same. He is
also a stockholder in the Los Nietos Valley Bank
at Downey.

In the earlier years of his activity Mr. Siler
followed an entirely diflFerent line of occupation,
that of carpenter and builder and contractor. He
isa native of Berkeley county, W. Va., where he
was born September 7, 1842. His parents, Philip
and Elizabeth (Robinson) Siler, were natives of
Virginia. The Siler family is of German descent,
and the maternal ancestors were Scotch-Irish.
When four years of age John W. moved with his
parents to Platte county. Mo., and was early
taught the dignity and usefulness of an agricul-
tural life. In the public .schools of his county he
received a fair education, and later had oppor-
tunity to gain co!isiderable business knowledge.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

145

In 1868 he moved to Wyandotte county, Kans.,
where he engaged in farming for a number of
years, but in 1880 returned to Missouri, where he
continued to farm until 1887. At this time he
became impressed with the larger opportunities
of the far west, and decided to try his fortunes
with the dwellers of L,os Angeles county and set-
tled at once on the ranch which has since been
his home. During his residence in Kansas and
Missouri he followed his trade of carpenter, build-
er and contractor in connection with his farm
work. He learned the trade from his father while
living at home.

Mr. Siler was married in Kansas to Sarah E.
Way, of Virginia, and of this union there have
been five children, four of whom are now living:
Ivena, Zela, Margaret and William. Irvin is de-
ceased. In politics Mr. Siler is associated with
the Democratic party, although he entertains ex-
ceedingly liberal views regarding the politics of
the men appointed to office. He enjoys the confi-
dence and esteem of all who know him, and is a
man of whom his fellow-townsmen are proud.

(lESSE IRVIN OVERHOLTZER. In a list
I of the rising young business men of Lords-
(2/ burg the name of Mr. Overholtzer should be
given. The success that he has attained proves
his possession of more than ordinary ability and
is also an indication of what may be expected
from him in the future, with the ripening of his
mental faculties and discriminating powers. A
son of the late Samuel A. Overholtzer, he was
born in San Joaquin county, Cal., July 20, 1877.
When he was less than ten years of age he ac-
companied his parents to Covina, where he grew
to man's estate, meantime attending Centre
school in this place. It was his father's ambi-
tion that all the sons should have good advan-
tages, in order that they might be fully prepared
for the responsibilities of life, and he therefore
was sent from the public school to Lordsburg
College, where he was a student for four years,
meantime devoting especial attention to the
study of elocution. However, other branches
were not neglected, but he received a well-
rounded, thorough education.

For one year after leaving college Mr. Over-
holtzer was proprietor and publisher of the Lords-

burg Sunbeajn, which he founded and which was
published weekly. At this writing he acts as
local agent for the Hartford Fire Insurance Com-
pany, and is also a part owner of the Lordsburg
Water Company's plant. He has not allied
himself with any political organization, but main-
tains a strict independence in politics. When a
boy he united with the German Baptist Church
and is now serving as a deacon in the congrega-
tion. In addition he is active in Sunday-school
work and now holds the office of superintendent.
His marriage took place August 9, 1897, and
united him with Anna M. Ewing, an accom-
plished young lady of South Haven, Mich.
They have one daughter, Ruth.

QROF. JOHN HARVEY STRINE. One of
y^ the foremost workers in the educational field
^3 in California is Prof John H. Strine, super-
intendent of the Los Angeles county schools. In
the prime of life, and with many years of invalu-
able experience in his chosen profession, added
to which is a marked executive ability, he is
specially qualified for his responsible office and
is giving universal satisfaction to the public.
Believing that a review of his life and work will
prove of interest to his numerous friends and co-
workers, the following facts have been gleaned
from various sources:

Some of the best blood of England, Holland
and France flows in the veins of Prof Strine,
and from those countries a few generations ago his
ancestorsemigrated to America His great-grand-
parents, upon both the paternal and maternal
sides of the family, were natives of Pennsylvania
and spent their entire lives in that state. The
same can be said of his paternal grandparents,
for their homes throughout life were in Franklin
county. The grandfather died at the age of sev-
enty-six years, while his wife was only thirty-eight
when she received the summons to the silent
land. The maternal grandparents of Prof Strine
were life-long residents of Lancaster county, Pa. ,
and each was forty-nine years of age at death.
Both grandfathers were farmers by occupation,
the maternal grandfather also being interested in
milling.

The Strine family bears an enviable reputation
for patriotism, as may be seen from the following:

746

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Peter Strine, a grand-uncle of the professor, en-
listed at the beginning of the Civil war, was
assigned to the army of the Potomac and fought
until the close of the mightj' conflict between the
north and the south; Samuel G. Strine, an own
uncle of Prof. Strine, was a soldier in the Eighty-
third Illinois, army of the West, from the com-
mencement until the completion of the war;
Jacob Strine, another uncle, who first enlisted
for nine months in 1861, and then re-enlisted for
three years more upon the expiration of his first
term of service, was killed at Petersburg, just
two days prior to Lee's surrender; and Jonathan
G. Strine, a third uncle, who enlisted at the same
time as did his brother Jacob for the three years'
term, was shot in the head at Petersburg, where
his brother's life was lost, and in spite of his
wound is yet living, his home being in the vicinity
of Greencastle, Pa.

The parents of Prof. Strine are John and Maria
Catharine (Long) Strine, now residents of Dow-
ney, Cal. The father was born in Franklin
county. Pa., February 28, 1829, and the mother
in Lancaster county. Pa., on Christmas day of
1832.

The birth of John Harvey Strine occurred in
Newburg, Franklin county. Pa., October 26,
1858. His first schooling was obtained in Rox-
bury, Pa., when he was five years old, and when
he was about six his parents removed to Martins-
burg, W. Va. There the father conducted a
brickyard, and when the lad was in his twelfth
year he began working there during his vaca-
tions. A year or two later his father purchased
a farm near Martinsburg, and at times, when he
was especially busy in the manufacture of brick
in the town, the sons were left to manage the
farm.

Until he was nineteen years of age the educa-
tion of Prof. Strine had been limited to the coun-
try schools, but, when in 1877 the family removed
to Missouri, he entered the state university and
in 1882 completed the teachers' course, having
kept up his expenses by teaching a part of the
time. The same year he passed an examination
whereby he was granted a life diploma in that
state as a teacher, and since coming to California
he has been given a similar certificate as a high
school instructor. After teaching for a .short
time in the district .schools of Mi.ssouri he be-

came the principal of the Rolla public schools, a
position which he resigned two years later in
order to remove to California.

Arriving at Downey, Los Angeles county, on
the evening of July 30, 1887, Prof. Strine entered
upon his new duties as head of the school on the
following Monday morning. Under his able su-
pervision notable improvement was soon observed
in the school, and within a few years its standing
was such that its pupils were accepted in other
and higher schools without examination. Sev-
eral of the most successful young teachers in the
county went from the Downey school to their
new posts of duty, after duly passing the required
county examinations, and no other testimon3'
than that afforded by the Downey school has
been necessary to support the claims of Prof.
Strine's friends when he has been a candidate for
higher honors. When the Downey Bank was
re-organized July i, 1891, he was elected a di-
rector by a unanimous vote of the stockholders,
and was at once placed upon the auditing com-
mittee. In 1890 he was appointed a member of
the county board of education, and ever since
has been active in the interests of the schools of
this section in general. In 1892 he was honored
by being made president of the board mentioned,
and the following year was re-elected. In July,
1893, Prof Strine was elected principal of the
Monrovia high and grammar schools, which po-
sition he was unanimously elected to each year
until he tendered his resignation in January,
1899, in order to enter upon his duties as super-
intendent of the county schools. The Monrovia
high school was placed upon the accredited list
of the state university before it was two years
old, and still maintains its enviable reputation
among the high schools of the state.

Recognizing the fact that Prof. Strine has been
an earnest and efficient worker in the interests of
the schools of this county ever since his arrival
here, in 1887, he was elected to the presidency of
the Los Angeles Pedagogical Society at the time
of its organization in 1895, and was re-elected
until his nomination for his present position. A
local circle of this society, comprising the teach-
ers of Monrovia, Duarte and Sierra Madre, hav-
ing been organized, he was chosen as its presi-
dent, and remained in that capacity until after
his election as county superintendent. Nor has

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

747

he confined his attention to educational mat-
ters solely, though naturally his heart and mind
are chiefly in that line of progress. Being fond
of music and possessing some talent in that di-
rection, he was one of a number of music-loving
people of Monrovia, who, about six years ago
banded themselves together in a delightful and
profitable society, called the Apollo Club, for the
purpose of cultivating whatever latent talents
might rest in their midst. Within a short time
he was elected as president of the organization,
and each succeeding year he has been honored
with re-election to the same position. Another
manifestation of his public spirit was shown in
December, 1896, when he was very instrumental
in the organization of the Monrovia Opera House
Company. The chief purpose of this company
was the providing of a suitable hall for public
assemblages, and the enterprise, as carried out,
has been of untold benefit to the community.
Prof. Strine was then made secretary of the or-
ganization, and in 1897 ^nd again in 1898 he was
re-elected to that important oflBce. He stands
high in the Masonic order, and has served as
worshipful master of Monrovia Lodge No. 308,
F. & A. M. Sincerely devoted to whatever
makes for progress, and being possessed of a
broad and liberal mind, he casts his influence for
righteous causes and is a power for good in his
community. Throughout the county marked
improvement in our educational system within
the term of his supervision is noted, and many
additional plans for the welfare of our schools and
pupils are being introduced as rapidly as is prac-
ticable.

pGJiLLIAM M. CASWELL, well known iu

\ A / business and banking circles of Los An-
V V geles, is a son of the lamented Samuel B.
Caswell, a California pioneer, a sketch of whom
appears on another page of this volume. A na-
tive son of California, William M. Caswell was
born in French Corral, Nevada county, June 24,
1857. From 1863 to 1867 he attended the pub-
lic school in San Francisco, and later studied in
the Los Angeles schools, after which, in 1871,
he entered the California Military Academy at
Oakland, graduating from that institution in
1873. Shortly afterward, in June, 1874, he re-
ceived an appointment to the United States

Military Academy at West Point, N Y., where
he remained until he resigned his cadetship in
March, 1877, returning immediately to Los An-
geles.

After a brief vacation Mr. Caswell accepted a
position as accountant in the Farmers and Mer-
chants' Bank of this city. Later, under the gov-
ernment, he received an appointment in the
United States railway postal service and as such
ran between Los Angeles and Deming, N. M.
In April, 1882, he entered the counting room of
the First National Bank and remained there
until July, 1887, when he was chosen cashier of
the Los Angeles Savings Bank, which position
he has since filled with marked ability. It is
noticeable that from the outset of his business
career he has filled positions of the higher- class,
requiring a superior order of business abilities.
The banking house with which he is so promi-
nently identified is the leading institution of its
class in Southern California, a fact which is due
to its wise and conservative management.

October 29, 1890, Mr. Caswell married Miss
Cora, daughter G. W. Tubbs, a pioneer of 1870
in Los Angeles. She was born in St. Paul,
Minn., and is a lady of charming personality,
who holds a high position in the best society
circles of the city. One son has been born to
them, George B. Mr. Caswell is personally a
conservative man, with quiet, unassuming man-
ners, of cheerful, even temperament, and a dignity
that bespeaks a just pride. In Masonry he is a
member of Pentalpha Lodge No. 202, F. &
A. M. , and Signet Chapter No. 57, R. A. M. He
is a member of the order of N. S. G. W., Romona
Parlor No. 109, and the Society of Los Angeles
Pioneers.

I ARTIN H. WEIGHT. Every prosperous
city owes its growth and development to
its public-spirited and far-sighted citizens.
Even with all the scenic and climatic advantages
that Pasadena possesses it doubtless never would
have attained more than a merely local promi-
nence had it not been that certain of its pioneers
were progressive and energetic and devoted to the
public good. In the list of such men the name of
Martin H. Weight stands high. He was one of
the earliest settlers of what was at first called the
Indiana colony, having arrived from Utah in

748

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

March, 1876. He found eighteen families,
mostly from Indiana, but a few from New York.
He at once identified himself with the infant
colony, planted an orange orchard and began the
career of activity in all that pertained to the up-
building of Pasadena that has continued up to
this time, and that has placed him among those
to whom the city is most truly indebted for
its present enviable reputation throughout the
country-.

Mr. Weight was born of English parents at
Salt Lake City, Utah, April 7, 1854. He grew
to manhood in his native city and was educated
in its schools, his student days covering a period
in the Utah University. He was married in
1876 to Miss Mina Jack, of Salt Lake City, and
came to Pasadena the same year. They have one
son, born in Pasadena, Erie M. , now a young
student of promise in the University of California
at Berkeley. In fraternal relations Mr. Weight
is an Odd Fellow. In business he has mainly
confined himself to orange growing and building,
his interest in the latter being at present restricted
to a connection with the Pasadena Manufacturing
Company. In the promotion of the citrus fruit
industry he has for years been a leading and en-
thusiastic participant, especially as an advocate
of the co-operative plan of marketing fruit. As
one of the founders of the Southern California
Fruit Exchange and manager of the Pasadena
Orange Growers' Association his efibrts to popu-
larize and make profitable this method of ship-
ping and selling the products of the Southern
California orchards have been most successful.

The general recognition of Mr. Weight's ex-
ecutive ability, his rigid integrity and his de-
votion to public interests have resulted in calling
him to many positions of trust and responsibilit)-.
Always a stanch Republican in politics, he has
in numerous local and national campaigns been
charged with the duties of leadership; while in
enterprises for the upbuilding of his city and the
furtherance of its varied interests his wise counsel
and energetic management have been frequently
depended upon. Most markedly has this been so
in carrj-ing to a brilliant conclusion Pasadena's
annual preparations for her famous floral fete, the
Tournament of Roses. For several years Mr.
Weight has been one of the directors of the
Tournament Association and twice has acted as

its president and director-general. In other capa-
cities his talent for organization has been made
available by the public for the benefit of the city,
and no citizen has a greater degree of pride than
he in all that it has become and achieved during
the past twenty-five years.

ATTHEW SLAVIN. Through his suc-
cessful work as a contractor and builder
Mr. Slavin has contributed to the develop-
ment of Pasadena, his home city. Among the
most important contracts he has had may be men-
tioned those for the annex of the famous Hotel
Green, one of the finest hotels in the west; the
buildings comprising the Throop Polytechnic In-
stitute in Pasadena; the Masonic building of this
city; the Martha block and the Slavin block
(both of which he owns); and the Zahn building
in Los Angeles. Many of the finest residences in
this region have been built by him, under con-
tract. During busy seasons he employs as many
as thirty hands in the various departments of his
building business.

Mr. Slavin was born in Saratoga county,
N. Y., January 6, 1853, a son of Patrick and
Margaret Slavin, natives respectively of Dublin,
Ireland, and New York state. His early boy-
hood years were passed on his father's farm in
Saratoga county. When he was fourteen he be-
gan to serve an apprenticeship to the carpenter's
trade under George Ostrander at Burnt Hills,
N. Y. He remained with that employer for
three years, meantime learning the business in all
of its details and gaining considerable proficiency
as a carpenter. Later he worked as a journey-
man for four years in New York state. Leaving
there he went to Indianapolis, Ind., and ac-
cepted employment as foreman, superintendent
and draughtsman with Shover& Christian, lead-
ing builders of that city. In these capacities he
remained with the firm for nine years.

The year 1887 found Mr. Slavin in Pasadena,
where he began to take contracts for erecting
private residences and public buildings. From
that time to this he has had a steadily increasing
business. His reputation as a builder is the
highest. By his reliable dealings with all and
his efficiency and intelligence he has gained a
high position in his chosen calling. He is

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

751

recognized as one of the competent builders of
Pasadena. Several times he has been given con-
tracts in other towns, all of which have been car-
ried out faithfully and well. He is interested in
the progress of his home city and is a member of
its board of trustees, also a member of the board
of trade.

Prior to coming to California Mr. Slavin mar-
ried Miss Martha J. Foster, of Indianapolis, Ind.
They have three children, Matthew, Jr., Sarah
and Edith R. The family occupy a comfortable
home at No. 774 North Marengo avenue, which
Mr. Slavin built and has since owned. The resi-
dence is surrounded by five acres of ground, with
shrubbery, flowers and fruit trees, and is one of
the most beautiful places in Pasadena. Frater-
nally he is a member of the Mystic Shrine of
Masonry. He has not taken an active part in
politics, although he is interested in securing
good government for city, state and nation, and
votes for those who, in his opinion, are best fitted
to promote the welfare of the people. His views
concerning tariff, currency and expansion are
those of the Republican party, and he supports
them with his ballot, but in local matters, where
political belief is of less importance than a com-
mendable spirit of local pride, he gives his vote to
men of progressive views and sound judgment.

(TAMES A. JOHNSTONE. To some extent
I California is a cosmopolitan region, number-
(2) ing among its citizens people from almost
every part of the globe. A large number came
from the province of Ontario and have found in
this equable climate a delightful change from
their own snow-bound and wintry land. Mr.
Johnstone is a Canadian by birth, having come
from the county of Prince Edward, which projects
in peninsular form into Lake Ontario, and is
situated in the province of Ontario. His father,
William A. Johnstone, was born in county Ty-
rone, north of Ireland, and descended from Scotch
ancestors of the Lowlands. When sixteen years
of age he crossed the ocean to Canada and settled
in Prince Edward county, where he became one
of the best-known agriculturists and leading
citizens. He married Rachel Bonter, who was
born in that county, of mingled Dutch and Irish
extraction.

Reared to agricultural pursuits in his native
county, James A. Johnstone passed the years of
his life, from his birth, February 10, 1837, to his
removal to the States, in a comparatively un-
eventful manner. In the winter of 1861 he first
came to California, settling near San Jos6. Thence
he went to Nevada and worked in Virginia City
for a short time. From there he went back to
his old Canadian home, where for many years he
followed general farm and business pursuits, be-
ing for a time engaged in mercantile business.
From Ontario he went to Manitoba, as a pioneer
of that then sparsely settled region, where he en-
gaged in clearing farm land for twelve years.
The change from Manitoba to California, in 1890,
was a striking one in respect to climate, but he
has found the air and sun of our western state so
genial and balmy that he has had no desire to
return to his old home. Since 1890 he has made
his home in San Dimas and has engaged in horti-
culture, being the owner of a fruit farm of fifty
acres. He is also president of the San Dimas
Irrigation Company, and a director in the same.

By the marriage of Mr. Johnstone to Elzina S.
Way. of Prince Edward county, Ontario, he has
six children, viz.: Anna M., wife of Dr. E. W.
Montgomery; Herbert W. and William A., both
living in San Dimas; Donald W., who is in Chi-
cago, 111.; Ernest M., a student in Pomona
College at Claremont; and Havelock P.

Since becoming a citizen of the United States
Mr. Johnstone has posted himself concerning our
governmental affairs, striving to gain a com-
prehensive knowledge of such matters as relate
to the well-being of the people of this country.
In politics he has adopted Republican views. He
is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church
at Lordsburg and contributes to its maintenance,
while at the same time he also aids other meas-
ures for the benefit of the people, whether from
a religious, moral or educational point of view.

HON. LUCIEN SHAW. On the ist of
March, 1845, in the then far western state
of Indiana, a son was born to his parents at
a farm house near \'evay, Switzerland county.
In honor of an uncle he was named Lucien. As
a boy he attended the public schools of the town-
ship, worked on the farm during the long inter-

752

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

vals between the short three or four months'
terms of the schools then provided, and finished
his general school education with two short terms
at an academj- at Vevaj-. Owing to a supposed
delicac}' of constitution his parents decided not
to risk his health at a distant college and did not
give him a collegiate education. Naturall}- in-
clined to reading and studj-, he continued at
home the study of Latin and higher mathematics,
and supplemented it with an extensive course of
reading. After two or three years on the farm
he decided to follow the profession of law. With
that end in view, after some preliminary reading
at home, he entered the Indianapolis law school
at the age of twenty-three. By close application
he succeeded in taking the two years' course of
study in one year and graduated in 1869 with the
honors of his class. He then took up his resi-
dence in Bloomfield, Ind., where he practiced as
an attorney for fourteen years. Although he
had by that time attained a good practice and an
honorable reputation as a lawyer he concluded
to go west, and one day in December, 1883, found
him in Los Angeles.

During his residence in Bloomfield, July 29,
1873, Mr. Shaw married Miss Hannah Hartley,
who was born in New York, a daughter of Edwin
A. and Ruth M. Hartley, natives of New York,
both of whom followed him to Los Angeles and
died there.

After a month in Los Angeles prospects of
more immediate success took Mr. Shaw to
Fresno, where for two and a-half years he prac-
ticed law with success. Returning to Los An-
geles in July, 1886, he has been a resident of that
city ever since. Until March, 1889, he had
ofiBces in that city and pursued his calling suc-
cessfully. At the request of the bar of the county
he was then appointed judge of the superior court,
to fill a vacancy. In 1890 he was elected to the
office for a term of six years, at the expiration of
which, in 1896, he was re-elected. Politically he
is a Republican. He is a member of the Sunset
Club and the California Club, of Los Angeles,
and the Southern California Lodge of Masons,
and, with his wife, belongs to the Congregational
Church.

The father of Judge Shaw was William Shaw,
a native of Paisley, Scotland, and who emigrated
to America in boyhood and found his last resting

place at Vevay, Ind., at the expiration of his
allotted three score years and ten. The father ot
William Shaw was John Shaw, who died in In-
diana in 1866, at the age of ninety-one. Mrs.
William Shaw's immediate antecedents were of
England, where she was born, although the
family originated in Holland; her maiden name
was Linda Rous.

At the bar Judge Shaw early earned for him-
self the reputation of an able lawyer, but it is as
a jurist that he is better known to the people of
Los Angeles and California. There is an old
adage that it belongs to a judge to hear cour-
teously, to answer wisely, to consider soberly,
and to decide impartially. Judge Shaw not only
possesses this rare combination of mind, method
and manner, in an eminent degree, but he also
brings to the bench a profound knowledge of the
law and a mind enriched with the best thought
of the day in literature, no less than habits of in-
dustrj', which official life has not destroyed. He
is impartial in his decisions and fearless of friend
or foe. Apt in laying bare the false premises of
an argument, quick in discovering the truth from
the evidence and prompt in applying the correct
principles of law to the facts, Judge Shaw is
recognized as an able jurist.

HON. R. H. F. VARIEL. The subject of
this sketch, Robert Henry Fauntleroy
Variel, was born November 22, 1849, and
is the oldest of five children, two sons and three
daughters, all living.

In 1852 he emigrated with his parents across
the plains, via ox-team, to California, which was
reached in September of that year after many
hardships and privations. The family spent the
following winter (one of the hardest ever known
in California) in a log cabin in the lonely moun-
tains on a branch of the North Fork of the Yuba
river, and early in the following spring settled
at Camptonville, then just started as a prosperous
gold mining camp in the gravel mines on the
ridge between the North and Middle forks of the
Yuba river, in Yuba county, where they re-
mained for a number of years. The father was
a man of excellent habits and character, and of
diligent industry, but without business training

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

753

or the faculty of accumulating wealth, although
possessed of a clear and vigorous understanding.
Finding that lie could not stand the work of
mining he took up and followed his trade of car-
penter and millwright, at which he was an ex-
cellent workman, and by means of it he suc-
ceeded in providing comfortably for his family,
but varying his occupation with holding the office
of justice of the peace, which he did for twelve
years, and after that practicing law with quite
uniform success in justices' courts. His eldest
son, Robert, soon evinced a taste for knowledge
and study and a promising capacity for success
in a professional career; and it was early deter-
mined that he should follow the law. But the
frontier schools of that day in the rough mining
towns of California afforded but scant oppor-
tunity for the ambitious boy; while the want of
means prevented his being sent away from home
to school, except at one time for six months dur-
ing the winter of 1865-66. From 1866 to 1868,
however, he made such progress in his studies
under the direction of A. G. Drake, an accom-
plished instructor, who was fortunately em-
ployed to teach the ungraded public school at
Camptonville during that time, and later under
the instruction of Hon. E. A. Davis, now su-
perior judge of Yuba and Sutter counties, that
immediately after he became eighteen he applied
for and, upon examination, obtained a second
grade certificate, entitling him to teach in the
public schools of that grade in Yuba county,
and, immediately obtaining a school, went to
teaching. From the very first he met with grati-
fying success as a teacher, which profession he
followed for five years, teaching in different
country districts, at one time teaching in an ad-
joining district to one taught by ex-State Super-
intendent Samuel T. Black. In the meantime
he was diligently pursuing his studies and doing
a large amount of miscellaneous reading. In
1870 he obtained a first grade state certificate,
and in the spring of 1871 he removed to Plumas
county, where he taught the public school at
Crescent Mills until the fall of 1873, when he was
nominated on the Republican ticket for district
attorney of Plumas county. Through the influ-
ence of personal friends, and without regard to
political views, he was elected in a strongly Dem-
ocratic county by a handsome majority. This

promotion came in the direct line of his ambition
as a recognition and appreciation of his ability
and character, but, strange to say, before he had
ever read a page of law other than the federal
and state constitutions and the thirty-five page
pamphlet of the California school law, which he
had studied for his examination as a teacher.

Confident, however, of his ability to succeed,
and with all the courage of ignorance, he threw
himself with energy into the arduous work of
both reading law and practicing it at the same
time, taking ofiBce in March, 1874. He dis-
charged the duties of his office with ability, and
was soon recognized as a vigorous and successful
prosecutor of criminals and a safe and careful ad-
viser in the line of his official duty. No better
evidence of this is needed than the circumstance
that he held the office for nine years and volun-
tarily declined to be again a candidate when his
nomination and election were assured. These
were years of the hardest and most unremitting
legal study and research, as indeed have been the
succeeding ones.

In 1876 he married Caroline Vogel, an edu-
cated and talented woman, a native of western
New York, but of German parentage, who also
had, through her own unaided efforts, first by
working out as a hired girl in a California min -
ing and lumbering town and later by teaching
school, acquired a superior education, and by
her he has had three children, a daughter and
two sons, all living.

After his marriage he was admitted to general
practice as an attorney in the old district court —
his previous practice having been confined wholly
to cases in which he had participated as district
attorney — and in 1879 he was admitted to the
state supreme court.

It may be of some interest to know that Mr.
Variel's reading and study of law was at all times
pursued entirely alone and without the aid of in-
structors, and that he first read the Annotated
Penal and Political Codes of California, with the
California Supreme Court Decisions cited in the
notes under the several code sections. This
course of legal study was of his own selection,
and was dictated in part by the circumstance that
his library, as district attorney, consisted of the
California Reports, Statutes and Codes, but
mainly by his necessities, as being the uninformed

■54

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

legal adviser of the other county officers, and the
untrained public prosecutorof criminals, who had
much of that work to do. It was not long, how-
ever, before he had obtained a pretty thorough
grasp of this line of legal study and of its appli-
cation in practice. He then took up alone the
regular course of reading usually prescribed for
law students, and went through this course with
diligence and thoroughness; and soon after his
admission in 1876 he had acquired a standing as
an able and successful practitioner at a bar which
numbered in its ranks many men of superior
ability.

In 1886 Mr. Variel was elected on the Repub-
lican ticket to the state assembly from the dis-
trict comprising Plumas and Sierra counties,
where he became at once one of the acknowledged
leaders, and in proof of this he was appointed
chairman of its judiciary committee. This posi-
tion he filled with credit. He also participated
prominently in the work of the committees on
mining, corporations, constitutional amendments
and elections, and he was, as well, more or less
a potent factor either in the framing or in the
passing of all the important legislation of the ses-
sion, including the Wright irrigation act, but
more especially the act endowing the State Uni-
versity with a permanent support. During this
session a bitter war was carried on between the
advocates of the miners and farmers, growing out
of the efforts of the latter to make the dumping
of tailings iu the mountain streams a felony, and
of the former to enact a law, introduced by Mr.
Variel in the assembly, providing that the miners
might mine and discharge their tailings into the
streams, on condition of first putting in restrain-
ing dams; and Mr. Variel became the acknowl-
edged leader of the miners' fight in the assembly.
His record in the legislature added very much to
his reputation for the possession of superior en-
ergy, ability and integrity.

In 1887 he left Plumas and settled in San
Franci.sco, but his health failing there he re-
moved to Los Angeles in January, 1888, and en-
tered upon the practice of his profession at that
place, where he has since resided. With this
change came enlarged opportunity, but it found
him prepared. Within a few months after com-
ing to Los Angeles a temporary association in
the law practice was formed with Hon. Stephen

M. White. This brought him into such imme-
diate prominence that he quickly won an ex-
cellent standing and practice at the Los Angeles
bar.

During his career in Los Angeles Mr. Variel
has successfully carried through many large busi-
ness transactions, and he has either conducted or
been prominently identified with a number of
very important litigations. Popular with the bar
and among the people, and with some taste for
political life, he nevertheless prefers the hard
labor and the independence of his profession, but
still gives much time to public affairs by reason
»of his active public spirit.

With none of the adventitious aids of fortune
or wealth, Mr. Variel, through the observance of
good habits and by reason of unremitting perse-
verance, study, toil and diligence, aided by his
capacity to win and retain friends, has achieved
a career that may well serve as an example to
every ambitious young man who would rise at
the bar, but finds himself poor, without educa-
tion or training, and without influential friends.

HEAN SENTOUS, a retired stock-dealer re-
I siding in Los Angeles, was born iu Hautte
Q) Garonne, France, January i, 1836, a son of
Francois and Narcissa (Rouillon) Sentous. He
passed the days of boyhood at his father's home.
February 7, 1854, he set sail for the United
States, and arrived in San Francisco on the 14th
of August following, after which he spent a
couple of years in the mines of California. The
year 1856 found him iu Los Angeles, where he
embarked in the dairy business, but after a year
turned his attention to the buying and selling ol
horses and to mining. Some years later he
bought au interest in a dairy near Sonora,
Algerine camp, and conducted that business, also
engaged in raising stock, until an accident re-
sulted in lockjaw that narrowly escaped being
fatal. He went to San Francisco for treatment,
and, upon recovering, began to mine and con-
tinued to carry on a dairy at Algerine camp, at
the same time engaged in raising cattle near
Sonora, and in 1859 engaged also in the butcher
business. February i, 1866, he came to Los
Angeles, and here embarked in the dairy busi-
ness, continuing his interest in mining, and later

^J, JV. /v^U^C/Cccc cui^S^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

755

engaged in the sheep business also. March 13,
1867, he was united in marriage with Theodora
Casanova, who was born in Central America
and was brought to California when one year
old. To their union were born seven children,
all but one of whom are still living, four of
them being married. There are also four grand-
children.

In 1870 Mr. Sentous engaged in the sheep
business, in which he continued until 1883. In
1888 he returned with his family to France, where
he renewed the associations of his youth. He is
living retired, except that he still maintains a
general supervision of his interests. He is de-
voted to the progress and welfare of his adopted
country, and is a patriotic citizen of the United
States.

^HOMAS H. BUCKMASTER, a prominent
/ C walnut grower, builder and contractor, and
V2/ vice-president of the Home Oil Company,
came to Whittier in August, 1894, and has since
conducted the various enterprises in which he is
interested in a way which reflects credit upon him-
self and the community in which his lot is cast.

Of sturdy Scotch ancestry on the paternal side,
Mr. Buckmaster was born in Lee county, Iowa,
August 25, 1854, and is a son of George W. and
Sarah (Chantry) Buckmaster, natives respect-
ively of Iowa and Pennsylvania. George Buck-
master was for many years an agriculturist in Lee
county, Iowa, and fought with courage and dis-
tinction in the Civil war. He died while serving
in the army. Grandfather Buckmaster came
from Scotland in the early part of the century
and settled in Iowa. When an infant in arms his
grandson, Thomas, was taken by his family to
Adair county. Mo., and later, at the age of seven
years, moved to Guthrie county, Iowa, wherehe
lived until about iifteen years of age. He was
reared to farm work and received his first educa-
tional training in the public schools of Iowa and
Nebraska, whither the family later took up their
residence.

In 1878 occurred the marriage of Mr. Buck-
master and Minerva J. Graves, of York county.
Neb., and of this union there are three children:
Guy W. , Clyde E. and Julian K. When twenty-
four years of age Mr. Buckmaster began to learn
the trade of a carpenter and builder, and for eight

succeeding years engaged as a contractor and
builder at Bradshaw, Neb. In the same town he
later became identified with the firm of Tidball
& Fuller, extensive lumber dealers, and con-
tinued to be their manager for eight years.
Upon taking up his residence in Whittier, Cal.,
he was interested for several years in the hard-
ware business, and also worked at his trade of
contractor and builder.

Among the vast number of resources of Cali-
fornia may be mentioned the quite recent dis-
covery of oil, which has opened yet another
avenue of industry and speculation for the dwell-
ers in this state of plenty. Mr. Buckmaster be-
came interested in the departure almost at its in-
ception and was one of the organizers and incor-
porators of the Home Oil Company, and is at this
writing vice-president of the same. For the first
year he served as manager and has since been a
member of the board of directors. On his ranch
in East Whittier are grown walnuts and oranges,
and as an horticulturist and walnut grower he
has been very successful. Fraternally he is
associated with the Ancient Order of United
Workmen. With his family he is a member of,
and active worker in, the Methodist Episcopal
Church. He is regarded as one of Whittier's
most reliable and progressive citizens, and during
his sojourn here has won the confidence and
esteem of all who know him.

(pi DAM KLINE McQUILLING, president of
U the Pasadena Land and Water Company, is
/ I a descendant in the third generation of a
Scotch-Highlander who emigrated to America.
The son of this emigrant, John McQuilling, a
resident of Somerset county. Pa., disHked the
excitement of business and betook himself to the
quietude of agriculture: he died, when almost a
centenarian, a short time prior to the Civil war.
His son, Samuel, was born in Somerset county.
Pa., in 1801 and was married, November 28,
1836, to Miss Anna Flory. By occupation he was
a millwright and a farmer. He died of cholera
in Delta, Ohio, September 6, 1850. His wife,
Anna Flory, was born in Harrison county, Ohio,
October 18, 1821, and is still living.

The paternal grandmother of our subject was
born in America, of German parentage, about

756

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1765, and died in Delta, Ohio, in 1839. His ma-
ternal grandfather, Jonah Flory, was born in
Pennsylvania May 20, 1793, and died in Du-
buque, Iowa, September 6, 1845. He was of
German parentage. His wife, Catherine Knaga,
was born at the Glades, Pa., in 1791, and died in
Mercer county. 111., September 18, 1843. Her
parents were natives of Germany and came to
America, crossing the Alleghanies on horseback
and settling at the Glades, where she was mar-
ried, at twenty jears of age, to Mr. Flory.

The subject of this article was born in Mercer
county. 111., November 29, 1840. When eight
years of age he accompanied his parents to Delta,
Ohio. Two years later two of his sisters and his
father died of cholera and another sister was fa-
tally poisoned by a rattlesnake bite. After this
trying ordeal, the mother and son returned to the
Illinois farm. There Adam cultivated crops in
the summer and attended school in the winter.
In 1857 li's mother and step-father removed to
Charitan county. Mo., and he accompanied them,
remaining there until the threatened outbreak of
the Civil war made the surroundings unpleasant
for one of northern sympathies. In 1861 he re-
turned to Illinois with the intention of taking a
commercial course in Lombard University at
Galesburg. However, patriotism soon supplanted
other things in his mind. He enlisted at Cairo,
111., September 16, 1861, in Company A, Thir-
tieth Illinois Infantry, which was assigned to the
army of the west. He was in Grant's command
at Belmont, Mo., November 7, 1861, and took
part in thecapture of Forts Henry and Donelson.
In the battle of Fort Donelson Company A en-
tered with forty-one men and came out with five
killed, seventeen wounded (one mortally) and
three captured by the enemy. Scarcely a man
escaped uninjured. Captain McQuilling was
saved in a providential manner. As the day was
cold and .stormy he had dressed himself warmly.
While he was in the act of shooting, a bullet
flashed over his left arm at the elbow and struck
him near the heart, penetrating his overcoat,
thick jacket, vest, suspenders and shirt, forcing
a piece of the shirt into the flesh, but fortunately
he escaped with only a flesh wound. He took
part in the siege of Corinth and the occupation of
Jackson, Tenn. At the latter place he was ill
with typhoid fever, from the effects of which he

has never fully recovered. After having to a
certain extent regained his strength, he was, by
order of General Grant, detailed for special duty
in the Jackson, Tenn., hospital, and when it was
closed he was given a furlough of twenty days,
with instructions toreport to the chief of hospitals
in Memphis, Tenn., at the expiration of his leave
of absence. On reporting he was assigned to
duty as hospital commissary at Washington Hos-
pital, Memphis, where he performed his labors
until ordered to Springfield, 111., for discharge.
During his hospital service he was twice exam-
ined for field duty, but both times was rejected.
Though fully entitled to a pension by reason of
his long service and subsequent ill health, he has
never made application for one. He was honor-
ably discharged September 21, 1864.

On his return to Illinois Mr. McQuilling en-
gaged in farming. Later he was a clerk in a
store at Suez, III., in which he became a partner
in due time. During his mercantile life he be-
came acquainted with Margaret Isabel Sedwick,
whom he married November 24, 1870. Her
father, who was of English descent, bore the
name of Washington Sedwick, and was born in
Mercer county. Pa., November 25, 1805. During
his active life he was a Methodist minister. No-
vember 25, 1824, he married Elizabeth Koener,
who was born in Mercer county, of German de-
.scent. He died in Edinburg, Pa., February 3,
1847, and she in Mercer county, July 17, 1874.
Mr. and Mrs. McQuilling are the parents of two
children, Inez May and William S.

In 1875 our subject came to Pasadena, and,
purchasing fifteen acres of land, engaged in rais-
ing citrus and deciduous fruits. During the
"boom" days he sold off" his tract in lots. For a
number of years he was manager of the water de-
partment of the Orange Grove Association. This
was subsequently merged into the Pasadena Land
and Water Company, of which he has been a di-
rector for years and is now the president. He is
a director in the First National Bank of Pasa-
dena. During his service of four years as a mem-
ber of the Pasadena city council he was active in
advancing measures for the benefit of the city.
The value of his citizenship was also shown dur-
ing his service as a school trustee and a trustee
of the public library. In politics he is a Repub-
lican. Fraternally he is connected with the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

757

John Godfrey Post No. 93, G. A. R., at Pasa-
dena. He contributes to the support of the First
Congregational Church of Pasadena, with which
his wife is connected. In a life extending over a
long period of years and crowded with military
and civic activities, he has found many occasions
to be helpful to his fellow-men and to promote
the prosperity of the several localities where he
has made his home, but particularly of Pasadena,
where he has resided for twenty-five years.

pGjjLLIAM WOLFSKILL. No history of
\KI Southern California would be complete
YY without mention of this honored pioneer,
now long since passed to his eternal rest. His
life reads like a page from an old romance. He
was born near Richmond, Ky., March 20, 1798,
of German and Irish parentage. When he was
quite small the family, with others, moved to
what is now Howard county, Mo., then the
heart of the Indian country. During the war of
1812 the Indians were unusually hostile and it
was only by unceasing watchfulness that the
little pioneer band was saved from destruction.
Though few in numbers they were strong in
courage, and from long experience of frontier
life had become even more wily and strategic
than the red men. At the close of the war, in
18 1 5, William and his two sisters were sent back
to Kentucky to attend school. Two years later
he returned to Missouri, where he remained with
his father until he was twenty four years of age.
He then left home and penetrated still further
into unsettled territory. After one year in Santa
Fe he went down the Rio Grande to Paso del
Norte, and trapped for beaver with a native of
New Mexico, who gave proof of his villainy by
shooting Mr. Wolfskill in an endeavor to secure
an insignificant plunder of hides, blankets and
ammunition. However, the blankets, which were
made of homespun, proved to be a most excellent
armor and checked the bullet, which entered the
flesh near the heart, and was probably, to .some
extent, the cause of Mr. Wolfskill's ultimate
death from heart disease.

After a visit to Santa Fe Mr. Wolfskill went to
Taos, and fitted out an expedition to the Colo-
rado river, where he trapped until June. After
another year of exciting skirmishes with Indians

and a trip as far south as Chihuahua, he returned
home in ill health. His next venture was the
buying up of herds of cattle from the western
ranges and driving them to the eastern markets.
This he continued until the spring of 1828, when
he started, with a number of others and with a
load of goods, for New Mexico. He disposed of
his goods there and pursued his way to Califor-
nia, arriving in Los Angeles in February, 1831.
At San Pedro he built El Refugio, which was
probably the first schooner in California. With
it he made one trip to the coast islands in search
of otter, and then sold the vessel, which finally
went to the Sandwich Islands. He next turned
his attention to the cultivation of citrus fruits and
grapes and to the raising of stock, in which he
met with success. In November, 1838, he pur-
chased the place in Los Angeles now occupied
by his son, Joseph W. In 1841 he planted the
first orange grove in this section and demon-
strated the fact that Southern California pos-
sessed a climate that would produce the finest
fruit in the world. In 1S56 he planted two thou-
sand more trees a little southwest of what is now
the Arcade depot, this being the largest orchard
at the time in Southern California. Twenty years
later his son, Joseph W., shipped direct from
this orchard to St. Louis, Mo., the first carload
of oranges ever shipped out of the state; charges
$500, slow freight, nearly a month reaching
destination; the venture proving a financial suc-
cess. As many as twenty-five thousand boxes
of oranges and lemons have been shipped from
his ranch in a single year; but the rapid growth
of the city and the ravages of the white scale
have now almost obliterated the trees.

Besides his intimate connection with the es-
tablishment of the orange industry, Mr. Wolf-
skill was a pioneer in other lines of activity and did
much to show eastern people the fertility of our
soil. He was fond of experimenting, in order to
ascertain just what fruit could be raised here.
He imported sweet almonds from Italy and
planted them here, but the results were not satis-
factory. With the starting of other nuts and
fruits, however, he was more successful. He
did not limit his attention to the raising of fruits
and of stock, or to the buying and selling of
land, although in the latter he had some very
important deals, selling one tract alone for

758

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

$2CK),ooo. He was a man of broad mind and be-
lieved thoroughly in education. Desiring that
his children might have every advantage he es-
tablished a private school and secured the serv-
ices of H. D. Barrows as teacher. In this school
his own children were educated, as well as Will-
iam and Robert Rowland and the sons of other
pioneers. In this way he did much for poster-
ity. His work in the development of this region,
along every line of activity, was such as to win
for him the esteem of his associates and the re-
gard of every lover of Southern California. He
was endowed with a social, genial nature that
enabled him to secure an honored place in the
affection of his friends. One of his character-
istics was a very remarkable memory, and this
trait made him an interesting companion and
conversationalist. He continued to reside at his
Los Angeles homestead until he died, Octobers,
1866.

In January, 1841, Mr. Wolfskill married Dona
Magdalena Lugo, daughter of Don Jose Ygnacio
Lugo and Dona Rafaela Romero Lugo, of Santa
Barbara. They became the parents of six chil-
dren, three now living, Joseph W., Mrs. Charles
J. Shepherd and Mrs. Frank Sabichi. The eld-
est daughter, who married H. D. Barrows, died
in 1863. Lewis married Louisa Dalton, a daugh-
ter of Henry Dalton, of Azusa Raucho; he died
in 1884. Rafaelita died in childhood, in 1855.
Mrs. Wolfskill died July 6, 1862.

30SEPH W. WOLFSKILL. Of the many
thousands of citizens who boast Los An-
geles as their home, there are very few who
can lay claim to being native-born sons of the
city. Mr. Wolfskill is one of the very small
number of men of mature years who were born
in the city where they now reside. His birth
occurred at the family homestead near the pres-
ent site of the Arcade depot, and he still lives in
the house which was built by his father during
the Mexican regime. He was born September
14, 1844, a son of the pioneer, William Wolf-
skill. He was educated largely in a private
school established by his father and maintained
in his home for a number of years. At an early
age he acquired a thorough knowledge of work
on a fruit farm and in a vineyard. Since the

death of his father he has given his attention to
the management of the homestead and of his
own real-estate interests. Like his father, his
characteristics are straightforward honesty and
integrity; like him, too, he is a man of enter-
prise. In politics he has been a stanch Repub-
lican ever since casting his first vote for Abraham
Lincoln. He has been active in the promotion
of the city's industrial interests and at one time
served as a member of the council. In 1869 he
married Miss Elena de Pedrorena, by whom he
has ten children now living.

30E A. WELDT, a representative citizen and
progressive business man of San Pedro, has
passed his entire life in this immediate vicin-
ity, and is deeply interested in everything tending
to promote the welfare of this section. Within
his recollection the desert-like sand hills of the
outlying districts have been made "to bloom and
blossom like the rose," and within the past few
years the battle for the wonderful harbor of San
Pedro has been fought and won, and the future
of this place forever assured.

The birth of Mr. Weldt occurred in Wilmington,
Cal., in 1868, and in that town, which is situated
only two miles or so north of San ^edro, his
boyhood days were passed. His father, William
Weldt, had taken up his residence there some
five years previously, and had become well
known and respected among the few inhabitants
of that region.

For a number of years Joe A. Weldt held a
position as a clerk in a local store, there learning
the lessons of business integrity and foresight
which have been put into practice by him in his
subsequent career. Several years ago, as he had
amassed a little capital by economy and good
management, he embarked in trade upon his own
account, and now carries a full line of dry goods,
groceries, hardware and general supplies, for
which there is a demand. He is considered one
of the leading citizens of San Pedro, and his per-
sonal prosperity has been closely associated with
its development. His store, which has a front-
age of twenty-five feet and is sixty feet in depth,
is well stocked with seasonable wares, and the
two stories and basement are taxed to their limit

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

761

with the nicely arranged departments of goods.
The proprietor strives to supply his customers
with just what they wish in his line, and his
courtesy to everyone with whom he has dealings
makes him popular with all classes.

In his political creed Mr. Weldt is an ar-
dent Democrat, and for the past eight years he
has served as city treasurer of the city of San
Pedro. He takes an active interest in our
city schools, and for many years served as a
member of the board of education, resigning
some time ago in order to devote his attention
more exclusively to other matters.

The organization known as the Native Sons of
the Golden West was a flourishing society here-
abouts for a period, and Mr. Weldt took an active
part in its meetings as long as it continued in
existence. He deserves great credit for the
manly wa}' in which he has met and overcome
the diflBculties with which a poor youth always
has to contend, as he is a self-made man in every
respect.

QROF. JAMES A. FOSHAY. The state of
LX New York has been very prolific and gen-
fH erous in supplying other parts of the coun-
try with honorable and able men. She added to
that list a worthy name when she gave James A.
Foshay to Southern California. The early years
of his life were quietly passed in the east. Little,
indeed, did it then enter his mind that before he
would enter the old age of youth or cross the
threshold of the youth of old age, he would be
superintendent of schools in a city of one hundred
and twenty thousand people, a city whose educa-
tional facilities are the peer of any other in these
great United States.

Dr. Foshay was born at Cold Spring, N. Y.,
November 25, 1856. His father, Andrew Jack-
son Foshaj', a native of the same village, born
January 21, 1830, married Emeline Griffin,
who was born at Garrison, N. Y., May 18, 1829.
Both are yet living. His father was a son of
Lynes and Ruhannah (Smalley) Foshay, who
lived on a farm at Kent, N. Y., and his maternal
grandparents were John and Effie Griffin, natives
of Phillipstown, Putnam county, N. Y. He had
two great-grandfathers, John Smalley and John
Foshay, who served with honor in the Revolu-
37

tionary war, and the former of these attained
the age of one hundred and one years.

After having gained a rudimentary education
in an old-time district school, the subject of this
article in 1875 entered what is now known as the
State Normal College at Albany, N. Y., and
from that institution he graduated with honor in
1879. For three years he taught in public
schools, after which he was elected school com-
missioner of Putnam countj', N. Y., for a term
of three years. At the expiration of that period
he was re-elected. About the time of his second
call to the office, in 1884, he was chosen secretary
of the New York State Association of School
Commissioners and Superintendents. In 1885
and 1886 he was re-elected to that important
trust.

March 18, 1885, Prof. Foshay married Miss
Phebe Powell Miller, who was born in Carmel,
Putnam county, N. Y., May 2, 1856. Her
father, John Griffin Miller, was born in Ama-
walk, Westchester county, N. Y., the son of
a wealthy and respected farmer of that county;
he became a lawyer and engaged in practice at
Carmel, where he died. His wife was Phebe
Powell Carpenter, who was born in Amawalk,
daughter of Isaac Carpenter, a land owner of
Westchester county.

After his marriage Prof Foshay resided in
Putnam county until his term of office expired.
In 1887 he and his wife came to California and
settled in Monrovia, where he taught success-
fully in the grammar school. In July, 1888, he
was elected principal of the Monrovia school, a
position that he filled acceptably, winning sure
ground for more extensive usefulness. During
1889 he was appointed a member of the board of
education of Los Angeles county, which station
he held for six years, being president of the board
in 1891-92. In 1893 he was called to the position
of deputy superintendent of schools in Los An-
geles city; re-elected in 1S94, and in 1895 was
chosen superintendent, which position he still ac-
ceptably fills. It is a matter of record and con-
gratulation among all of the people that at no
time in the history of the schools of Los Angeles
has such great progress been made and such ef-
ficiency maintained in all departments, as under
the wise and judicious management of the man
who now directs them.

762

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

In June, 1898, the degree of Doctor of Ped-
agogy was conferred upon Prof. Foshaj'. The
following personal letter is self-explanatory:

President's Office
State Normal College, Albany, N. Y.

June i6th, 1898.
Dr. J.\mes a. Foshay,

Superintendent of Schools,
Los Angeles, Cal.

My Dear Dr. Foshay: —

Our institution to-day conferred upon you the
degree of Doctor of Pedagogy. This degree can-
not be earned by passing examinations, but is
given to those only who have distinguished
themselves as educators. It is therefore a mark
of distinction and a proper recognition of your
high rank as an educator.

The secretary of our board of trustees will
probably notify you of the action taken to-day,
but I could not refrain from sending you my own
congratulations.

Very sincerely yours,

(Signed) William J. Milne.

The appreciation in which Dr. Foshay is held
as an educator is shown by his election as presi-
dent of the Southern California Teachers' Asso-
ciation, also his election as member of the Califor-
nia Council of Education and the National Coun-
cil of Education, and as second vice-president of
the National Educational Association. In 1898
he came east to the National Educational Asso-
ciation's convention, where he succeeded, in
spite of considerable opposition, in securing a de-
cision to hold the next meeting of the association
in Los Angeles. Of the success of this gathering,
held in 1899, there has been no question; it is
universally admitted to have been one of the
most profitable and pleasant conventions ever
held by the organization, and this fact is largely
due to the unwearied efforts of the one who from
the first championed the selection of this city for
the convention.

Dr. Foshay is a director of the Southern Cali-
fornia Academy of Sciences and has taken an ac-
tive part in musical culture and in literary soci-
eties. The addresses he has made upon impor-
tant educational topics are preserved and studied
as affording thought for mental development.
Among these addresses are: "School Super-

vision," "The Teacher's Work," "School Disci-
pline," "Vocal Music as an Educational Fac-
tor," "Some Additions to the Three Rs," "Pub-
lic School Methods in Sunday School Work" and
"Some Tendencies in Modern Education." Dr.
Foshay is interested in politics only as an educa-
tor, but votes the Republican ticket. He is an
enthusiastic Mason and is at present deputy
grand master of the Grand Lodge of California
and eminent commander of Los Angeles Com-
madery No. 9, K. T. He and his wife are active
members of the Baptist Church and are promi-
nent iu social functions of a high-class.

The field of compliment must always be en-
tered with delicacy by the biographical writer;
yet he cannot forbear the statement that he who
admires intelligent expression of countenance,
square shoulders, well-proportioned body, a mag-
nificent physique with a dignified bearing, will
find them all in Dr. Foshay, who has chosen a
calling iu life, which, when faithfully pursued,
lifts out of the bane and blight of ignorance a
multitude to bless the providence that made the
way possible for great achievements.

pGJiLLIAM S. VAWTER. No citizen of
\ A / Santa Monica is more thoroughly repre-
V Y sentative or has been more devoted to the
promotion of its welfare than William S. Vawter,
whose name is widely known for the prominent
part he has taken in local progress and develop-
ment. His means and influence have been un-
sparingly used in the fostering of infant enter-
prises and industries and improvements which he
believed would prove of permanent benefit to the
place of his abode and to Southern California in
general. Wealth and high standing came to
him as the reward of long-continued, indefatiga-
ble industry, and no one who has known him in
past years, and is aware of the bravery and pluck
with which he met and conquered the obstacles
in his pathway, one by one, could for a moment
feel envious of his success.

Perhaps Mr. Vawter inherited some of his busi-
ness ability from his father, who was a well-to-do
merchant of Vernon, Ind., for a great many
years. William S. was born in the town men-
tioned, April I, 1845, and when he was sixteen
years old he became deputy to his father, who

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

763

had been appointed postmaster of Vernon by
President Lincoln. For four years the young
man continued to serve the public in that capac-
ity, and then for about a year he acted in the po-
sition of deputy county clerk' of Jennings county.
The year that he attained his majority he took
charge of the Vernon Banner, a weekly news-
paper, which he carried on for two years success-
fully. His next venture was to embark in the
manufacturing business in Vernon, and thus he
was employed until 1875.

In August of the year mentioned William S.
and E. J. Vawter, brothers, joined their interests
and came to California, and here it may be said
that from that time until the present they have
been actively associated in scores of enterprises,
their relations being extremely harmonious. Ar-
riving in Santa Monica before any improvements
whatever had been made, they nevertheless de-
cided to make their permanent home here, fore-
seeing that a flourishing town was destined to
spring into life here. For ten years, from 1875
to 1885, the brothers conducted a mercantile busi-
ness, and then embarked in the lumber trade and
established the First National Bank of Santa
Monica, William S. giving his chief attention to
the management of the lumber business; while
E. J. served as president of the bank. Later
they founded the Commercial Company of Santa
Monica, now a thriving concern, of which E. J.
is the president and W. S. the vice-president.
They were the leaders in the building of the
horse-car line from Santa Monica to the Soldiers'
Home and continued to operate it for a number
of years, or until the new electric road from Los
Angeles was being constructed, when they sold
out to that company. Soon after their coming to
this state they were actively connected with the
little colony which founded Pasadena upon land
bought for that purpose, and both brothers still
own valuable real estate there, as well as in Los
Angeles and Santa Monica. Originally they
owned one hundred acres of land adjoining the
corporation limits of Santa Monica, and after dis-
posing of a portion of it they retain a large and
very desirable tract. Two years ago W. S. Vawter
erected a handsome modern residence in one of
their additions to Santa Monica, known as Ocean
Park, and the prospects for the future of this re-
sort are very bright. The site overlooks the

ocean on the west, while on the east and south
is a beautiful valley. All kinds of trees and flow-
ering plants have been set out, and within a few
years it is more than likely that scores of valua-
ble homes will dot the landscape at this attractive
point.

Among the innumerable local enterprises in
which Mr. Vawter has been financially concerned
the city water-works plant, which he assisted in
establishing, has been one of the most useful to
the public. He was the first trustee of the town
after its incorporation, and has figured more or
less in local politics. When President Harrison
was the chief executive, he appointed Mr. Vawter
to the position of postmaster of the town, and he
continued to serve in that capacity until Cleve-
land had been in office for about a year. He is a
stanch Republican, and fraternally is a Knight
of Pythias. As might be expected of so good a
citizen, he has been deeply interested in the
public-school system, and served as a member
of the board of school trustees for a period.

In 1868 Mr. Vawter married Miss Sarah M.
McClasky, a native of Jackson county, Ind., but
then a resident of Vernon. The only child of
this union is Mary C, wife of John R. Moore, of
the Los Angeles National Bank.

30HN P. FLEMING. Among the promi-
nent and influential, pioneers living in the
vicinity of Downey may be mentioned John
P. Fleming, who, since taking up his residence
here in 1869, has had much to do with the devel-
oping of the great resources of the locality. Be-
fore settling in California he led a somewhat
roving life, and in his travels over different parts
of the country supplemented a rather defective
education by constantly acquired information on
many subjects.

A native of Madison county, N. C, he was
born September 5, 1846, and is a son of James
G. and Elizabeth (Davis) Fleming, natives re-
spectively of Virginia and North Carolina. He
received his early training on his father's farm,
and, as opportunity offered, attended the schools
of his district. When sixteen years of age he
volunteered and joined the Confederate Sons of
America, and was in the Second North Carolina
Battalion, Company A (Captain Allen), General

764

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Daniels' brigade, which constituted part of the
armj- of Virginia. He served under General Lee
for three jears, and was elevated to the rank of
second lieutenant and sent back to North Carolina.
Here he served as second lieutenant of the state
troops until the close of the war. He participated
in the battles of Roanoke Island, where he was
captured with four thousand others, and after
being exchanged took part in the battles of
Snicker's Ferrj-, Va., and Little Washington,
N. C. On the retreat from Gettysburg, while
in General Daniel's brigade, he was shot in the
leg with a spent ball while on the skirmish line.
He was also in manj' other battles and skirmishes
in East Tennessee and western Virginia.

After the war Mr. Fleming returned to North
Carolina, and in August of 1865 he started for
Texas, having only $1.50 and an old silver
watch, and rode a mule the entire distance. In
August of 1868 he started for California flat
broke, traveling by way of mule and horseback,
and assisting in driving a large herd of cattle,
one thousand four hundred in number. The
journey across the plains was a long and tedious
one, having .several skirmishes with Indians dur-
ing the route, and lasted from August until the
following January. When they arrived at their
destination in Southern California they had one
thousand head of cattle, having sold two hundred
head in Arizona and lost two hundred en route.

Mr. Fleming settled permanently on his pres-
ent ranch upon first coming to California. April
14, 1869, he married Mary E. Johnson, a na-
tive of Arkansas. To Mr. and Mrs. Fleming
were born eight children (seven of whom are
living): William C, a dairyman; Mrs. L. E.
Dahling; Elizabeth, deceased; John L-, an attor-
ney at Los Angeles; Frost F., an engineer; Dave
P., a student; Ella and Eula.

Mr. Fleming's land was unimproved when first
purchased, and the high state of cultivation is
due to his enterprise and arduous efforts. He
personally planted all of the fruit-bearing trees,
and prepared the soil for the reception of the
seed. In addition to his original ranch he owns
a thirty-acre dairy farm near Downey, at present
milking fifty head. The farm, for excellence of
management and perfection of detail, is unsur-
passed. He is the possessor of a forty -acre farm
at Calabasas.upon which are rai.sed hay and grain;

also owns a .seventy-acre stock ranch three miles
south of Downey. It will thus be seen that his
time is much occupied with his various enter-
prises. He yet has time, however, to devote to
the institutions erecled for the bettering and im-
provement of his locality. For one year he served
as water overseer of Los Nietos in the '80s. For
seven years he was manager of the Arroyo Ditch,
and is now president of the Arroyo Ditch Com-
pany No. I . He is a member of the Los Nietos
and Ranchito Walnut Growers' As.sociation; also
a stockholder in the Downey Co-operative Cream-
ery, the most successful creamery in the state.
In politics Mr. Fleming is affiliated with the
Democratic party, but has never been an office
seeker. He is regarded as one of the most pro-
gressive and successful of the large land owners
of his vicinity, and has won the esteem of the
community by his adherence to principle and his
intelligent interest in all that pertains to the de-
velopment of his adopted country. In spite of
his very active life, full of hardships and respon-
sibilities, he is as energetic as he was in youth;
he has just purchased a new saddle, and says he
can ride as well as when he rode the mule to
California.

(TULIUS B. WILLEY. Prior to taking up
I his permanent residence near Whittier, Julius
O B. Willey led a life full of variety, change
and adventure. To such an one the peaceful
phase of existence as an horticulturist, agricul-
turist or grower of English walnuts in this land
of abundant sunshine, and almost invariable
good humor, must be a haven, indeed.

The very early days of Julius B. Willey were
spent on his father's farm near New Albany,
Ind. , where he was born June 5, 1848. His father,
Brazila Willey, died when our subject was only
ten months old. When only three years old his
mother, Augusta (Woodroof) Willey, moved
from Indiana to Appanoose county, Iowa, where
they lived for several years. Subsequently, how-
ever, they went to Allen county, Kans., where
the lad grew to be a man, and where he received
an excellent home training and the usual educa-
tion to be derived at the public schools.

July I, 1864, Mr. Willey enlisted in Company
I, Sixteenth Kansas Cavalry, under General Pope.
The company operated extensively against the

,.l

^^^^<^

'^<^4l

'j2-^U^^£^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

767

Indians on the plains, and was engaged during
the entire war, being mustered out of service in
November, 1S65. After the war Mr. Willey en-
gaged in farm pursuits in Allen county, Kans. ,
until 1872, and then settled in Ventura county,
Cal. , where he was also interested in agriculture
for a short time. Subsequently he went to Ari-
zona, and spent a time in each of four different
counties, covering a period altogether of twenty
years, during which time he successfully engaged
in stock-raising.

Mr. Willey was married in Kansas to Nellie F.
Williams, of Allen county, that state, and of this
union there are eight children: Joseph A., Fred-
erick H., Walter W., Harry R., John F., Benja-
min H., Nellie F. and George E. Mr. Willey is
a Republican, but has never been an oflBce-seeker.
He is a member of the Grand Army of the Re-
public at Whittier.

Mr. Willey's claim consists of twenty-seven
and a half acres, mostly devoted to the cultiva-
tion of English walnuts and alfalfa. He has de-
veloped his ranch from a grain- field to its present
condition of utility and resource. As a business
man he has abundant opportunity to justify the
great expectations of his friends and associates
in the capacity of vice-president of the Colina
Tract Water Company. As an enterprising, re-
liable citizen, as a man and friend, and as a pro-
mulgator of many enterprises for the upbuilding
of the community in which he lives, Mr. Willey
has no peer.

I GUIS MESMER was born in the village of
It Surburd, Canton Sulz, Alsace, France (now
1_3 Germany), February 20, 1829. His boy-
hood days were employed in helping his parents
to cultivate their various pieces or strips of land,
with only such limited schooling in the winter
time that inclemency of the weather would not
otherwise permit. At the age of fourteen years
he went to the town of Hagenau, about fourteen
miles distant, to learn the baker's trade, and
after having served an apprenticeship of four
years he went to the city of Strassburg, where
he started a bakery. This flourished, and soon
his business was sought after and he sold out,
going to the city of Colmar, thence to Paris,
where he stayed for some time. There he con-
cluded to trend his way westward to the city of

Havre, with the ultimate view of getting to the
United States. At Havre he opened a stand for
the sale of doughnuts. These soon became popu-
lar, and ready buyers for his stand were numer-
ous, and he had no difiiculty in making a good
sale. He then embarked for New York, from
there to Syracuse, thence to Buffalo. Being un-
able to talk English, he took employment as a
journeyman. After he became fairly advanced
in the English language he went from Buffalo to
Cincinnati, thence to Dayton; from there to Tip-
pecanoe City, Ohio, where he began a bakery
business. After successfully establishing himself
he married Miss Katherine Forst.

Three years afterward he determined to setk
his fortune in California, and in the spring of
1858 left Tippecanoe City for New York City;
thence by steamer via Panama to San Francisco.
Upon his arrival at San Francisco the Calavares
and Mokelimme Hill gold excitements were at
their height, which attracted him to these mining
regions. When the news was heralded of the
rich discoveries in Cariboo, British Columbia, he
at once returned to San Francisco to take the
steamer for Victoria to the Cariboo and Fraser
river mines. Not finding himself to be a suc-
cessful miner he returned to Victoria and there
opened a bakery. His bread soon became so
famous that the English officials furnished him
with flour to make their bread. For this he was
favored in the buying of his flour. Here his op-
portunities for making money were most satis-
factory, but owing to the absence of his family
he decided to sell out, which he did, returning
to San Francisco. From San Francisco he wrote
to his family to meet hiiu there. In the interval
of their coming he took employment on one of
the Panama Pacific mail steamers as pastry baker.
On the arrival in San Francisco of his family,
which then consisted of his wife and son Joseph,
he met them upon the return of his steamer, and
after a few days' stop in San Francisco he was
informed that Los Angeles was a good prospec-
tive town, so with his family he took steamer
passage for Los Angeles, arriving here in Octo-
ber, 1859. Los Angeles had a population at that
time of about thirty-five hundred people. It was
a livel}' place; everybody seemed to have money,
for those who had money were willing to give to
those who had none. After a short stay at the

768

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Lafayette (uow known as the St. Elmo) hotel
he purchased Ulj'ard's bakery, southwest corner
of First and Main streets, where the Natick house
now stands. In less than a year he had control
of all the best bread patrons in the city. He was
the only baker that ever made Jewish passover
bread in this city, and this he sold to nearly all
the Jewish families in Southern California. This
bakery he sold out in the year 1861 at a good ad-
vance and purchased the New York bakery from
Peter Balz, and after a short while he had this
bakery in a very flourishing condition.

The outbreak of the war of the Rebellion
caused the stationing here of a regiment of sol-
diers under Colonel Carlton. The selection of
their camp was made on the La Ballona ranch,
near Ballona creek, and about three-quarters of
a mile southwest from the present La Ballona
Railroad station, which was named Camp Leigh-
ton. Mr. Mesmer secured the contract to furnish
bread for the soldiers. He built a brick bake-
oven on the grounds, supplied all the bread to
the soldiers and ranchers in that vicinity, while
at the same time he was conducting his business,
the New York bakery, in this city. The con-
ducting of two places of business at two points
so widely separated, each necessitating his pres-
ence, made it too difficult, so he sold out the New
York bakery (which at that time had grown to
considerable proportions), and established a small
bakery in the building on the southwest corner
of Los Angeles and Commercial streets. After a
few months he moved his bakery to North Main
street, where the First National Bank is now
located. This being a good stand the business
soon prospered. In the spring of 1863 the sol-
diers were moved from Camp Leighton to tem-
porary camp at Highland Park, near the Occi-
dental College. The soldiers were then furnished
with bread from his Los Angeles bakery, and the
Camp Leighton bakery was moved, except the
bake-oven.

In the fall of 1863, having heard of the large
profits made by traders plying between Los An-
geles and the mining camps of Arizona, Mr.
Mesmer and a Mr. Yander fitted out a fourteen-
span prairie "schooner" and trailer. These were
loaded with groceries and provisions. Luck went
against them from the start. The night before
starting one of his mules strangled himself, and

on the following day, going down the incline on
the El Monte road near Savannah, through the
brake catching, another mule was killed. The
outgoing journey from this on went well, the gro-
ceries and provisions were sold at most satisfac-
tory prices and thej- were homeward bound with
high hopes, when some jealous trader, envious of
their competition, poisoned the water spring from
which the stock had been given to drink. All
the horses and mules died, and while they were
dying a heavy windstorm arose, blowing stones
as big as hen's eggs, almost covering the entire
wagons and completely obliterating the road.
The sudden change of hope was heart-rending.
Their saddened and worried feelings can be
better imagined than described, on the lonely
desert road, with not a single animal left to pull
a wagon or ride to a point to secure aid. They
finally concluded to abandon the wagons and
strike out on foot for the nearest stage station ,
from which point passage was secured for Los
Angeles.

While Mr. Mesmer was off on the trading
venture his wife conducted the bakery. In 1864
Mr. and Mrs. Strassforth, who were then conduct-
ing the United States hotel, southeast corner of
Main and Requena streets, desired to sell, and he
finally concluded to sell his bakery and try his
hand at the hotel business. His wife said, as a
rolling stone gathers no moss, neither would he
be real successful until he settled down to one busi-
ness and remained therein. During the four and
a-half years' residence in Los Angeles they had
moved five times, and she did not intend to move
again until they had accumulated a sufficiency.
During the five years from 1864 to 1869 the hotel
business proved a big winner, from the profits of
which he purchased at different times small adobe
holdings adjoining, which he improved as his
means would permit, until he had a frontage of
one hundred and forty-two feet on Main street.
In 1868 he was instrumental in opening Commer-
cial street east to Alameda street. In 1869 he
rented the hotel to Messrs. Gray and Adams and
decided to visit his native land, so with his fam-
ily (which then consisted of his wife, sons Joseph
and Tony, and daughter Christina) he left for
one year's visit to the old country. In 1871 he
purchased from Mr. Hayes the property on the
west side of Broadway, between First and Second

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

769

streets, which he occupied for upwards of fifteen
years as his family residence. In 1872 he pur-
chased from Don Manuel Requena the Yarrow
corner, adjoining his Main street property on the
east, on which he built the present two-story
brick building, southwest corner of Los Angeles
and Requena streets. He also opened Requena
(then called Liberty) street east through to Ala-
meda.

In 1874, at the request of Bishop Amat and
his coadjutor, Bishop Mora, he was asked to take
full charge in the erection and building of St.
Vibiana Cathedral, on Main near Second street.
He not only superintended the work on this
structure, but also solicited thousands of dollars
of donations towards its completion. In 1876 he
visited with his wife the Centennial Exhibition
at Philadelphia. In 1880 he had put down
the first regular cement-squares sidewalk, and
for this he was arrested for an infringement of
the Schilinger patent. As there were no federal
courts south of San Francisco he was arrested,
taken by the United States marshal to San Fran-
cisco, and there the case was compromised for
doing just what cement contractors are doing to-
day. He broke the value of the patent, which
inured to the public's benefit, but at a cost of
over $800 to himself. In 1884 he purchased
from F. Reverin seventy-nine feet on Los An-
geles street adjoining his property on the south,
on which he erected the present two-story brick
building. In 1886 he let the contract for the
building of the present new United States Hotel
building. This was the first piece of building
work that was not done under his direct super-
vision and by day's work. In 1887 he became
associated in the building of an artificial harbor
at La Ballona lake. A great deal of money was
spent in this enterprise, which through lack of
study and proper management was not carried to
a successful conclusion.

October 2, 1891, the boon companion of his
struggles was called to her earthly reward. July
15, 1S93, he married Mrs. Jennie E. Swan. His
family consists of his sons Joseph, Tony and Al-
phonse, and his daughters Christina and Lucile,
now Mrs. G. J. Gri£5th and Mrs. Charles L.
Whipple, also a step-daughter, Mrs. Ziba Pat-
terson.

It is safe to say that the first ten years after

his arrival in this city he threw his whole life
and energies into his work, putting in from
eighteen to nineteen hours daily. Only a
man of extraordinary physique could have en-
dured such herculean work. That he had the
greatest faith in the great future of the city of his
adoption is proved by the improvements that he
has erected from time to time on money which he
borrowed at times when there was considerable
doubt of Los Angeles' future.

This is the career of one who started away
from a little Alsatian village to the western ex-
treme of America with nothing but indomitable
courage, pluck and enterprise to aid him. While
Mr. Mesmer was by no means faultless, there are
hundreds who have been the recipients of his
kind favors who will always remember the
benevolent hand of their benefactor.

(lAMES BROADBENT, a well-known walnut-
I grower of the Ranchito district, was born in
O Kent county, Ontario, Canada, October 3,
1835, a son of John and Lydia (Pardo) Broad-
bent, natives respectively of England and New
York state. When his father was twenty-one
years of age he left his native country and
crossed the ocean to Canada, settling in Kent
county, Ontario, and taking up the occupation of
a farmer. During the subsequent years of his life
he followed agricultural pursuits, and, while he
never gained wealth, he gained that which is more
to be desired, the esteem of associates and the de-
voted love of family and friends. At the time of
his death he was almost eighty years of age.

Naturally, as a farmer's son, Mr. Broadbent
became familiar with agricultural pursuits at an
early age, and as soon as he was old enough to
assist he was given work in the field. In the
winter time, when work on the farm was slack,
he attended country schools near home, but did
not have more than limited educational advan-
tages. The knowledge acquired by him was
rather in the school of experience and life than
from a study of text books. Soon after attaining
his majority he established domestic ties, being
united in marriage with Mary A. White, a sister
of Walter W. White, of the Ranchito district, in
whose sketch the family history appears. Their
marriage resulted in the birth of eight children,

770

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

namely: John W., of this district; Mrs. Charles
Harvey, whose home is in Kent county, Ontario;
Mrs. Thomas J. Matthews, of this district; Mrs.
Emerson Mannig, of Kent county, Ontario; An-
drew E., who is ranching near his father's home;
and Roy J., Linda and Lloyd, all of whom remain
with their parents. The family are connected
with the Presbyterian Church, to the support of
which they are regular contributors.

In 1893 Mr. Broadbent came to the Ranchito
district, where he now makes his home. He is
the owner of a ranch of twenty-five acres, mostly
under walnuts, and his attention is closely given
to the improvement and cultivation of this prop-
erty. The shipment and marketing of his prod-
ucts are made through the Los Nietos and Ranch-
ito Walnut Growers' Association, of which he is
a member.

m P. CREASINGER. In reviewing the career
2\ of S. P. Creasinger a few facts stand out
iZ/t ^'ith special distinctness, and, believing
that there is much of inspiration and many use-
ful lessons to be drawn from his life, more
particularl}' by the ambitious j'oung men of this
day, the following outline has been penned:

First and foremost, it should be stated that
Mr. Creasinger is a fine example of that essen-
tially America product — a self-made man, one
who has risen to wealth and financial prominence
.solely by and through his own merits, and sec-
ondly, that he is kindl}' and sympathetic toward
his brother-men, and constantly striving to aid
others to happiness and prosperity. Briefly his
early life passed without notable events, and by
living out under the open .sky and by years of
labor in the fields and on the farm, he laid the
foundation of the abundant health and vitality
with which he is blessed. He earned his first
money by riding a plow-horse from morning
until night, day after day, when he was eight
years of age, and was paid at the rate of ten
cents a day. When twelve years old he was
employed in a brick yard at $1.50 a week, and
walked four miles to and fro every day, carrjing
his lunch. Even five years later he could have
been found hard at work in the harvest field, and
proud to receive his pay at the end of the week,
three whole dollars. Then the dreadful struggle
between the north and south came on, and at

eighteen years of age, the youth cast aside the
scythe and hoe and donned the blue uniform of
those who noblj' fought for the preservation of
the Union. As may be inferred, his educational
opportunities were extremely limited, and he
has been forced to rely upon individual effort in
this direction, as in all others. He possessed
the pluck, energy and perseverance, however,
that constitute the keynote of success, and, over-
coming one obstacle after another, he steadily
rose until now he is in the zenith of his powers.
One of the leading features of Mr. Creasinger's
success is his sterling integrity of word and deed;
and right here it may be said that though hun-
dreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps millions,
altogether, of his clients' money have passed
through his hands, not one dollar has been lost
to them, and, as the records of thiscount}- show,
not one mortgage, given for the vast sums of
money loaned, has ever been foreclosed by him.
This is a truly remarkable fact, and we doubt
whether any other real- estate and loaning firm
in the country has a record comparable to this.
For the past seventeen years he has been engaged
in the real-estate and loan business in Los An-
geles, but recently has engaged more extensively
in the mining business, buying, selling and also
operating mines in the United States and Mexico.
His present offices are situated at No. 218 South
Broadway. He employs a small army of com-
petent persons, his office force being especiallj-
capable and efficient, and upon his numerous
ranches in Southern California he necessarily
keeps many people to manage them properly. In
addition to these valuable lands he owns prop-
erty in other parts of this state, in Oregon,
Washington, Nevada and other western states.
His financial investments are not confined to the
west, however, as his interests in various sec-
tions of the Union are very extensive. He
leases many of his ranches to responsible tenants,
and reaps a golden harvest every year from the
sale of fruit from his fruit farms and the sale of
the products of his dairy farms. He owns valu-
able city property in Los Angeles and other
Southern California towns and cities, and trans-
acts an immense amount of business in this di-
rection. Like the majority of the successful
men of to-day in the world of business, he is an
extensive, though judicious advertiser, and the

J^^^^J^^^^r^-z-^-^-^C^y^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

773

pictured representation of his cheerj' counte-
nance, with its high, broad forehead, and shrewd
yet kindly eyes, is familiar to everyone in this
locality.

Mr. Creasinger was married in Gratiot county,
Mich., November 25, 1875, to Miss Clara A.
Jones, daughter of Roswell Jones. One daugh-
ter now living blessed this 'union, Grace L.
Creasinger.

pGJiLLIAM FERGUSON. By her rich and
\ A / varied resources California has drawn to
Y Y ber unshackled energies the sons of many
states and countries. They came hoping to
attain personal success, and, to such extent as
they have been fortified by determination, per-
severance, intelligence and sound judgment, they
have gained prosperity. While promoting their
personal interests, at the same time they have ad-
vanced the welfare of their adopted state and
have been found on the side of progress and jus-
tice in every cause. As one of this class mention
belongs to William Ferguson, of Los Angeles.
He was born in Washington county, Ark., Jan-
uary 20, 1832, a son of John C. and Elizabeth
(English) Ferguson. His father was a native of
Virginia and in 1831 became a resident of
Arkansas, where he died at the age of sixty-eight
years; he was a son of a Scotchman, who settled
in Virginia on his arrival in this country, and
there followed the occupation of an iron-worker,
with the exception of the time of his service in
the Revolutionary war. The lady whom he mar-
ried was a Pennsylvanian and a member of a
family identified with the eastern states from an
early colonial period. She died at the residence
of her grandson, our subject, when very advanced
in years. The mother of our subject was born in
Tennessee and died in Arkansas when forty years
of age. Of her seven children all but two are
still living.

The boyhood years of our subject's life were
passed in a very quiet and uneventful manner.
Nothing of importance occurred in his life until
he was eighteen years of age, in 1850. He then
left the home farm and with an uncle and several
neighbors started by the overland route for Cali-
fornia. Their first stop was at Mud Springs,
near San Dimas, but they remained there a few
days only, and then turned their attention to

mining, which was then in the height of its
popularity. They had spent the entire time from
April 18 to August 10 on their trip across the
plains and came to the coast with the determina-
tion to gain a pecuniary reward to recompense
them for all the hardships of the trip. From
Mud Springs they went to Sacramento and then
to Nevada City, Cal. He almost died during
the winter of 1850-51. In the spring of 1851 Mr.
Ferguson went to the salmon regions, where he
believed he might work successfully. However,
after a short stay there he proceeded to Trinity
county and began mining and freighting. Upon
realizing a fair remuneration for his adventures
and hardships he disposed of the business he had
established and in 1857 returned by steamer via
the Isthmus of Panama to New York, thence go-
ing to his old Arkansas home.

The taste he had experienced of life in the
trans-Rocky region, however, rendered Mr. Fer-
guson dissatisfied with the idea of spending the
remainder of his life in Arkansas. Accordingly ,
he arranged his affairs so as to render possible
his permanent settlement in the coast country.
In the spring of 1858 he again sought the regions
of Trinity county, Cal., and followed agriculture
and the manufacture of lumber for three years,
when he went to the mines in Nevada and began
mining. From Nevada he proceeded to Idaho
and thence to Trinity county to settle some busi-
ness. After spending a short time in San Fran-
cisco he went to Petaluma and embarked in stock-
raising. He engaged in that occupation for a
few years, then, in 1868, came to Los Angeles to
settle the estate of his brother. Afterward he
took two large herds of cattle north, then visited
San Diego, and finally settled permanently in
Los Angeles. Being a man of keen business
perceptions, he saw an excellent opening in the
growing metropolis of Southern California. He
opened a livery stable, which he carried on for
two years, and then sold out the stock but re-
tained the property. He also turned his attention
to the buying and selling of real estate. During
these years he laid the foundation for a pros-
perous business and a position of influence in
Los Angeles. Besides buying and selling city
property, he also dealt in outside realty. In 1870
he purchased stock in the water company, of
which he was a director for many years. With

774

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

such an expansive mind he could not be narrow
in his views, and heuce he interested himself in
every enterprise for the benefit of the cit}'.

About 1890 he engaged in the manufacture of
brick, water and sewer pipes, terra cotta and fire
brick, and still maintains his interest in this
plant, known as the California Sewer Pipe Com-
pany.

About 1886 he built his present home on the
corner of Third and Hill streets. It is one of the
brightest spots in its neighborhood, and at the
time of building it was among the best and most
pretentious residences in the city.

Educationall}', as well as financially, Mr. Fer-
guson is a self made man. When he came to
California he could not write a line; but he was
not satisfied to remain ignorant, hence applied
himself diligently to securing knowledge, and is
to-day, as the result of his determined efforts
when past his first youth, a well-informed man.
By pluck and perseverance he has placed himself
in the rank of successful men. The account of
his life, with its early hardships and discourage-
ment, might serve as an inspiration to young
men who are hampered in their struggles toward
success. He cast his first presidential vote for
Gen. Winfield Scott, and is identified with the
Republican party in his political views. He was
married at Petaluma, in 1 871, to Miss Flora
Austin, who was born in Maine and by whom he
has two children, Clarence and Mabel, both
graduates of the city schools. Mr. Ferguson is
identified with the Unitarian Church, of which
he is a member and to which he gives his support.

HAMES WESLEY POTTS was born in Ruth-
I erford county, Tenn., December 20, 1830, of
Q) Scotch, Irish and English ancestors. In
1852 he braved the dangers of the overland trail
to California, walking the entire distance beside
a yoke of oxen which pulled one of the old
"prairie schooners" containing all of his posses-
sions. Arriving in Los Angeles, then a village
of mud houses and about four thousand popula-
tion, he worked on the roads for a mere subsist-
ence for several months, then started in as a fruit
vender. Soon his sales enabled him to rent a
store, and in a few months his receipts were as
high as $40 per day. With a firm belief, never

unshaken, in the coming greatness of his adopted
home, he invested in real estate and the rapid in-
crease in land values soon made him a rich man,
and in 1878 he was one of the wealthy men of the
county. Sudden reverses made him "land
poor," and he lost the larger part of his estate,
but met every obligation dollar for dollar.

He was always the first to promote new enter-
prises, assisted far beyond his means in church
work, and was instrumental in building the Fort
street brick church. A keen observer of nature's
phenomena, he became expert in predicting the
changes in the weather, and was known by thou-
sands as the "weather prophet." In his later
years his was a most familiar and striking figure
on the streets, walking along with his old curved
apple-wood cane hung on his arm, nodding a
cheerful good-day to everyone and "passing the
weather," his favorite theme, with his more in-
timate friends.

GJLFRED M. SEELEY. Reared among sur-
Ll roundings calculated to foster a natural apti-
/ I tudefor horticulture, Mr. Seeley has become
one of the most enterprising and successful dwell-
ers in the Covina valley. He is a native of Pike
county, 111., born December 18, 1862. His fa-
ther, James M. Seeley, was during the years of
his activity prominent and influential in Pike
county. Of sterling Puritan stock, he claimed
descent from the voyagers of the Mayflower.
Foremost in all things pertaining to the welfare of
the community, he exerted a lasting influence
upon its history and development. For fourteen
years he ably filled the office of sheriff of Pike
county, and for eight years he was presiding
judge of his district. His father, Col. James M.
Seeley, was a courageous soldier in the war of the
Revolution, and one of the first to settle in Pike
county. 111." Judge Seeley married Elizabeth
Unsell, whose parents left Virginia and settled in
Missouri while it was yet a territory.

Alfred M. Seeley spent his childhood upon his
father's farm, and conscientiously availed himself
of the opportunities of the public schools. At
the age of twent3--twohe entered upon a business
career with a wholesale confectionery concern at
Quincy, 111., with whom he remained for two
years. From 1890 to 1895 he was associated with

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

775

the Winkley Artificial Limb Company, with head-
quarters at No. 323 Nicolet avenue, Minneapolis,
Minn., a firm that engaged in the manufacture of
artificial limbs and surgical supplies of all kinds.

In the fall of 1895 Mr. Seeley came to Califor-
nia and took up his residence in the Covina val-
ley, where he has thirty-nine acres, mainly given
over to the cultivation of oranges. His political
affiliations are with the Republican party. Fra-
ternally he is associated with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, the Ancient Order of
United Workmen (both of Covina), and the
Knights of Pythias in Kansas City, Mo. He is
a member, and at the present time treasurer, of
the Columbia Land and Water Company.

Mr. Seeley married Alice Atchison, by whom
he has a daughter, Mary M. , born in Kansas City,
Mo. , October 26, 1892. Mrs. Seeley was educated
in Columbia (Mo.) College, a large and success-
ful institution for young ladies, and conducted
under the auspices of members of the Christian
Church. From childhood she has been an adher-
ent of that denomination, and now, with Mr.
Seeley, holds membership in the Covina Chris-
tian Church. Her father, Samuel P. Atchison,
was a fine type of the Puritan democracy of the
old school, and was for years a prominent resi-
dent of Kentucky, his active life being passed in
that state, although his death occurred in Kan-
sas City, Mo. Her mother bore the maiden
name of Mary E. Ragland, and was a member
of an old Kentucky famil}'.

HORATIO NELSON RUST, of South Pasa-
dena, was born in Amherst, Mass., May
II, 1828. A detailed record of the lives of
his ancestors would comprise the history of
some of the most important and stirring crises of
our national progress. The progenitor of the
family in this country was Henry Rust, who came
from Hingham, Norfolk county, England, about
1633, and settled in Hingham, Mass. From his
three sons, Samuel, Nathaniel and Israel, the
Rust family in the United States descends. Israel
Rust was baptized in Hingham, Mass., Novem-
ber 12, 1670, and took the freeman oath in
Northampton, Mass., March 30, 1690. In the

town last named he died November 11, 1712.
His son, Capt. Nathaniel Rust, was born in
Northampton, November 17, 1671, and was the
first settler of Coventry, Conn., of which he was
a prominent resident until his death. The records
show that he was the first selectman chosen there
and was also appointed as tavern keeper.

Daniel Rust, son of Nathaniel, was born in
Coventry, Conn., February 18, 1711. He served
as constable, collector and highway surveyor,
and in 1 745 was employed by the town to keep
up the stock of ammunition. His son, Lieut.
Lemuel Rust, was born in Coventry, Conn., Feb-
ruary II, 1740, and died in Otisco, N. Y., July
31, 18 13. He was an early settler of Southamp-
ton, Mass. In 1775 he was at Cambridge, Mass.,
and during the Revolutionary war he engaged in
the eight months' service. His son, John Rust,
was born in Southampton, Mass., March 5, 1777,
and during his entire active life followed the
stonemason's trade in his native town, where he
died March 7, 18 14.

The next in line of descent was Nelson Rust,
who was born in Southampton, Mass., July 27,
1802, and died in 1847. He was a blacksmith
and steel worker and made cooking stoves as
early as 1836. He did the iron work on the first
railroad bridge across the Connecticut river at
Springfield, Mass. At Amherst he was chosen
to serve as selectman and was also a deacon in
the church. He had the first "house raising"
without liquors in that county, thus inaugurat-
ing a temperance reform. An active Abolition-
ist, his home was an underground railroad station
in ante-bellum days. He was a man of positive
character, who was always ready to do his duty
and trust God for the consequences.

May 8, 1826, Nelson Rust married Elizabeth
Clapp, who was born in Amherst, Mass., March
17, 1804, and died in 1867. Her parents were
Oliver Clapp (6th) and Lucinda (Adams) Clapp,
of Leverett, Mass., and her grandparents were
Oliver (5th) and Elizabeth (Mattoon) Clapp,
early settlers of Amherst. She was a descend-
ant of Roger Clapp, who came from Plymouth,
England, to America in 1630 on the ship Mary
and John, and was one of the first settlers of
Dorchester. On this same ship came Johanna
Ford, whom Roger Clapp married in 1633. He
was a man of influence and prominence. Four-

776

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

teen times he was chosen to fill the ofiSce of
selectman of Dorchester. In 1665 he was elected
to command the fort in Boston Harbor, which
position he held for twenty-one years. He died
in 1 69 1 and his wife four years later.

The record of the Rust family is one of which
its present representatives may well be proud.
The subject of this article, by his honorable serv-
ice in the Civil war, by his active business career
and by his well-known principles of integrity,
has added lustre to the honored name he bears.
He was given good educational advantages and
was a student in Amherst Academy in 1847,
when the death of his father. Nelson Rust, sud-
denl3^ terminated his academic studies. He was
left, the eldest of four children and the head of a
family that had only limited means. Securing
humble employment he soon rose to a better po-
sition and was able to buy the village drug store.
Later he traveled for eighteen years for one firm
as salesman, finding the work both healthful
and pleasant. During this time he formed the
love for antiquarian research which has since
distinguished him. This taste found expression
in the valuable and extensive collection which
for years so delighted visitors to his Pasadena
home. It comprised Indian relics from nearly
every town in New England; from the wild tribes
of Dakota, New Mexico, Arizona and California,
with a history of the manners and customs of
these tribes. He took more than two thousand
vessels and implements of clay and stone from
the mounds and pre-historic graves of Missouri
in 1879 and 1880, and from old Mexico a collec-
tion of Aztec implements by especial favor of
President Diaz. The importance of his collec-
tion caused him to place it on exhibition at the
Columbian Exposition in 1893, where he was
made judge of award in the archeological de-
partment. He sold the collection to a Chicago
capitalist, and he in turn donated ittoBeloit Col-
lege, where it is u.sefully rounding out the life
work of its collector. His knowledge of Indian
life and customs was added to during the period
of his .service, under President Harrison, as agent
for the Mission Indians, during which time he
built the manual training school at Perris.

Like his father Mr. Rust was a pronounced
Abolitionist. He was a personal friend of John
Brown, whom he sheltered when pursued, and

also furnished him with the famous pikes that were
found at Harper's Ferry after the raid. His de-
votion to the hero-martyr has never wavered.
During the war he served as assistant surgeon
and rendered valuable service at several points.
Later for many years he conducted a large ware-
house in Chicago. The attractive climate of
California caused him to remove to Pasadena in
188 1, and here he has an orange grove and other
interests. He organized the first citrus fair ex-
hibited in Battery D Chicago, 1886, and has been
active in the development of this industry. He
assisted in the building of the Pasadena library
and in all ways furthered the progress of the then
new colony, now one of the most beautiful cities
in the world. He and his wife have four chil-
dren, Frank N. and Edward H., and two daugh-
ters who are the wives respectively of E. H.
Lockwood and Prof. J. D. Graham, of Pasadena.

gF. ORR, an honored pioneer of California
and the senior member of the well-known
, firm of Orr & Hines, leading funeral di-
rectors of Los Angeles, was born in Johnstown,
Pa., June 30, 1836, and is a son of William Orr,
a furniture dealer and undertaker of that state.
Our subject had one brother, who was a captain
in the Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Infantry during
the Civil war and was killed in the battle of
Petersburg.

Until he attained his majority Mr. Orr re-
mained in his native city and was educated in its
public schools. Early in the '50s he came to
Sonoma, Cal., where he engaged in mining for
four years, and later was interested in the under-
taking business in San Francisco until 1861, when
he returned east, remaining there three years.
For a third of a century, however, he has made
his home in Los Angeles, which, when he located
here, was a small, insignificant place. Two years
later he embarked in the undertaking business as
a partner of Victor Ponet, with whom he was con-
nected for a number of years, but Mr. Ponet
finally sold out and the firm of Orr & Sutch was
formed. When Mr. Sutch withdrew our sub-
ject formed a partnership with Mr. Hines, under
the firm name of Orr & Hines, which connection
still continues, and they have a fine establishment
at No. 647 South Broadway.

J. MULLALLY.

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

779

In 1864 Mr. Orr married Miss Rebecca Pyett,
also a native of Johnstown, Pa., where she was
reared and educated, being a schoolmate of her
husband. She was a daughter of James B. Pyett.
They have two daughters now living, the oldest
of whom, Ellen, is now the wife of Percy Shoe-
maker, who is connected with the German-
American Savings Bank of Los Angeles. The
other daughter, Elsey O. , resides with her parents.
The family have a pleasant home at No. 18 12
Bush street.

During the Civil war Mr. Orr was a member
of Company E, Second California Cavalry, and
was stationed in Humboldt county and later at
Benicia, Cal., where he was honorably dis-
charged. He is now an honored member of the
Grand Army of the Republic, a prominent Mason,
a member of the Knights of Pythias and the
Ancient Order United Workmen. In his polit-
ical afBliations he is a Republican. He belongs
to that class of men whom the world terms self-
made, for starting out in life for himself empty-
handed, he has conquered all the obstacles in the
path to success, and has not only secured for
himself a handsome competence, but by his efforts
has materially advanced the interests of the com-
munity with which he is associated. He is wide-
ly and favorably known and ranks among the
leading citizens of Los Angeles.

(Joseph MULLALLY may justly be termed
I one of the founders of Los Angeles, and as
Q) such is entitled to an honored place in its
history. He is a member of the Pioneers' So-
ciety, and though now well along in years has
not relaxed his interest in the city which has
been his home and pride for nearly half a cen-
tury.

His paternal grandfather, Joseph MuUally,
was a native of Ireland, whence he emigrated to
the United States at the age of sixteen years. He
was a farmer by occupation and his first location
was in Virginia, where his son Richard was born.
The latter was a distiller in early manhood, but
later turned his attention to the manufacturing
of brick, and when he had accumulated what in
those days was considered a comfortable fortune,
he retired. His father had died on his home-
stead in Butler county, Ohio, and his own death

took place in Vincennes, Ind. His wife, Jane
(Currins) Mullally, a native of Washington
county, Pa., passed her last years in Evansville,
Ind. Of their nine children, four are yet living.

Joseph Mullally of this article was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio, November 18, 1826. He re-
ceived a common-school education and under his
father learned the business of making brick.
The stories of the "forty-niners" fired his youth-
ful imagination, and in 1850 he started for the
far west, arriving in the vicinity of Placerville,
Cal., at the end of a journey lasting one hundred
and five days. His entire capital at that time
was a one-third interest in a yoke of oxen and
wagon, but he was in the possession of youth
and strength and the qualities which insure suc-
cess. He worked at mining near Placerville and
at a point on the middle fork of the American
river for a short time, when he wisely came to
the decision that he would return to his legitimate
line of business and continue in it as long as he
could make a reasonable success of the undertak-
ing. After working in Sacramento about two
months he unfortunately had a severe sick spell
and for six weeks was in the hospital. When he
recovered sufficiently he yielded to the solicita-
tions of some of his friends and for three months
engaged in mining near Grapevine Springs. In
March, 1851, he went to San Franci,sco, and
there followed his trade until early in 1854, when
he concluded to take a trip through the southern
part of the state.

During the first week of March, 1854, Mr.
Mullally arrived at the adobe village of Los An-
geles. Being impressed with its ultimate pos-
sibilities, he purchased land in what later was
known as the Bernard tract, and there he had
his dwelling-place from 1855 until i860, in the
meantime being busily employed in the manu-
facture of brick and also connected with the build-
ing of a number of substantial houses and business
blocks. When he came to the town there were
but two brick structures here, the old jail and
one small dwelling. In 1S54 he built a house for
a Mrs. Ross, on Main street, between Second and
Third streets, and the same year had charge of
the erection of a house for Henry Dalton, at the
corner of Second and Main, and the old school-
house which stood on the site of the present fine
Bryson building. . In 1855 he made the brick for

78o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the old Rowland mansion, which is an historic
landmark. It was the property of J. Rowland
(father of Puente's esteemed citizen, William
Rowland) and now belongs to J. H. Hudson.

In 1 86 1 Mr. Mullally returned to San Fran-
cisco, which w^as having a boom, and there he
resided, finding an abundance of paying work
during the Downey administration. His heart
was true to Los Angeles, however, and he soon
returned and continued in the business for which
he seemed specially fitted. In 1895 he retired
from active life, having acquired a competency
and made a record of which he has just cause to
be proud. In the early days of his residence
here he was quite an important factor in local
politics. In 1857 he was chosen as a member of
the city council, where he .served acceptably for
one term before he went to the northern part of
the state. Several times since then he has been
honored by re-election to the board of city fa-
thers, and thus, altogether, has had quite a voice
in the management and control of municipal af-
fairs. He has stood for everything making for
good government and progress and has main-
tained an enviable reputation for absolute in-
tegrity. He cast his first presidential ballot for
General Taylor, and has given the Democratic
party his unwavering support ever since that
time.

ICHAEL FAY QUINN. The life record
of Michael Fay Quinn, who, for over two-
score years has been one of the prominent
citizens of El Monte, presents many interesting
features, and his reminiscences of early years
upon the plains and the great western frontier of
civilization are more entertaining than a good
book. As his name indicates, he is of the stanch
old Irish stock, his parents having been born in
the Emerald Isle. His grandfather, Michael
Quinn, was born in 1761 and died in Wisconsin
in 1857, thus nearly completing a century of life.
His brother. Lord Quinn of O'Daire, was the
first Irish lord created in Ireland. John Quinn,
father of our subject, was born in county Limer-
ick, in 180S, married Mary Fay in 1832 and came
with his family to America in 1836. Two years
later he died in Wisconsin, and subsequently his
widow, whose nativity had occurred in 1812, be-
came the wife of Richard Hartwell, of Ohio.

Six days after her marriage, which took place
in Wisconsin, she was summoned to the silent
land.

The birth of Michael Fay Quinn took place in
New York City, February 14, 1S36, and thus he
was orphaned at the tender age of four years.
His step- father cared for him until he had reached
the age of twelve. Then again the lad was left
alone, for Mr. Hartwell died, and during the en-
suing two years he lived with an aunt who was
unkind and arbitrary. Appealing to the courts,
the youth had another guardian appointed, and
thepceforth fared better. In the spring of 1850
he went to Fort Snelling, Minn., where he ob-
tained a position as clerk in a sutler store, owned
by a Mr. Steele. Col. Francis Lee, the com-
manding ofiicer of the fort, was an old friend and
schoolmate of Mr. Hartwell and consequently he
used his influence in obtaining a good position
for young Quinn. He was placed in the quarter-
master's department, and in 1854, when only
eighteen years old, he was appointed government
wagon-master and started from Fort Leavenworth
with an expedition against the Sioux Indians.
General Harney commanding, the troops, num-
bering some fifteen hundred, surprised a camp of
about five thousand of the redskins, at daybreak,
September 26, 1854, at Ash Hollow, on the
Platte river. Several of the Indians were killed
and nearly the entire camp was captured. The
general kept several- important Indians as host-
ages for the good behavior of the rest, and then
proceeded to Fort Laramie, where some of the
troops were left, the rest of them going to Fort
Pierre on the Missouri river, where the great
treaty with the Sioux was made by General Har-
ney on New Year's day, 1855,

Immediately after his arrival at Fort Pierre
Mr. Quinn was .sent with twenty-eight six-mule
teams and wagons, laden with provisions for
the troops at Fort Randall. The journey was
safely made within ten days and two days later
he started upon the return trip with empty
wagons and ten days' provisions, a guide, but no
military escort. On the fourth day, a severe
snow-storm setting in, the party took refuge in
a deep canon, where were plenty of Cottonwood
trees and brush. In the morning they found
their camp literally buried in deep drifts of snow,
and for twenty-two days the storm continued

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

781

with slight abatement. On the twenty-fourth
day, after great labor, the party cut its way
through the drifts and resumed the difiScult jour-
ney, camping in another canon two miles from
the first that night. Day after day they plowed
through the immense drifts, cutting cottonwood
trees for the mules' fodder, and themselves sub-
sisting on corn and mule meat, without salt.
They arrived at Fort Pierre at the end of thirty-
six days, with only forty-eight mules left of their
one hundred and eighty mules. Twenty-nine of
the thirty-four men were more or less severely
frost-bitten, but though our subject was the
youngest of the company he had escaped unin-
jured.

October 25, 1855, in company with Colonel
Lee and a Dr. Campbell (a brother-in-law of
President Lincoln), Mr. Quinn left Fort Pierre
in a skiif, proceeding down the Missouri to a
point about two hundred miles below, where a
steamboat had been forced to stop on account of
low water. The second night the trio camped on
the bank of the river, in a forest where there
must have been thousands of wild turkeys.
Thej' were so unused to man that they did not
fly away and the young man himself shot thirty-
six, and filling the boat with them he continued
on his journey to the steamer, where the turkeys
were highly appreciated. He took passage on
the steamboat, which at once started down the
river, arriving at St. Louis in due season. On
the 2nd of November, 1855, Mr. Quinn matricu-
lated in the Illinois State University, where he
remained until April 11, 1858, Robert T., son of
President Lincoln, being one of his classmates.

The trouble with the Mormons in Utah now
being at its height Mr. Quinn joined General
Harney's expedition against the law-breakers
and was appointed wagonmaster under Captain
(later General) W. S. Hancock, quartermaster.
Before they reached Utah, however, the Mormons
had, outwardly at least, recognized the authority
of the government, and Mr. Quinn was appointed
United States agent and contracted for all of the
material used in the building of Camp Floyd,
Utah, which was needed to serve as winter quar-
ters for army troops. On the 12th of February
1859, Mr. Quinn joined a company of seventy-
two men bound for the El Dorado of California.
March 5 found him in Los Angeles and twenty

days later he went to the San Gabriel Caiion
gold mines with a party, and though he had sup-
plied himself with the necessary outfit and
worked diligently for two months he was entirely
unsuccessful. Then, like manj' another man be-
fore him, he wisely decided to earn his gold in
the sure and legitimate channels of enterprise,
and to this resolution he undoubtedly owes his
present wealth. Returning to Los Angeles he
obtained a position as a carpenter and time-
keeper in the building of the old court-house,
where the Bullard block now stands. He was
paid $30 a week until the work was finished, and
thus made his real start in the business world.
In December, 1859, he came to El Monte, where
he continued to engage in contracting and build-
ing enterprises, and also conducted a lumber
yard. Subsequently he commenced farming, and
for many years has given his chief attention to
this line of work, though he also has kept a
livery stable in the town of El Monte. He has
been actively interested in all local progress, and
has manfully borne his share of the work of im-
provement.

The first marriage of Mr. Quinn took place
December 27, 1867, the lady of his choice being
Mrs. Jane Callan. Three children were born of
that union, and on the 30th of December, 1876,
the wife and mother passed into the silent land.
Nine years later, January 7, 1886, Mr. Quinn
married Miss Fannie Sawyer, the lady who still
presides over the affairs of his household.

r~ RED W. WOOD. A stranger seeking for
1^ information in regard to the foremost busi-
I ^ ness men of Los Angeles for the past quarter
of a century, would have the name of Fred W.
Wood mentioned to him among the very first.
Nor would the result be far different should the
question be asked in the various fraternities or
political organizations of this city, as he was not
only very popular in all of these circles, but was
recognized as an efficient and patriotic citizen,
ever striving to advance the interests of the com-
munity with which he cast his lot so long ago.

In a business sense Mr. Wood was a self-made
man, for he had limited advantages in his youth,
and was forced to rely upon himself alone in the
battle of life. He was born in Prairie du Chien,

782

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Wis., April 28, 1853, and when five years of age
removed with his parents to Illinois. His father
enlisted in the Union armj' at the outbreak of the
Civil war and their home was practicallj' broken
up during that stormy period. He was colonel
of the Seventeenth Illinois Regiment of Volun-
teer Infantry, and his two sons, Edwin and
Chester F., were both soldiers in the war. In
1868 the family removed to Kansas Citj', Mo.,
where Fred \V. received some high school privi-
leges. He was but sixteen years of age, how-
ever, when he began earning his own livelihood
entirely, and from that time to the present has
had no outside assistance.

For a year or more he was employed in the
office of the Kansas City Engineer, and then went
to northern Wisconsin, where he was engaged for
three years in the construction of some of the lines
of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad system.
In the fall of 1873 he came to California, and in
March of the following year he arrived in Los
Angeles, which has since been his place of resi-
dence. After spending a few months in various
engineering, surveying and mining enterprises
in this locality, he became interested, with
Prudent Beaudry, in the construction of the Los
Angeles city waterworks, and was associated
with that great undertaking until its successful
completion. For several years he was in the
abstract business as a member of the firm of
Gillette, Gibson & Wood, and next he was given
charge of the immense task of laying out and
planting the vineyards near San Gabriel, for
J. deBarth Shorb, and of establishing the winery
there. In 1889 he resigned his managership and
became identified with the Temple street cable
railway line in this city, and subsequent to the
death of Victor Beaudry, the following year, he
served as executive of the estate left by him. In
addition to this, Mr. Wood managed the prop-
erty of Prudent Beaudry, a brother of Victor
Beaudry. The former died in 1893, but Mr.
Wood continued to look after the interests of the
heirs until his death.

In 1895 Mr. Wood became the general manager
of the Los Angeles Street Railway Company,
which controls nearly all of the important street
railway lines in this city. The service in this
particular in Los Angeles compares favorably
with that of any other of the large cities of the

United States, and it is estimated that nearly
two hundred miles of street railroads are in work-
ing order here at the present time. Under the
judicious supervision of Mr. Wood and the other
officials of the company the general efficiency of
the system was greatly improved, and it was his
constant study and endeavor to furnish the peo-
ple with a cheap, yet thoroughly adequate and
satisfactory service. By those who have made
the matter a studj-, it is said that no city of its
size on this continent is provided with such a
complete and far-reaching system of electric rail-
roads, by means of which passengers can be
transferred to all parts of the metropolis, at the
price of a single fare of five cents.

In his business aS"airs Mr. Wood was vastly
helped by his knowledge of law, which studj^ he
pursued in his leisure hours, for several years,
finally being admitted to practice in the common
and supreme courts of California, about eight
years ago. He was a member of the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers and associate
member the American Electrical Engineers and
the American Institute of Architects. In addi-
tion to the various enterprises which have been
mentioned in which he has been concerned, it
maj- be stated that he was a director in the State
Building and Loan Association, and used his
time and means in the material upbuilding of the
city. Politically he stood high in the estima-
tion of his fellow-citizens, but, in the multiplicity
of his duties, he had no desire to occupy public
positions. He used his franchise in favor of the
Republican party, and took a prominent part in
the management of several local campaigns,
being chairman of the Los Angeles county cen-
tral committee at one time. In the fraternities
he was greatly respected and an active member
of the Masonic and Odd Fellows orders. In
the first-named he reached the dignity of the
Mystic Shrine and in the Odd Fellows he was a
past master. He also was past master of the
Legion of Honor.

Seventeen years ago Mr. Wood married Miss
Leona Pigui'^-Dupuytren, who was born in Cali-
fornia and is a grand-niece of the renowned
Parisian physician. Dr. Dupuytren. Mr. and
Mrs. Wood became the parents of a son, who
bears the name of Warren Dupuytren. Mr.
Wood died in Los Angeles May 19, 1900, at the

P-

!^^^H

y^H

a^xy-

£ltj

r /

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

785

age of forty-seven years, in the prime of man-
hood. There are few people who deserve greater
honor than he for the upbuilding of the city of
Los Angeles, which now attracts visitors from all
parts of the United States as well as Europe.

gENJAMIN F. GARRETT, a soldier of the
Civil war and a prominent horticulturist of
Covina, was born in Pike county. 111.,
May 2, 1835. His parents, John and Elvira
(Churchill) Garrett, were natives of Kentucky
and cast their lot with the very early settlers of
Pike county, John Garrett having moved there
in 1830. The paternal grandfather' was a soldier
in the war of 18 12.

On the farm in Illinois where Benjamin F.
Garrett passed the years of his childhood his sur-
roundings and influences were, in the main, iden-
tical with those of the hundreds of other farmer lads
whose parents, through weary years of toil and
privation in the pioneer days, paved the way for
coming events of exceeding greatness. From an
educational standpoint he was exceptionally for-
tunate, being able to avail himself of the teach-
ing in the public schools of Pike county, the
Griggsville high school and the Illinois College
at Jacksonville, 111.

Mr. Garrett's war record has fitted him to ex-
cite to breathless interest the listeners around
camp-fires, so long as they are lighted to remind
heroes of their bravery and their country's appre-
ciation. In 1861 he enlisted in Company K,
Second Illinois Cavalry, and served under Grant
and Sherman until after the siege and capture of
Vicksburg, in which he participated. His sub-
sequent engagements were at Fort Donelson,
Fort Henry and at Jackson, and he was with
Banks in the Red river campaign. He also
fought at the siege of Mobile, after which his
cavalry division was ordered to Texas, where
they operated on the Rio Grande. In July, 1865,
at the close of the war, he was mustered out of
service at Holly Springs, Miss. He was not
exempt from the misfortunes of war, having been
captured and imprisoned for a short time. Twice
wounded, he was at one time incapacitated for
about a year, and later, during the Red river
campaign, for six months.

After the war Mr. Garrett returned to Pike
38

county. 111., where for some time he taught in the
common and high schools, continuing in the
same line of work after his removal to Newton
county. Mo. He was also interested in general
farming and stock-raising, which he also carried
on later in Douglas county, Kans. While there
he became an office-holder of prominence, serving
as trustee, clerk and treasurer.

In 1895 Mr. Garrett came to Southern Cali-
fornia, which he now regards as his permanent
home. He married Anna E. Adams, a native of
Illinois, and of this union there are three chil-
dren: Frances J., John M. and Marshall A.

While entertaining liberal ideas regarding
the 'politics of the administration, Mr. Garrett
usually approves of Republican principles, and
votes that ticket. He is a member of the Masonic
order of Newtonia, Mo.

IT' J. VAWTER may bejustly classed among
re) the foremost founders of Santa Monica,
L • for he arrived here before a building had
been erected upon the present site of the town,
and before an improvement of any kind had been
made here. He also was one of the pioneers of
Pasadena, and both towns owe a great deal to
his foresight and enterprise during the critical
period of their development. A broad-minded,
liberal man, he has ever been ready to invest his
capital in worthy undertakings, and by his
judicious help and timely influence he has safely
tided over the crucial point in many a local en-
terprise or industry which otherwise must have
perished. For a quarter of a century he and
his brother, William S., have been influential
and highly esteemed citizens of Los Angeles
county, and their innumerable friends through-
out this region will take pleasure in tracing
their history.

The father of these representative citizens was
W. D. Vawter, a native of Indiana, and a suc-
cessful business man throughout his mature life.
E. J. Vawter was born in Vernon, Ind., about
twenty miles north of the town of Madison,
which is situated on the Ohio river. The date
of his nativity is November 26, 1848, and he was
an infant when he was deprived of his mother by
death. When he was about twenty years of age
he embarked in business on his own account, by

786

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

taking charge of a local newspaper, which he
managed with fair success for three years. Then ,
in company with his father, he conducted a mer-
cantile establishment in Vernon for three years.

Having decided to try their fortunes in South-
ern California, the family came to Santa Monica,
where their keen judgment told them a thriving
town would ere long be established. They
opened a store and sold the first goods ever sold
over a counter in this place, and for ten years
they gave their chief attention to this line of
business. They then engaged in the lumber and
real-estate business, and built the first cement
sidewalks in the town, as well as the first street-
car line running to the Soldiers' Home. They
established the First National Bank of Santa
Monica, and, after managing it for five years, it
passed into the possession of Senator Jones and
his friends. The father and brothers then founded
the Commercial Company of Santa Monica, of
which our subject is the president to-day. A
bank was a feature of the enterprise, but was
discontinued in 1899. The company is one of
the solid business institutions of the state, and
its officers are men of sterling integrity and busi-
ness sagacity. In 1896 the brothers built a
waterworks plant in the southern part of Santa
Monica, and it supplies all of that section of the
town with pure, sparkling water. Their real-
estate interests in that locality are extensive,
and recently they embarked in a new venture,
that of raising all kinds of flowers and plants
upon their beautiful ranch.

E. J. Vawter was one of the organizers of the
colony which made the first settlement upon the
site of Pasadena. At one time his father owned
the land upon which now stands the First Na-
tional Bank of that city, and forty acres of prop-
erty surrounding it. Our subject still owns
valuable real estate in that lovely city, which,
by many tourists, is considered the most Eden-
like spot in sunny California. It is generally
conceded that few of the citizens of this county
have been connected with more enterprises or
have done more for the general welfare, in pro-
portion to their means, than have the Vawter
family.

Ever since becoming a resident of this place
E. J. Vawter has been more or less connected
with local politics. He has been a trustee of the

town, has served as a member of the board of
education and has been present at nearly all of
the state and countj' conventions of the Repub-
lican party. He is identified with the Masonic
order and the Knights of Pythias, and is an
honored member of the Pioneers' Association of
Los Angeles county.

The marriage of E. J. Vawter and Miss Laura
E. Dixon, a native of Indiana, took place in
the Hoosier state in 1869, and seventeen years
later she was summoned to the silent land. The
only child of this union is E.J. Vawter, Jr., who
is cashier of the Main street Savings Bank of
Los Angeles. In 1888 our subject married Miss
Isabella L. Nelson, who was born in New York
City and there received a good education and the
training which qualifies her to shine in any
society.

HOLDRIDGE OZRO COLLINS. The family
represented by this able attorney of Los
Angeles was one of the first to plant itself
on the bleak and barren shores of New England,
where its members with the other Puritan pio-
neers sought to transform a dreary waste of land
into a habitable region. From that time onward
the Collins family was identified with the rise
and growth of New England, and particularly
with Massachusetts and Connecticut, where the
larger number of its members made their homes.
On the other hand he is descended, through his
mother, from a long line of Dutch and French-
Huguenot ancestors, who were early settlers in
New Netherlands and bore an honorable part in
the development of the Empire state. In the
various wars of our country both families were
represented and always on the side of liberty,
freedom and justice.

Ozro Collins, father of the subject of this arti-
cle, was born at Woodbridge, near Naugatuck,
Conn., and settled in Toledo, Ohio, where for
many years he was a resident. He married Ann
Van Etten, who was born in Owasco, N. Y.,
June 12, 1 8 19, and died in Toledo, December 22,
1858. She was a woman possessing a character
of great nobility and gentleness, and one whose
happiness centered in the welfare of her husband
and children. The education which her son,
our subject, acquired was in large measure due to
her influence, for she inspired him with a love of

HISTORICAIv AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

787

learning and a zeal in the acquisition of knowl-
edge. He was given every advantage which the
best schools of the country afforded, and of these
he availed himself to the utmost, acquiring in
this manner a breadth of knowledge that has
been most helpful to him professionally and so-
cially.

After graduating from St. Louis University
in 1865 Mr. Collins matriculated in Harvard
University, where he took the regular course of
study in the law department, graduating in 1867.
He has received the several degrees of A. B.,
A. M. and L,L. D. In 1869 he was admitted to
the bar of Illinois at Chicago, where he engaged
in practice until his removal to California in
1889. Meantime he took an active part in the
organization of the Chicago Bar Association, of
which he was secretary for two terms, and he
also served as a member of the board of managers
and the committee of admissions from 1881 to
1889. In addition to his activity in direct pro-
fessional lines he was also connected with the
state militia. He was instrumental in the crea-
tion of the First Infantry, Illinois National
Guard, and was elected one of the first six cap-
tains. Upon the organization of the Illinois mi-
litia into a division of three brigades, he was
promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, in
which capacity he held a large command at Chi-
cago during the railroad riots of 1877. His posi-
tion in that line and on the staff presented oppor-
tunities so favorable for acquiring information
relating to the military affairs of Illinois that in
1884 he published an accurate and complete his-
tory of the Illinois National Guard.

Nor does this publication represent the limit of
Mr. Collins' literary activity. He has a taste for
belles-lettres and is an interesting writer, as is
evinced in his various literary publications.
During his later professional years, notwith-
standing the pressure of many demands upon his
time, he has written a biographical memoir of
his mother.

When the California Society of the Sons of the
Revolution was organized Mr. Collins became
one of its charter members; he has been con-
nected with the New York Society since 1891,
also is a member of the Pennsylvania Society of
the war of 18 12, and was an original member of
the New York Society of Colonial Wars. Upon

the incorporation of the California Society of the
Sons of the Revolution in 1893 he was elected
president, in which position he has continued to
serve efficiently ever since. In 1895 a charter
was granted to the Society of Colonial Wars in
California and he was chosen the governor,
which office he still holds. He is also a member
of the Veteran Corps of the First Regiment, Illi-
nois National Guard, of the Harvard and Uni-
versity Clubs of Chicago, and Los Angeles Com-
mandery No. 9, K. T.

The marriage of Mr. Collins, which took place
in 1S74, united him with Miss Mary Ballance,
daughter of Col. Charles Ballance, for years an
influential law3'er of Peoria, 111., and during the
war serving as colonel of the Seventy-seventh
Illinois Infantry. He died in Peoria in 1872.
Mrs. Mary Collins died in the same city, Decem-
ber 24, 1894. The children of Mr. and Mrs.
Collins are as follows: Rejoyce Ballance, who
was born in Chicago, July 28, 1876; Gladys, who
was born in Chicago, August 14, 1883, and died
in Oakland, Cal., February 2, 1886; Constance
Dorothy, born in Chicago, October 26, 1888; and
Jessie Fremont, whose death occurred in Los An-
geles, May ID, 1890.

(Tames Fletcher isbell. During the

I long years of his sojourn in the land of flow-
Qj ers and sunshine and infinite possibility,
James F. Isbell has hoarded memories full of
charm and variety and progress. Upon his ar-
rival in Southern California in 1868, great herds
of cattle and sheep roamed at will and grazed on
the uplands and in the meadows, where now the
air is sweet with the fragrance of blossoms,
prophetic of a luscious, abundant harvest. There
was also a tinge of old world sovereignty associ-
ated with his first place of residence, the ranch
upon which he located having been previously a
portion of the home ranch of Don Pio Pico, the
last Spanish governor of California. Here the
first Isbell child was born; this being the first
white child born on the former property of the
Spanish crown.

Governor Pico's place was a three-league
ranchito, which was called in Spanish, Rancho
Passo de Bartolo Veja. The governor was a
loyal American citizen, devoted to the institu-
tions of our country, and, personally, was a gen-

788

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tleiiian of the old school, dignified and courtly.
He proved a good friend to Mr. Isbell; the latter
raised a crop of corn on his ranch with onlj- once
irrigating the land. Don Pio Pico offered to sell
hiin all the land he wished at $20 per acre, and
to wait for paj'ment until he had harvested his
crops. This offer Mr. Isbell refused, although
he has ever since regretted doing so. Instead, he
went to Orange county in 1872 and bought twen-
ty acres of land for $30 an acre, but traded ten
of the acres for orange trees to plant on the bal-
ance of the property. In addition he bought five
acres, thus having fifteen acres, which he later
sold for $500 per acre. The increase in the value
of the property was due to his efforts in the inter-
ests of irrigation. He was instrumental in the
organization of the Santa Ana Valley Irriga-
tion Company, which bought out the Chapman
& Glassell Company. The old ditch was not
large enough to accommodate the demand for
water, and Mr Isbell was one of sixteen men
who went to Los Angeles and bought out the old
company. They built what wa.s practically a new
ditch, and bj' cutting a tunnel they created a
forty-foot water power, which is used by the Olive
Milling Company. The ditch cost about $65,000,
much of which amount was worked out by the
stockholders. It has proved of incalculable value
to the entire country and irrigates twenty thou-
sand acres of land. Immediately after its com-
pletion prices began to advance, and it was for
this reason that Mr. Isbell was enabled to sell
his property at such a splendid increase over its
purchase price. During the work of building
the ditch he superintended one gang of the con-
struction party, at the upper end of the ditch, in
the Santa Ana Caiion in the mountains. He de-
serves much of the credit for this undertaking and
its successful accomplishment.

In 1883 Mr. Isbell changed his location to the
ranch at Los Nietos where he now resides. Here
he has thirty acres in all, twenty-five of which
are under English walnuts and five under oranges.
Originally a waving cornfield shook its tassels in
the air, plebeian progenitor of a golden aristocra-
cy. Since his return to Los Angeles county Mr.
Isbell has done con.siderabIe work in grading
ditches in the Los Nietos valley. He worked for
the Santa Fe Railroad Company in securing for
them the right of way between Los Angeles and

the Orange county line. He also put up the
grade at the railroad crossing at Los Nietos sta-
tion, thus giving the Santa Fe the right of way,
and obliging the Southern Pacific to put up the
signal tower. While working for the railroad
company he was able to secure fifty acres of land,
on which he located the town of Rivera, subdi-
vided the property into lots, and these he sold.
He gave the land for the Baptist and Presbyterian
Churches of Rivera and assisted in their erection.
He also erected a hotel and assisted in building a
town hall. He has been the most prominent
real estate dealer in this part of Los Angeles
county, and all of his transactions have been
honorable and conducted in a conscientious man-
ner.

Born May 4, 1848, James F. Isbell is a native
of Newton county, Mo. His parents were
Thomas and Rachel (Wright) Isbell, natives of
Missouri, the ancestry on the father's side being
Scotch-English, and on the maternal side Scotch-
Irish. The mother died in 1858, and the father
is now living at Burbank, Cal., and is in his
seventy-sixth year. He is an active Mason and
an honor to the fraternity. He was four years a
member of the Texas Rangers. The son lived on
his father's farm in Newton county, Mo., until
1856, when he moved with his parents to Wise
county, Tex., where they remained until 1S68,
going thence to Southern California. His oppor-
tunities for acquiring an education were indeed
limited, and were confined to the early subscrip-
tion schools of Texas, which was a wilderness of
unsettled land. In later life he made up for the
limited chances of his youth and is to-day a more
than ordinarily well-informed man. He married
Mary L. Roland, of San Antonio, Tex., and of
this union there are eight surviving children:
John P.; Ollie E., the wife of M. Holbrook;
Lottie O., who is married to James Faulking-
burg; Orry T. ; AUie K., who is the wife of
Albert Dickerson; Nora B.; Elton S. and Ever-
ett F.

Mr. Isbell is a member of the Democratic party
and has figured conspicuously in the various
offices within the gift of the people. While a
resident of Orange county,' Cal., he served as
constable for seven years, and he is now a member
of the board of the Pico school district and chair-
man of the board, which capacity he has been

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

789

identified with for a number of j'ears. He was
also instrumental in organizing his home school
system. He served for two years as deputy sheriff
of Los Angeles county under Sheriff Edward
Gibson. Mr. Isbell is a t3'pical pioneer and is
president of the Los Nietos Vallej^ Pioneer Club,
of which he was an organizer. Fraternally he is
a member of Whittier Lodge No, 323, F. & A. M.
He is public-spirited and advanced in his ways
of dealing with questions pertaining to the
welfare of the community in which he lives, and
his many admirable traits of character, mind and
heart have endeared him to friends and asso-
ciates.

gARL W. POTTER, president of the board
of trustees of the Covina schools and a res-
ident of Covina since the fall of 1884, was
born in EflSngham county. 111., February 11,
1861, a son of Oliver E. and Cornelia (Orvis)
Potter, natives of New York state. His father
came to California in 1880 and settled in Santa
Ana, whence four years later he removed to
Covina and here remained until death, June 12,
1899. When Carl was a child of two years his
parents moved from Illinois to northeastern Iowa,
and there his years of boyhood and youth were
uneventfully passed, his education being gained
in local schools. In 1881 he joined his father in
Santa Ana and spent three years there. On his
arrival in Covina he found scarcely even the
integral elements of the present village. He
himself erected, for a shop, the second building
ever put up in the place. He is justly entitled
to be denominated a pioneer. He has witnessed
the development of the surrounding country and
no one has rejoiced in its advancement more than
he. His first occupation in life, after leaving the
home farm, was that of fireman on the Illinois
Central Railroad, where he remained for two
years. Later he turned his attention to the
blacksmith's trade, which he learned so thor-
oughly that he is now considered one of the
expert smiths of the valley, and carries on the
trade successfully.

Fraternally Mr. Potter is connected with the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Order
of Foresters and the Ancient Order of United
Workmen, all at Covina. His political views are
stanchly Republican, but he is not a partisan and

does not identify himself with public affairs.
His interest in educational matters is deep.
Realizing the importance of the public-school
system he does all in his power to advance its
welfare. In June, 1900, he was elected a mem-
ber of the board of trustees of the Covina schools
for a term of three years, and soon afterward was
chosen president of the board, an office that he
fills faithfully and well. By his marriage to Miss
Anna Reynolds, who was born in New York
state, he has three children, Celo M., Harold W.
and Hazel G.

pCJEBSTER WOTKYNS. He whose sym-
\A/ P^'^^'^s ^""^ °" ^^^ side of progressive
V V movements should be accorded a high
place in the citizenship of his town and county.
This, in a few words, gives one of the most
prominent characteristics of Mr. Wotkyns. He
has the greatest faith in the future of California,
the history of which during the last decade has
gone far toward justifying the faith in it mani-
fested by men of wise judgment and keen fore-
sight. His interest in Pasadena is especially
deep, for this is his home city and for years he
has aided in the development of some of its im-
portant enterprises. He is a director of the Pa-
cific Clay Manufacturing Company, of Los An-
geles, and for 5'ears has been connected in a
similar capacity with the San Gabriel Valley
Bank of Pasadena.

Mr. Wotkyns was born in Troy, N. Y., De-
cember 23, 1857, a son of Hon. Alfred Wotkyns,-
M. D., who was of Revolutionary stock and (it
is thought) English and Welsh ancestry. Dr.
Wotkyns was a man of unusual ability and won
the friendship of many men of prominence,
among them the statesman Daniel Webster. As
a physician he stood remarkably high. His suc-
cess brought him a very large practice in and near
Troy. On the organization of the National Bank
of Troy, in 1852, he was chosen its president and
accepted the position. He continued at the head
of the bank until his death, in 1876. He took an
active part in local affairs and in 1857 served as
mayor of Troy. His ancestors had also for sev-
eral generations been prominent in the growth of
Troy, where the family settled early in the nine-
teenth century, when the city was a mere hamlet.
The education of Webster Wotkyns was ob-

790

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tained in Troy Academy and Rensselaer Poly-
technic Institute, of Troy, where he took a full
engineering course, and graduated in 1879 with
the degree of C. E. The next year he went from
Troy to Chicago and accepted a position as a con-
fidential clerk with the dry-goods firm of James
H. Walker & Co. He remained with them for a
little over six years. In the fall of 1887 he came
to Pasadena, where he still resides. For more
than ten years he has been a member of the real-
estate firm of Wotkyns Brothers, of this city. He
is a Democrat iu national issues. In October,
1S95, he was appointed postmaster of Pasadena,
and on the ist of December assumed the duties of
the office, which he filled for the next four years.
The duties of this office he discharged satisfac-
torily to all, notwithstanding the fact that it pre-
sents difficulties unknown in most postoffices;
this being the result of the constant growth of the
city, and also because of its large throng of win-
ter tourists. Fraternally he is identified with the
Masonic order and the Pasadena Council, Royal
Arcanum. He is a member of the Pasadena
Episcopal Church and for a number of years
has officiated as one of its vestrymen.

The home of Mr. Wotkyns is at No. 815 South
Orange Grove avenue. While living in the east
he was married to Miss Charlotte Jackson, of
West Troy, N. Y. They have a son and daugh-
ter, Alfred and Margaret P.

("DWARD a. CARSON. In following the
j^ history of Edward A. Carson and liis an-
I cestors, memories of the beautiful remance
of Southern California, "Romona," inevitably
come uppermost in one's mind. How naturally
the thoughts return of days of the past — days of
a little more than half a century ago, when his
forefathers led a quiet, pastoral life in the peace-
ful valleys of this region, little dreaming that
strangers soon would overturn all of the old,
treasured customs, and supplant the few inhabi-
tants with an ambitious, thrifty population.
Some there are, perhaps, who often sigh for the
time of the vanished ye.sterday, but to the pro-
gressive modern spirit the destiny of Southern
California has worked for her advancement and
highest welfare. Nowhere on this continent can
be seen to greater advantage the reclaiming and

enlivening power of man — on the one hand, the
arid, brown hills and valleys white with dust
during the major portion of the year, and on the
other, beautiful, fertile homesteads, orange groves
and lovely towns, bowered in a wealth of almost
tropical vegetation.

The father of Edward A. is a native of New
York state, but for forty-seven years has made
his home in California. Now, in his declining
years, he is residing on a portion of the famous
old Dominguez ranch, one of the oldest in Los
Angeles county. He is a veteran of the Mexican
war and soon after the cession of California to the
United States, he decided to try his fortunes on
the Pacific slope. In 1853 he arrived in this
county and carried on a hardware business for
about a year. Later he served for twenty-one
years as the public administrator of the county,
thus holding the record for the longest continu-
ous service of any official here. Placed in an ex-
ceedingly difficult position and before affairs had
been adjusted to the satisfaction of the native in-
habitants or to their so-called conquerors, and
without precedent to guide him in his dealings
with the contending factions, he wisely yet firmly
wielded his authority and won the admiration
and respect of all classes. He erected the first
brick building in Los Angeles. His wife was a
daughter of Senor Dominguez, a wealthy native
citizen, owner of the extensive propertj' previ-
ously mentioned. He was one of the strong,
sturdy, honorable characters who deserve to live
in historj'. Possessing an excellent education
and much of the energy of the Anglo-Saxon, he
spent his leisure in study and was thoroughly
posted in the aflfairsof hisday, taking the leading
newspapers and keeping in touch with the age.
Thus, enlightened and liberal, he believed that
California, the land of his love, would have a far
greater future should she be enrolled under the
flag of the free, and unlike many of his neighbors
and compatriots he was glad at the outcome of
the Mexican war. His well-stocked ranch was
a favorite camping ground for the armies of the
United States, and though time and again they
destroyed and appropriated everything they could
lay hands upon he never could be prevailed upon
to present for payment the checks which were
given him upon the United States treasury as a
partial indemnity for his great losses.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

791

Edward A. Carson, one of twelve children, was
born in Los Angeles in 1869, and was educated
in the public schools and by private tutors. Later
he pursued a course of special instruction in a
business college, and to further equip himself for
the duties of life continued his higher studies in
Santa Clara College, where he was graduated in
1892. For the three years following he studied
law and then took up civil engineering. After
spending two years in that line of business, he
accepted a position as a clerk to the board of
county supervisors, where he gave complete sat-
isfaction during the four years of his service.
In the fall of 1898 he was elected on the Republi-
can ticket to the responsible ofBce of city auditor
of Los Angeles, and is ably discharging the du-
ties which fall to his share.

Fraternally Mr. Carson is identified with the
Native Sons of California, the Royal Arcanum
and the Woodmen of the World. His marriage
to Miss Celia Pearson of San Francisco took
place in 1896. Her father is a prominent citizen
and hotel-keeper of Stockton, Cal. , and she is a
lady of education and culture.

ITUSEBIUS POLLARD. In the death of this
1^ honored citizen of Alhambra, Los Angeles
LI. county lost one of her representative agri-
culturists— a man sincere, upright and conscien-
tious in word and deed. His life was a busy and
useful one, not, however, given up to self-ag-
grandizement, but ever dominated by the noble
desire of aiding and uplifting his fellow-men. A
complete record of the good deeds which he per-
formed, of the kindly sympathy which he inva-
riably exercised towards others, could not be
compiled, for he was modest and unostentatious
in all his acts, and few, save those benefited, ever
learned of his good works.

Coming from the sturdy, honest, hard-working
Cornwall-Celtic stock, Mr. Pollard also was en-
dowed by nature with many other characteristics
for which that people are noted and admired. He
was born in Kenwyn parish, Cornwall, England,
July 14, 1839, a grandson of William, and son of
John and Christiana (Trethowan) Pollard. In
his youth he learned the business of mining, and
he was trained in the industrious habits to which
his ancestors were accustomed.

Having heard glowing accounts of the wonder-
ful possibilities of the far-away Pacific coast, Mr.
Pollard left home when he attained his majority
and sailed for the United States, coming to Cali-
fornia by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Locat-
ing in Grass Valley, this state, he followed his
usual occupation of mining for some six years,
meeting with well deserved success.

In 1866 he was married, and three years after-
wards he removed with his wife and their infant
daughter to San Gabriel, where he took up a
claim of eighty acres, situated about a mile south
of the Sunny Slope ranch, then owned by L. J-
Rose. After filing his claim Mr. Pollard left
his brother, Thomas Pollard, to attend to affairs
there, while in company with a friend he went to
the mines of Inyo count}', where he hoped to se-
cure employment and means to improve his new
property. As it turned out, this was a most dis-
astrous venture, for he was unable to procure the
work that he desired at the mines, and as he was
returning home from his fruitless quest he was
prostrated by a sunstroke while crossing the des-
ert. His once strong constitution was broken,
and for a period of fully five years he was unable
to perform even the lightest kind of work. In
1876 the family disposed of their San Gabriel val-
ley claim (the purchaser being L. J. Rose, pre-
viously mentioned), and, removing to Alhambra,
bought a fine five-acre tract of irrigated land from
B. D.Wilson. Here the father and sons engaged
in the nursery and fruit-growing business, and
within a few years success crowned their arduous
labors. What has long been known far and near
as the Los Robles nurseries is a point of in-
terest to everyone, and many visitors and stran-
gers make special trips to see the place, which is
a model one in every respect. A splendid variety
of citrus trees are to be found here in every stage
of growth and productiveness. Within ten years
of his first purchase of land at Alhambra Mr.
Pollard had added to his property until the place
comprised thirty-five acres, as it does to-day.

The marriage of Mr. Pollard and Mary A.
Bawden, daughter of Thomas and Jane Bawden,
was solemnized September 30, 1866. They be-
came the parents of six children, of whom two
died in infancy and one at the age of seven and a
half years. Eusebius and William Pollard are
now the joint owners and managers of their fa-

?92

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ther's nurseries and property, and are enterpris-
ing and successful young business men. Celia
A., the surviving daughter, is the wife of A. E.
Johnson, of San Gabriel, Cal.

One of the founders of the Alhambra Methodist
Episcopal Church, Eusebius Pollard, Sr., was one
of its most valued members and earnest workers.
His heart was wholly on the side of all worthy
and elevating enterprises, and rarely was he ap-
pealed to in vain by those in need of material
assistance or public support. He was summoned
to his reward June lo, 1894, but "his works do
follow him," and to his children he has left the
heritage of an unblemished name and reputation.

r" RANK WILBUR BURNETT. At an early
ly period in the settlement of America the
I ' Burnett family was established in New York,
and from that year (1723) to the present its
members have borne an honorable part in the up-
building of our countrj'. Almost without ex-
ception they have inherited from their Scotch
forefathers the qualities of honesty, unflinching
integrity, thrift and perseverance. One of the
name, Capt. John Burnett, was an officer in the
Revolutionary war, and his descendants, like
himself, have always been found on the side of
liberty and independence. The subject of this
article was born in Jackson, Mich., in 1851, and
in 1859 came to Illinois with his parents, Benja-
min F. and Sarah (Mills) Burnett, his father
afterward becoming a lawyer of prominence in
southern Illinois. He was given exceptional
educational advantages and took the law course
in the University of Michigan, which is recognized
as one of the foremost institutions in the world.
After his graduation he went abroad and spent
the year 1873 visiting places of interest in the old
world. On his return he continued the study of
law. He was admitted to the bar at Edwards-
ville. 111., and became a member of the firm of
Dale & Burnett. From that city he removed to
Springfield, 111., in 1880, and associated himself
with two prominent attorneys in the organization
of the firm of Green, Burnett & Humphrey,
which became one of the leading and successful
law firms of the state.

It had been Mr. Burnett's intention to devote
his entire active life to professional work in Illi-

nois, where he had built up a large practice and
gained a name for broad knowledge of the law.
However, the failure of his health changed his
plans for the future. He severed the associations
of years and came to California, where the beatific
climate and sunny skies restored him to his for-
mer health. After a short sojourn in San Diego
he came to Los Angeles in 1890, where he is en-
gaged in practice. He has been on the successful
side of a number of cases of importance, among
them being, in the state supreme court, Adams
vs. Seaman, and Barnes vs. Babcock; and, in the
federal court, the Farmers' Loan & Trust Com-
pany vs. the San Diego Street Car Company, in
which, for the first time in California, principles
of law were definitely settled of great importance
to the financial institutions of the state. At this
writing Mr. Burnett is attorney for two Los An-
geles banks, the Los Alamitos Sugar Company,
the Pasadena Gas Company, the Gila Valle}^
Globe & Northern Railway Company, and
numerous other corporations and individuals of
prominence. He has never held a public ofiice,
nor has he ever been a candidate for such honors.
He is a member of the leading social clubs and
fraternities of Los Angeles.

Mr. Burnett was married in 1879 in Edwards-
ville, 111., to Miss Katherine Bradsby, whose
father. Col. Henry Clay Bradsby, a native of
Illinois, is a writer of ability and a noted historian
of local history. In 1890 Mr. Burnett built a
residence at Eighth and Beacon streets, where he
and his wife and their surviving child, Mildred,
have since made their home.

(]OHN EDWARD HOLLENBECK was for
I years one of the most influential men of
O Los Angeles, to whose development he was a
large and progressive contributor. His interests
were varied and important; his career was one
of unusual activity. Arriving in Los Angeles in
the spring of 1876 he settled permanently in the
city which he had visited two years before, and
of whose future he had from the first cherished
the greatest hopes. He purchased land on the
east side of the Los Angeles river and erected
what was at that time one of the most valuable
residences in the entire state. This continued to
be his home until his death. To the improve-

\ ^lLZ^^" M^^^*^"

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAI. RECORD.

795

ment of the place he gave much time aud thought,
and expended thousands in the embellishment of
the several acres of grounds.

In 1878 Mr. Holleubeck became a stockholder
in the Commercial Bank of I,os Angeles, and was
elected its president, holding the position for three
years. He then, with others, organized the First
National Bank, of which he was chosen presi-
dent, and he held the position until ill-health
obliged him to retire from heavy business, respon-
sibilities. After his resignation as president he
aud his wife spent many months in travel in this
country and abroad. Before and after his return
from Europe he bought large tracts of property,
and at one time owned six hundred acres four
miles south of the city limits. On this property
he planted a vineyard of three hundred acres.
He also owned land in the San Gabriel valley,
on which he raised oranges, lemons and grapes.
Among his other possessions was a grain and
stock ranch, comprising thirty-five hundred acres
of L,a Puente Rancho. In 1884 he built the Hol-
lenbeck block, one hundred and twenty feet on
Spring and two hundred and forty feet on Second
street. At one time he was the principal owner
of the East Los Angeles and Main and Sixth
street horse-car line, and was also interested in
the line to Boyle Heights.

After five months of gradually increasing weak-
ness, Mr. Hollenbeck died September 2, 1885.
His forethought was shown in the fact that he
had made provision out of his estate for all of his
relatives. In his passing from earth L,os Angeles
lost one of its most prominent and successful
pioneers, and one who had ever been deeply in-
terested in the promotion of the city's welfare.

RS. MARY J. KEITH HYATT. As a
prominent factor in the social life and fra-
ternal activities of Los Angeles, Mrs. Keith
Hyatt is well known. She is the wife of Capt.
C. W. Hyatt, whose- life-sketch appears in this
work. The family of which she is a member
originated in Scotland, and descends directly
from the illustrious Marshal Keith. Those who
came to America brought with them the sturdy
qualities characteristic of their Scotch forefathers,
and many of the name have been prominent in
commerce and in society. Her parents were

William and Christie (Smith) Keith, the latter
a sister of Capt. James Smith, of the Chicago
Light Artillery, of Civil war fame. For years
the head of the Smith family was George Smith,
a successful banker of Chicago and an influential
member of the Reform Club of Pall Mall, Lon-
don; a man of keen business ability, he gained a
financial success that was striking and notable,
and all of his relatives were the beneficiaries of
his generosity.

Mrs. Hyatt was reared in Chicago, 111., and
received fair educational advantages. February
10, 1865, she became the wife of Capt. C. W.
Hyatt, who had obtained a leave of absence from
the army in order to go to Chicago for the wed-
ding ceremony. Captain and Mrs. Hyatt are the
parents of a daughter and son living: Louise
Maude and Major Chauncey Alanson, and lost
one son, George Smith, in his infancy.

In the work of the Woman's Relief Corps
Mrs. Hyatt has been prominent for years. She
assisted in the organization of two branches of
this order in Fremont, Neb., and also aided in the
organization of the Ladies of the G. A. R. in the
same town. In both of these organizations she
is past-president and department aid, and for two
j'ears she served as chairman of the council of
administration. Since coming to Los Angeles
she has been equally active in the various ladies'
auxiliaries of the Grand Army. She organized
two tents of the Daughters of Veterans, and in
Los Angeles she officiated as president and chap-
lain. In addition, she held office as president of
the Ladies of the G. A. R. She is also past-
lady commander in the ladies' auxiliary of the
Maccabees, and is identified with the Fraternal
Brotherhood, also the Independent Order of For-
esters. The State Grand Councilor of Chosen
Friends conferred upon her a justly deserved
honor by appointing her past-councilor, in recog-
nition of meritorious services rendered this noble
order. The appointment was made and the trib-
ute paid to her successful work, both in her own
and other lodges throughout the state, thus call-
ing general attention of the members to her
activities.

Mrs. Hyatt was assistant national instituting
and installing officer of the Ladies of the Union
Veterans' Legion for two years, also president
and treasurer of this order in Los Angeles. Work-

796

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

iiig for and with the brave boys who wore the blue,
aud saved the Union, and brought back untar-
nished the dear old flag that never knew defeat,
has been her life work. How proud we are to
have one country, one language and one flag!

BON PIO PICO, the last governor of Upper
California under Spanish rule, was born in
the mission of San Gabriel May 5, 1801, and
was a son of Jos6 M. Pico by Dona Maria Eusta-
quia Gutierrez, the former of whom died at San
Gabriel in 1819 and the latter in 1846. One of
their sous. Gen. Andres Pico, a conspicuous char-
acter in the early history of California, was born
at the old presidio of San Diego November 30,
1810, aud died February 14, 1876. When the
United States invaded Mexico he served in the
army of his country as general, and signed the
peace agreement with General Fremont, who in
after years was one of his stanch aud warm
friends. Another of the sons, Jose Antonio Pico,
who was a soldier at Monterey, died at Santa
Margarita. There were several daughters in the
family, one of whom became the wife of Don Juan
Forster, and another was Mrs. Maria Ortega,
while two others married, in succession, Jose
A. Carrillo.

The life of Don Pio Pico covered almost the
entire period of the nineteenth century. He
often in later life recalled the great earthquake
of 18 1 2 that destroyed the unfinished church of
San Juau Capistrano, with many lives. He also
remembered that in 18 10 his father was impris-
oned on account of having talked concerning
Mexican independence in the company of which
he was sergeant. In 18 18 his father was sent to
San Gabriel on account of the rising of the
neophytes of the mission, but during the same
year was recalled to San Diego to assist in the de-
fense of that port against some pirates.

In 1 82 1 Don Pio was employed by his brother-
in-law, Jose Antonio Carrillo, to take twenty-five
barrels of brandy to distribute among the mis-
sionary fathers of the northern part of the terri-
tory, as a present from Carrillo, who was then
one of the most influential men in California. In
1828 Don Pio was appointed secretary of a com-
mission, of which Captain Portilla was the head,
which was ordered by Governor Echandia to try

some charges against a Mexican citizen, in which
the question of the precedence of the civil over
the military authority was vigorously contested.
The course of General Victoria was resi.sted by
him, with others, in 1831, and their pronuncia-
mento gained the support of all themilitar}- com-
panies in San Diego. General Echandia placed
himself at the head of the force and sent fifty
men, under Captain Portilla, to Los Angeles,
with orders to imprison the alcalde, Vincente
Sanchez, aud set at liberty citizens illegally im-
prisoned. These orders were faithfully carried out.
At the same time General Victoria reached the
mission of San Fernando. The next day an en-
gagement took place between the two forces,
which resulted partly in favor of Victoria, but the
next day he surrendered to Portilla.

Don Pio Pico was governor at the time of the
change of government and faithfully endeavored
to defend the territory, but the contest was a
hopeless one, and he and his brother accepted
the inevitable and became good American citi-
zens, continuing as such during their remaining
years.

CJOLOMON LAZARD. For a quarter of a
?\ century the president of the Hebrew Benev-
v£/ olent Society, which he was mainly influen-
tial in founding, Solomon Lazard has long been
prominent in Los Angeles, and no less in his
business than in his social career has he won the
esteem and admiration of all who know him. He
has witnessed nearly all of the growth of the
modern "City of the Angels" and has been ac-
tively connected with its commercial upbuilding
for almost half a century. He is a charter mem-
ber of the Pioneers' Society, and enjoys meeting
the patriarchs "who builded better than they
knew," and who, though hopeful, little dreamed
of the wealth and beauty, the advanced civiliza-
tion w-hich a few decades would bring to this
sunny southland.

A native of the province of Lorraine, France,
Solomon Lazard was born in April, 1826. His
father, Alexander Lazard, was a successful
merchant and lived and died in Lorraine. He
reached the ripe age of eighty-nine years, and his
wife, Jeanette (Levy) Lazard, was three-score
and ten years old when she was called to the si-
lent land. One of the ancestors of our subject

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

797

served as one of the guards of Napoleon Bona-
parte. Of the six sons and one daughter born
to Alexander and Jeanette Lazard, only Solomon
and Leah survive.

When he was seventeen years of age young
Lazard bade adieu to his native land and loving
relatives, going forth to seek his fortune in the
unfriendly world. He sailed from Havre, France,
on the Silver de Graf, which vessel subsequently
burned at San Diego, Cal. Arriving in New
York City the young man clerked for about two
years, and when the Mexican war came on he
went to New Orleans and there established a
store, which he managed successfully until 1851.
He then sold out and with four friends started
for California by way of the Isthmus of Panama.
Nearly seventy days were consumed in making
this trip, and in the meanwhile the ship barely
escaped being wrecked several times. Mr. Laz-
ard, with his fellow-voyagers, suffered terribly
during this perilous trip in the totally unsea-
worthy craft, and glad, indeed, were they to see
the beautiful Golden Gate at San Francisco.
Proceeding to Sacramento, he thence went to
San Jos6, where he remained for six months, but
was not very successful in finding a business
opening.

Having heard favorable reports of Southern
California, Mr. Lazard came to Los Angeles to-
wards the close of 1851, and having secured a
stock of goods went to San Diego on the next
steamer. He soon sold out there with the under-
standing that he would not become a competitor
of the merchant to whom he disposed of his
goods. Accordingly he arranged to embark in
the same line of business at Stockton, and had
just become well established there when he re-
ceived word to the effect that he was needed in
San Francisco, where the general headquarters
of Lazard Freres were located. They had been
destroyed by fire, and, true to the old saying,
that "misfortunes never come singly," Mr. Laz-
ard had not been gone from Stockton more than
two hours when his own store there caught fire
and was burned. Notwithstanding the series of
disasters which had seemingly rendered useless
all of his efforts to achieve a competence, he pos-
sessed that determination of character which sur-
mounts every obstacle so long as health remains.
In July, 1852, he returned to Los Angeles and

opened a store at the corner of Aliso and Los An-
geles streets, and for the ensuing fifteen years,
and in fact during the most interesting part of
the history of this city, he continued to do busi-
ness at that one place. Fidelity to the best inter-
ests of the public led to his receiving a large
share of its patronage and year by year his profits
increased. In 1867 he built one of the first brick
stores erected in this city, and this place on Main
street, known far and wide as the ' 'City of Paris, ' '
was managed by him until 1875.

Thirty-two years ago Mr. Lazard, with Dr. J. S.
GriiBn and P. Beaudry, obtained a franchise from
the city for the supplying of the city water, and
from that time until the present Mr. Lazard, be-
ing the only survivor of the above originators,
has served as a member of the board having the
matter in charge. As stated at the beginning of
this article, he has had deeply at heart the wel-
fare of the Hebrew people, and many of his re-
ligious faith, as well as hosts having no claim
whatever upon him, have been aided in the time
of need by him, and in consequence he possesses
the gratitude and veneration of a multitude.
Kindly and sincere in disposition, of sterling
honor and justice, it is small wonder that his name
is a synonym for integrity. He long ago became
a member of the Odd Fellows order and stands
high in that fraternity.

The marriage of Mr. Lazard and Carrie New-
mark took place in Los Angeles, July 5, 1865.
Of the ten children born to them, but six survive,
of whom the three daughters are married and
live in Los Angeles. The oldest son is in the
employ of the Capitol Milling Company of Los
Angeles; one is with the London, Paris & Amer-
ican Bank of San Francisco, while the youngest
is studying medicine in Europe.

[~DWARD H. ROYCE. At the time when
IC) Mr. Royce first settled in Pasadena it pre-
I sented none of its present attractions except
its picturesque scenery and delighful climate.
These, however, were sufficient to draw to its
peaceful abodes a number of eastern gentlemen,
whose faith in its ultimate development and pros-
perity never wavered from the first. One of the
early settlers was Mr. Royce, who arrived here
from Marshalltown, Iowa, in 1874. Although for

798

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

some years subsequent he dwelt in Los Angeles,
yet he constantly kept in touch with the develop-
ment of Pasadena, and in 1881 returned to this
citj'. He purchased twenty-two acres of land
fronting on South Hill avenue, near the citj' lim-
its, and planted the same to different varieties of
citrus and deciduous fruits. From time to time
he made valuable improvements to the property,
and here he still resides. In addition to the man-
agement of his ranch, he has been since 1891 a
director of the Pasadena Lake Vineyard Land
and Water Companj', one of the most flourishing
organizations of its kind in this section. He
assisted in the incorporation of the Mountain
View Cemetery Association, of which he served
as president some twelve years, and which laid
out the Mountain View Cemetery in 1883.

Mr. Royce was born in Grant county, Wis.,
November 28, 1847, a son of Lyman P. and
Laura (Bristol) Royce. His father, a native of
New York state, settled in Wisconsin in an early
day; in 1852 he came to California and in 1875
to Pasadena, where he still makes his home.
He is now (1900) in his eighty-seventh year. In
his family are one son and two daughters, the
latter being Mrs. E. P. Virgin, of Artesia, Cal.,
and Mrs. R. C. Case, of Westminster, Cal. Our
subject was a boy of thirteen when, in i860, he
first came to California, crossing the plains from
Wisconsiu and arriving at Eureka after a tire-
some journey of three months. In 1862, upon
the death of his mother, he returned east via the
Isthmus of Panama. After a short time in Illi-
nois he again crossed the plains with other mem-
bers of the family, arriving in Virginia City,
Nev., in 1863. Soon afterward he went from
there to Austin City, Nev., where he remained
for three years. In 1866 he traveled across the
plains on horseback, going to the vicinity of Chi-
cago, 111. Subsequently he went to Ohio and
settled in Monroeville, where he was employed
for two years. From there he returned to Chi-
cago and spent one winter. In the spring of
1869 he made his third trip across the plains to
the land of the golden gate. For a time he
worked at Hamilton, White Pine county, Nev.
In 1 87 1 he went back east and spent sometime
in Chicago and Marshalltown, Iowa, in which
latter place he was married, in 1873, to Miss
Elsie A. Giddings. His travels have made him

familiar with with all of the great west, and the
trans-Mississippi region is to him a great book,
concerning which he has acquired a broad knowl-
edge. He is a man of public spirit, and has
proved to be a good citizen, promoting plans for
the benefit of his community and identifying
himself with worthy interests. While he has
never sought office nor been a politician, yet he
is well informed in regard to public questions,
and in politics gives his allegiance to the Repub-
lican party. Fraternally he is connected with
the Pasadena lodge of Masonry.

0C. WELBOURN, M. D. During the few
years which mark the period of Dr. O. C.
, Welbourn's professional career he has met
with gratifying success, and though his residence
in Long Beach dates back scarcely six j'ears, he
has won the good will and patronage of many of
the families of this place. He is a great student
and endeavors to keep abreast of the times in
everything pertaining to medical science, taking
the leading journals devoted to the discussion of
"the ills to which flesh is heir," and the treat-
ment thereof Progressive in his ideas and favor-
ing modern methods as a whole, he does not dis-
pense with many of the true and tried systems
which have stood the test of years.

His father was Dr. E. L. Welbourn, who was
actively engaged in medical practice in Union
City, Ind., for many years, and was one of the most
influential and respected citizens of that section.
The birth of our subject occurred in that place
twenty-nine years ago, and there he passed the
days of his youth. He received his elementary
education in the public schools and subsequently
it was his privilege to pursue a course in the
higher branches of learning at Bethany College,
in West Virginia. He then began the study of
medicine, for from his early years he had mani-
fested unusual aptitude in everything relating to
his father's profession, and under his guidance
had laid the foundations of medical knowledge.
After taking a thorough course in the Cleveland
(Ohio) Eclectic Medical College and being grad-
uated from there in 1S91, he gave several years
to practice in the hospitals in order to better
equip himself for his subsequent duties. In 1894
he came to Long Beach, where he established an

ivy

n ov

dlt'ij^ji^eja/c^^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

799

office. Within a very short time he wou the
coufidence of the people and his practice has
steadily increased, until his time now is fully
occupied and he rarely has any leisure.

That Dr. Welbourn stands high among his
professional brethren is shown by the fact that
for the past four years he has been honored with
the responsible position of secretary of the South-
ern California Medical Association and of the
State Medical Association. His handsome suite
of offices is in the Long Beach Bank building.
He has erected a pretty, modern residence for his
family and is prospering in every way. Socially
he possesses those qualities of mind and heart
which rarely fail of winning friends. Fraternally
he belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Macca-
bees and the Woodmen of the World. He also
has been identified with the Masonic order for
some time and stands high in the estimation of
his brother Masons.

Eight years ago Dr. Welbourn married Miss
Daisy L. Vinson, who was born and reared in
Kentucky, and who is a lady of amiable qualities
and excellent attainments. They have one child,
a little daughter, Hester L- by name. In the
domestic circle the doctor finds his chief pleasure,
and like the majority of California householders
he spends considerable time in the beautifying of
his property and in keeping his flowers and lawn
in fine condition.

^EORGE WASHINGTON TWEEDY.
|_ Prominent among the many men in Lower
\^ California whose untiring efforts in the early
days of her prosperity have contributed to the
upbuilding and development of her boundless re-
sources, George W. Tweedy has already reaped
the reward of a useful and busy life in the vicin-
ity of Rivera. His original purchase of land in
1869 was but the nucleus of various additions of
more recent date, so that he is now one of the
largest land owners in this section of the country.
Mr. Tweedy is a native of Conway county,
Ark., where he was born January 13, 1844. His
parents were Robert and Mary (Holyfield)
Tweedy, natives respectively of Illinois and
Alabama. The Tweedy family is of English ex-
traction, the first members to arrive in America
having settled in Alabama. In 1852 the more

recent scions decided to try their fortunes in
the far west, and undertook the long and perilous
journey across the plains. A few out of many,
their emigrant train wound its way through the
wild and unsettled country, the faithful oxen un-
mindful of the inclement or sunshiny weather,
and the danger from Indian attacks, and the ford-
ing of rushing streams and rivers increasing with
the progress of the way into the west. The
caravan reached El Monte in November, 1852,
having started out over the plains the previous
March. For a time the Tweedy family continued
to reside in El Monte, and in 1862 they moved to
Green Meadows, locating about eight miles south-
west of Los Angeles. In 1S93 they went to the
San Antonio district, where they lived for a num-
ber of years.

George W. Tweedy started out to make an in-
dependent livelihood for himself in 1863, leaving
his family comfortably located, and engaged in
agriculture. He went first to Gilroy, but soon
returned to Los Angeles county, where he rented
eighty acres of land near Downey, and himself
engaged in agricultural pursuits. For a number
of subsequent months his labors were of a diverse
order, and took him to various sections of the
country. In March, 1869, he settled on the
ranch near Rivera which has since been his home,
and where his efforts as a horticulturist have been
attended with a gratifying degree of success.

His land is composed of ninety-six acres on
the home ranch, forty-five of which are devoted
to the cultivation of walnuts and oranges, and to
the carrying on of a model dairy, which is a
source of pride and revenue to its owner. He
also owns two hundred and thirty-four acres of
land eight miles west of Rivera.

September 21, 1865, Mr. Tweedy married Mar-
tha Nicholson, a native of Texas, and of this
union there have been nine children, eight of
whom are living: James R., William T., Jack-
son, Lena, Lillian, Edward, George W., Jr., and
Edith. Mrs. Tweedy died May iS, 1895, and
February 14, 1898, Mr. Tweedy married Mary
M. John, a native of Mississippi. Their daugh-
ter Ruth is living at home. In political faith
Mr. Tweedy is affiliated with the Democratic
party, and has held a number of important posi-
tions within the gift of the people, including that
of trustee of the Rivera district school for twelve

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

years. He is an active member of the First Baptist
Church, and contributes generously towards its
support. As a typical pioneer of the substantial
and reliable kind, Mr. Tweedy has won the con-
fidence and esteem of all appreciators of enterprise
and good fellowship.

EOL. ALBERT JENKS. To few is it given
to achieve the distinction to which Col. Al-
bert Jenks, of Los Angeles, has attained —
that of being acknowledged as one of the fore-
most artists of his time. He has had the honor
of representing upon the canvas some of the most
brilliant and popular men who have figured in
American history for the past two-score years,
and to his genius and unfaltering devotion to his
art posterity will be deeply indebted. His skilled
brush stoops to no flattery, but zealously seeks to
portray every subject in his true light, with the
impress of his own individuality.

Though Colonel Jenks has reached the three-
score and ten years allotted to the average man,
his eye, brain and hand are as prompt as ever to
do his bidding, and eternal youth seems to be the
dower of his great heart. Born May 26, 1830, he
is a son of Levi Jenks, a native of North Adams,
Mass., who removed to the Western Reserve with
his parents early in the '20s. Later the family
went to Illinois, and in 1836 located near Joliet
when there were but three houses in that city.
The father was connected with numerous local
oSices, serving for many years as county clerk,
county commissioner and in other positions
equally important. Prior to his removal to the
Prairie state he had been chief clerk in the post-
office at Erie, Pa., when that was the most west-
ern distributing station for the great western ter-
ritory. In 1866 he came to California and here
spent the rest of his life. He died in Alameda,
Cal., January 18, 1887. His widow, whose
maiden name was Nancy E. Edmunds, is yet
living at her home in Alameda, Cal., and enjoys
good health, notwithstanding her ninety years.
Of her .several children, only one, the colonel,
grew to maturity.

Col. Albert Jenks was born in Jordan, N. Y.,
and when he was about of .school age he became
a resident of Joliet. At twelve years he entered
the seminary at Mount Morris, 111., where he

pursued his studies for two years, his room-mate
at that time being he who in after years was
known as Governor Beveridge. When fourteen
years of age our subject went to the then un-
promising town of Chicago, where he studied
medicine with several physicians and also at-
tended lectures in medical colleges there. At
length his distaste for the profession became too
strong to be overcome, and he returned to his
father's home, then in Aurora, 111., and there he
soon obtained a clerkship in a general store,
where he continued until reaching his majority,
a portion of this period being proprietor of the
business. He was only nineteen when he went
to New York City to buy goods for his store, and
few, if any, of the men whom he met, bent upon
the same errand, were as young. Having made
a success of his mercantile undertaking, Mr.
Jenks opened a bank in Aurora, and this enter-
prise he conducted successfully for ten years.

The colonel always was "for country first,"
and when the troubles between the north and
south seemed culminating he anxiously watched
the outcome. Upon the very night when Fort
Sumter was fired upon he held a meeting and
raised a company of men, who promptly elected
him as their captain. This position he could not
then accept, owing to the fact that his business
obligations would not permit of his leaving home
at once. As rapidly as possible, however, he ar-
ranged everything and prepared to bid farewell
to his young wife and little ones. When it be-
came apparent that a second call for men must be
made bj' the president, he advertised for one hun-
dred men for a cavalry companj-, each man to
come provided with everything necessary in his
equipment. Within ten days after this notice
appeared Mr. Jenks had four hundred men on
hand to select from, and, needless to say, he was
their choice for captain. Going to St. Louis,
where it reported for duty, the company spent
several months in drilling and guard duty, and
when the campaign leading up to the battle of
Pea Ridge came on it was ordered into action.
At that battle our subject was placed in command
of two companies of cavalry, under direction of
General Siegel, and twelve of his men fell into
the hands of the Confederates. After the battle
of Shiloh, Colonel Jenks was transferred to Mis-
sissippi, and at Corinth he was made commander

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

80 1

of General Pope's escort, and later had command
of General Rosecrans' escort. About this time
his gallantry and fidelity received a fitting ac-
knowledgment, as he was commissioned lieu-
tenant-colonel of the Thirty-sixth Illinois Infan-
try, and joined his regiment at Murfreesboro,
Tenn. In the fall of 1863 he resigned his com-
mission, on account of the serious illness of his
wife, and returned home.

From his boyhood Colonel Jenkshad cherished
one great hope — that some day he might be per-
mitted to devote himself to art. The enthusiasm
of genius burned within him, but circumstances
had thus far forbidden his doing much of note in
his beloved work. Nevertheless, the little, com-
paratively, that he had accomplished in leisure
hours had borne the marks of talent, and it was no
surprise to many of his friends when, in i860, he
was sent for by the secretary of the state of Illi-
nois and urged to undertake the painting of a
portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Having agreed to
this, the colonel arranged for six sittings, of an
hour each, and during this time he became an ar-
dent admirer of the man whose fame was soon to
be world-wide. Lincoln already was marked as
a man of destiny, and, with his accustomed good
nature, he would not refuse to see those who
wished to meet him, even when he was sitting for
his portrait. Many interesting incidents in this
connection live in the memor}' of our subject.
One day a venerable, white-haired man made a
call upon Lincoln, and, after remarking that he
was from Virginia and was acquainted with
Breckenridge and other southern statesmen, he
said* "And now, Mr. Lincoln, I have come all
the way from Virginia to see the great American
gorilla" — whereupon the un-handsome future
president burst into one of those uproarious laughs
for which he was noted.

For two years after leaving the army Colonel
Jenks was engaged in the book business in Chi-
cago, and then he turned his attention to the
painting of portraits, having a studio in the Gar-
den City until the great fire in 1871. He then
went to Detroit, Mich. , where he followed his
profession for two or more years. Having a de-
sire to visit San Francisco, he came to the Pacific
coast in 1875, and for ten years made his home
at the Palace hotel. During this period he
painted many of his masterpieces, and with few

exceptions the leading statesmen, professional
men and business men of this state have, at one
time or another, sat to him for a portrait. Be-
sides this, many celebrated men of different sec-
tions of the country have sought him out for the
same purpose. In 1886 he came to Los Angeles
and opened a studio in the old Baker block,
where, within eighteen months, he painted two
hundred and ten portraits, at an average price of
$150. At the expiration of this period of great
strain upon his physical and mental powers it is
no wonder that his health was much impaired,
and, indeed, it was four years ere he again at-
tempted any serious or regular work. His next
studio was in the Y. M. C. A. building, and
later he was located in the Stimpson block until
his removal to his present studio in Copp's block,
where he has been established since the spring
of 1898.

The first wife of the colonel was Miss Frances
Wetmore, whom he married in Aurora, 111., in
1854. She was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio,
in 1836, and passed to her reward September 5,
1874. Of their two children, Kittie, an accom-
plished 3'oung lady, died in 1897. Colonel Jenks
chose as his second wife Mrs. Cornelia A. (Lyon)
Trowbridge, and their marriage took place in
October, 1875. They both stand among the high-
est, socially, in Los Angeles, and their friends,
here and elsewhere, are legion. In his early
manhood the colonel was affiliated with the Ma-
sonic order in Illinois, and he now belongs to
the Loyal Legion of Los Angeles.

QROF. JAMES D. GRAHAM, A. B., A. M.
l/^ As supervising principal of the Pasadena
Ji) schools Professor Graham is one of the well-
known educators of Southern California. Dur-
ing the long period of his connection with the
educational work in Pasadena he has so systema-
tized every department and so elevated the
standard of education that the schools here com-
pare very favorably with any on the Pacific
coast. In fact, there are many competent judges
who believe they are unsurpassed by any in the
entire state. The high degree of efficiency they
have attained is due to the intelligent oversight
of the supervising principal, aided by a com-
petent corps of instructors, and also by the sym-

8o2

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

pathy of the residents of the city, who, as a class,
are interested in educational work to an uiiusnal
degree.

Though himself of Canadian birth, Professor
Graham is of Scotch extraction. His parents,
Robert and Jessie (Menzies) Graham, were na-
tives of Perthshire, Scotland, but came to Amer-
ica in early life and settled in Ontario. At
this writing his father is a general merchant
at Lakefield, Ontario. The subject of this
narrative was born in Peterboro, Ontario, No-
vember 22, 1858, and when six years of age
accompanied his parents to Lakefield, where he
received his elementary education in the public
school. Afterward he prepared for college at the
Peterboro Collegiate Institute, earning the money
for this course by teaching for three and one-half
years. Later he entered the literary department
of Toronto University. He studied there for
three years, after which he accepted a position as
principal of the Lakefield public school, later re-
turning to the university and completing his
course. In 1888 he graduated with the degree
of A. B. Three years later the degree of A. M.
was conferred upon him by his alma mater.

During 188S Professor Graham came to Cali-
fornia. The next year he became an instructor
in the department of science and mathematics at
the University of Southern California, where he
remained during one school year. In 1890 he
came to Pasadena as principal of the highschool,
to which work he gave his entire attention for
two years, and since then he has been engaged
as supervising principal. In addition to the du-
ties of this office, for two years he has been a
member of the Los Angeles county board of edu-
cation, during one year of which time he held the
office of president of the board. He is interested
in all measures for the advancement of his city
and county. He was a member of the board of
freeholders who prepared the charter recently
adopted by the city of Pa.sadena, being specially
interested in the educational department. His
interest is especially deep and strong in all plans
bearing directly upon educational interests. By
the reading of educational journals and attend-
ance upon educational conferences he keeps in
touch with every phase of education, and his own
broad views and keen intelligence give an im-
petus to all of his own profession with whom he

may come in contact. In politics he is a Repub-
lican. He is a member of the Pasadena board of
trade. Fraternally he is connected with Pasa-
dena Lodge No. 272, F. & A. M., and the Twi-
light Club of Pasadena. In religion he is of the
Congregational faith and holds membership with
the First Church of that denomination in Pasa-
dena. By his marriage to Elizabeth E., daughter
of Horatio N. Rust, of South Pasadena, he has
four children, Donald R., Katharine M., James
D., Jr., and Robert H.

fJjEN. PHINEAS BANNING, one of the most
I— noted of California's pioneers, was born in
vlJ Newcastle county, Del., September 19, 1S31,
and descended from one Phineas Banning, of
England, who in colonial days settled in what is
now Kent county, Del. His son, John, a
merchant of Dover, was a member of the council
of safety during the Revolutionary war, and, as a
member of the first electoral college, was one of
three from Delaware to cast the electoral vote
which made George Washington the first presi-
dent of the United States. John A., son of this
Revolutionary patriot, graduated from Princeton
College and was a man of .scholarly attainments.
By his marriage to Elizabeth Lowber he had
eleven children, Phineas being the ninth. When
he was a boy of twelve years he left home, and
with fifty cents as his entire capital started for
Philadelphia. Arriving at that city, he secured
work in his brotherWilliam's law office, but after-
ward was employed in a wholesale store. In
1S51 be left Philadelphia for California, via the
Isthmus of Panama. Landing in San Diego, he
proceeded to Los Angeles. In November, 1852,
he began freighting between this city and San
Pedro. From that time forward he was promi-
nently identified with the history of California.
He founded the town of Wilmington, which he
named in honor of a city in his native state.
For some years he had the sole management of
the Los Angeles & Wilmington Railroad.

Realizing the incalculable advantages to be
derived from a good harbor on the coast here, he
twice went to Washington to secure appropria-
tions from Congress for the improvement of San
Pedro harbor. Besides attending to his business
interests he bought and improved six hundred

^ f- ^/z^^-^M-'^-

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

805

acres in Wilmington. On this property he had
the largest well in the county, attaching thereto
steam pumps, by which water was raised into
several reservoirs, thus furnishing the water
supply for Wilmington and San Pedro, also for
irrigating purposes and for vessels in the harbor.
He made large sums of money through his vari-
ous enterprises, and, had it not been for his great
generosity, he might have become a millionaire.
In politics he was a Republican. His militarj'
title was earned in the command of the first
brigade of the California state militia, of which
he was appointed brigadier-general. He died
in San Francisco, March 8, 1885, leaving to his
family a fine estate, which was the accumulation
of the later years of his life.

ARY J. GREEN, M. D. The time has
long passed when the right and ability of
women in the field of medicine was called
into question, and to-day it is cheerfully conced-
ed, even by those of their own profession, where
rivalry might be expected to exist, that women
are peculiarly adapted to the healing art, and
that in numerous instances their presence in the
sick-room is to be greatly preferred. Women,
and children especially, often are assisted toward
recovery from illness by a woman physician
when other physicians have labored in vain to
benefit them, and in nervous diseases of her own
sex she is unequaled.

Dr. Mary J. Green, of Los Angeles, isdeserv-
ing of great credit for the success which she has
achieved, and a perusal of her history will no
doubt prove of deep interest to her numerous
sincere friends here and elsewhere. She is a
lady of wide intelligence and liberal educa-
tion, thoroughly identified with all progressive
and righteous movements, and conscientious in
discharging all of the duties devolving upon her.
Being the eldest of twelve children, seven of
whom are daughters, and all now living, she
early felt the responsibilities of life weighing
upon her. She was born August 9, 1857, upon a
farm near Chillicothe, Mo., her parents being
Preston Hemingway and Lydia (Pace) Minor.
The Minors trace their ancestry in an unbroken
line to that Sir Henry Minor who was knighted
by Edward II. of England for valorous service

in the war resulting in the conquest of Wales.
The paternal grandfather of Dr. Green, Daniel
Minor, was a native of Richmond, Va., whence
he emigrated to Kentucky in pioneer days. Pres-
ton H. Minor, now in his seventy-third year,
was born in Scott county, Ky. He has resided
at his present home on a fine farm adjoining the
town of Chillicothe, Mo., ever since 1862, when
he purchased the place from Judge George Pace.
He is widely known throughout this section of
the west as a breeder and raiser of Durham cattle.
Three of his five sons are practicing physicians.

The wife of Preston H. Minor is a daughter of
Judge George Pace, who was born in Marion,
Ky., December 3, 1816, a son of Jonathan Pace.
In 1826 the judge removed with his family to
Boone county. Mo., and there married Miss
Virinda Finks when he was in his twenty-third
year. Subsequently he was engaged in merchan-
dising in Livingston county, where, in 1850, he
was elected county judge. During the twelve
years of his public service on the bench he won
the respect and praise of the entire community,
his judgments being characterized by absolute
fairness and profound wisdom. In 1862 he re-
signed his position and removed to California,
finally taking up his permanent abode in Watson-
ville, where he soon rose to a place of influence
among the citizens. He continued to dwell there
until he was claimed by death, May 8, 1881,
when, as a token of sincere respect, the flag on
the plaza was ordered to be placed at half-mast.
In 1877-78 he had represented his county in the
California state legislature, and his record, both
as a public and private citizen, was thoroughly
meritorious, deserving the encomiums of all.
Ten days after the death of his son the aged
father of the honored judge and statesman, Jon-
athan Pace, departed this life, aged eighty -six
years. The widow of Judge Pace died June 8,
1889.

Dr. Mary J. Green was reared upon her father's
farm in Missouri, and received her elementary
education in the public schools. Later she en-
tered Professor Long's seminary, and completed
her literary studies under his supervision. De-
cember 30, 1875, she became the wife of William
A. Green, of Scott county, Ky. Two children
were born to them: Rita Lydia and Buel Hern-
don. In 1890 Mrs. Green was graduated with

8o6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

honors from the Kansas City (Mo.) Homeopathic
Medical College, and was chosen to be the vale-
dictorian of the class. The following year she
served as house physician in the hospital con-
nected with the college, and there obtained the
experience so essential to a young physician.

In 1892 Dr. Green established an office in Salt
Lake City, and succeeded in building up a large
and lucrative practice there, considering the
shortness of her stay in the famous Mormon me-
tropolis. On account of the poor health of her
son, however, she decided to locate permanently
in a sunnier and more equable clime, and in De-
cember, 1893, she came to California, and spent
several months in the state prior to her arrival in
Los Angeles. Since April, 1894, she has resided
on South Flower street, having her office and
home at the same place. She is a specialist in
diseases of the nervous system and surgical dis-
eases of women and children, and is rapidly ex-
tending the lists of her patrons. Though the
major portion of her time is devoted to her pro-
fessional duties and to studies along the line of
her chosen work, she is very patriotic and pro-
gressive, taking great interest in the welfare of
her country and community, and doing every-
thing within her power to promote the good of
the majority. Religiously she is a member of
the Broadway Church of Christ, and socially she
is identified with the Friday Morning Club. For-
merly she was a member of the Kansas, the Mis-
souri and the Utah State Homeopathic Medical
Societies, and at present she is connected with
the Southern California Homeopathic Medical
Society.

NERMANN JACOBY. San Pedro, erstwhile
merely a tiny fishing village of no impor-
tance, situated on the shore of the broad
Pacific^ but now risen to infinite possibilities, al-
ways has been fortunate in having a few stanch
friends and earnest prophets of future greatne.'s
in store for her, and doubtless to them should be-
long the credit of having accomplished at least
the beginning of this reign of prosperity. One
of the number, as everj' citizen here is aware, is
the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, a
native of Germany, and possessed of the inherent
force of character for which the people of the
Fatherland are proverbial.

Born in 1S42, Mr. Jacoby spent ten years in
that country and gathered the rudiments of edu-
cation in the excellent gymnasiums, which are
under the supervision of the government. Com-
ing to the United States in 1852 he completed his
studies here, and thus gained a fair knowledge of
both languages. However, he has been largely
self-supporting since he was twelve years of age,
and was not enabled to attend the English schools
as long as he desired. From the time of his ar-
rival here until the outbreak of the war of the
Rebellion he dwelt in Philadelphia.

One of the first young patriots to respond to
the president's call for defenders of the Union,
Mr. Jacoby enlisted in 1 861 as a private of the
Twenty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry, and it
was in the first battle of Bull Run that he received
his first terrible experience in actual warfare.
Later he participated in the second battle of Bull
Run, went all through the momentous Shenan-
doah valley campaign, and, among others too
numerous to mention, he fought gallantly in the
decisive battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, Fred-
ericksburg and Missionary Ridge, serving, al-
together, over three years in the ranks and mak-
ing a splendid record for bravery and strict
attention to duty.

Having learned much in regard to the attrac-
tions and promising outlook of Southern Califor-
nia, Mr. Jacoby determined to prospect here as
soon as he was released from the army, and accord-
ingly, in 1864, he came to Los Angeles county.
To him San Pedro (or Wilmington, as it was then
called) appeared to be especially suited, by its
favorable location, for a great and thriving city at
some not very distant day, and here he concluded
to settle permanently. Opening a small store he
engaged in general merchandising, and for thirty
j'ears continued to deal with the comparatively
few inhabitants of the town and vicinity. He
never lost his faith in its ultimate future, and
from time to time made investments in real estate.
For the past six years, or since the great new
harbor improvements have been under considera-
tion, he has devoted his time to the management
of his property interests, and has laid out and sold
lots and tracts of land here.

By absolute integrity and true merit Mr.
Jacoby has won and enjoyed the good will and
respect of everyone with whom he has come into

HISTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAI. RECORD.

807

commercial or social relations, and to his in-
fluence San Pedro owes a deep debt of gratitude.
That her citizens feel this was manifested in a
measure when they indicated to the chief execu-
tive of the nation that Mr. Jacoby was their choice
in the responsible position of postmaster of the
place. Mr. McKinley appointed him, in accord-
ance with this request, and he is now serving his
third year in this oflBce, to the entire satisfaction
of all concerned. Fraternally he is a Mason and
has attained the Royal Arch degree.

Thirty years ago Mr. Jacoby married a daugh-
ter of Rev. A. W. Edelman, and their union was
blessed by the birth of a son and a daughter,
named respectively Nathan H. and Etta B.

^HOMAS F. GRISWOLD. Covina is one
I C of the most active and enterprising towns
Vy of its size to be found in Southern Cali-
fornia, its prosperity and growth being due to
the energy and ability of its pioneer settlers, who
proved to be men of good judgment and wise
forethought. Prominent among these pioneers
was the gentleman whose name is placed at the
head of this sketch, and who is now serving as
the postmaster of the town. He has been identi-
fied with its highest interests since becoming a
resident of the place in 1879, and has witnessed
its evolution, practically, from a barley field to
its present fine condition.

A native of Franklin county, N. Y., he was
born March 14, 1838. His father, Chester Gris-
wold, was born and reared in Massachusetts,
coming on the paternal side from excellent
English stock, being descended from one of three
brothers who emigrated from England in early
colonial days and settled at Blackball, Conn.
After his marriage to Paulina Clapp, a native of
Vermont, he located in Franklin county, N. Y.,
where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits
until 1854, when he removed to Peterboro,
Ontario, where he resided but a short time, going
from there to Waukegan, III., as a permanent
place of settlement.

Thomas F. Griswold accompanied his parents
to Ontario, thence to Waukegan, where he com-
pleted his education, being there graduated from
the Waukegan Academy. On attaining his
majority he went to Grand Rapids, Wis., where

he remained several years, being employed by
different firms as foreman in saw mills. While
living in Wood county he served three years as
treasurer of Auburndale township. In April,
1879, he came to Covina, being a pioneer of this
section of Los Angeles county, and at once
engaging in agricultural pursuits materially
assisted in the development of the town. Of
more recent years he has confined his attention
to horticulture, having an orange ranch con-
taining nearly twenty acres of productive land,
and in the culture of this fruit he has been
exceedingly successful. January 17, 1900, he
received his appointment as postmaster of Covina,
an oiEce in which he is giving much satisfaction.
One of the promoters of the Covina Citrus Asso-
ciation, he is now a member of its board of direc-
tors, and for two years was its president. Polit-
ically he is a steadfast Republican, and an active
worker in the interests of that party. Frater-
nally he is a member of the Masonic order of
Covina.

November 4, 1869, Mr. Griswold married Miss
Lavinia S. Davis, of Adams county. Wis. They
are the parents of four children, namely: Mrs.
J. R. Elliott, of Covina; William M., assistant
cashier of the bank at Azusa; Eugene I., of Los
Angeles; and Angle, a student of the State Uni-
versity of California, at Berkeley.

RS. MARY WHITING, M. D. The his-
tory of Dr. Mary Whiting, a practicing
physician of Los Angeles, presents much
of interest to the public, as well as to those who
have the pleasure of her acquaintance. A plain
statement of what she has accomplished within
the past few years, and that at an age when the
majority of women seek only to settle down to
the quiet enjoyment of home life, shows the am-
bitious spirit and the desire to be of greater use
in the world which has animated her and caused
her to conquer many almost insurmountable ob-
stacles. That she has succeeded in her endeavor
to stand in the foremost ranks of her chosen pro-
fession cannot be gainsaid, and she is one of those
who are ever pressing forward to greater achieve-
ments.

The doctor is a native of Watertown, Jefferson
county, N. Y., and there spent the happy years

8o8

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of her girlhood while pursuing her education in
the public schools. When she was in her twenty-
second year she became the wife of T. H. Whit-
ing, a native of Philadelphia. He had made a
study of the law, but never engaged in its prac-
tice, instead teaching school for some years in
his early manhood. The young couple located
in Iowa soon after their marriage, and in the
west Mr. Whiting has been chiefly occupied in
railroading and mining enterprises, at present
being interested in some Iowa investments.

Of the five children born toT. H. Whiting and
wife, the eldest, S. D., a graduate of the Uni-
versity of Iowa, is a young man of marked liter-
ary ability, and at present he is not only the
county superintendent of schools in Johnson
county, Iowa, but also editor oiih^ Johnson Coutity
Teacher. Nathan D., the next son, was em-
ployed as a clerk in Brown's drug store in Los
Angeles, and is now attending the academy in
Iowa City. Bernice G. is the wife of W. E.
Barlow, demonstrator in the chemical laboratory
of the Iowa State University. Blanche resides
in Los Angeles and Donna Maria is a school
teacher in Johnson county, Iowa.

After Dr. Whiting had loyally played the part
of a tender and watchful mother, faithful wife
and home-maker until her elder children were of
sufficient age to be attending college, she entered
the medical department of the University of Iowa.
After taking the full four years' course she was
graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine
in 1891, and at once established an office in Iowa
City. There she soon built up a large and dis-
tinctive practice, but, on account of the poor
health of her oldest daughter, she came to the
Pacific coast with her, and, after remaining in
Oregon for a period, located in Southern Cali-
fornia about three years ago. For nearly two
years she was engaged in practice in Los An-
geles, then opened an office at Redondo, where
she practiced fifteen months, afterward returning
to Los Angeles, and is now located at No. 527
Temple street. She has won her way into the
esteem of all who know her, and in social as well
as in professional circles is deservedly popular.
She is a member of the Maccabees, and is the ex-
amining physician for Hive No. 2 at Redondo,
as well as assistant examining physician for Los
Angeles hives; also for a number of life insur-

ance companies. Her pluck and energy have
commended her to the high regard of all with
whom her lot has been cast, and it is her am-
bition to keep thoroughly abreast of the times in
every possible way. She is a lady of broad mind
and genuine culture, and her ready sympathy
and cheery manner carrj' a benediction wherever
she goes.

30HN STROTHER GRIFFIN, M. D., a
pioneer of 1854 in Los Angeles, was identi-
fied with the growth of this city from an
insignificant Spanish-American town to a pros-
perous metropolis, whose beauty of landscape and
progressive commercial spirit constantly draw
men of enterprise and wealth from the eastern
states. He was one of the original stockholders
and directors of the Los Angeles City Water
Company and the Farmers & Merchants' Bank.
In early days he acquired a large tract of land
east of the river, where later was established the
suburb of East Los Angeles. At the time of his
death he was the oldest physician and surgeon in
this city.

Dr. Griffin was born in Fincastle, Va., in 18 16,
a son of John Caswell and Mary (Hancock)
Griffin, and a grandson of George and Margaret
(Strother) Hancock, all prominent Virginians.
His father died in 1823 and his mother about two
years later. He was then taken into the home
of an uncle, George Hancock, of Louisville, Ky.,
by whom he was given a classical education. In
1837 he graduated from the medical department
of the University of Pennsylvania, after which
he practiced at Louisville until 1840. He then
entered the United States army as assistant
surgeon, and served in Florida and on the south-
west frontier at Fort Gibson. At the commence-
ment of the Mexican war he was attached to
the army of the west, commanded by General
Kearny, and was with that army when it entered
Santa Fe in August, 1846. He was surgeon of
the First Dragoons, ranking as captain. In Sep-
tember of the same year General Kearny started
for California, arriving at the Colorado river in
November, and at San Diego county, December
3. Three days later the battle of San Pasqual
was fought with the Mexicans. On the loth the
command arrived at San Diego with its wounded.
January i, 1847, the command of General Kearny

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

809

was united with that of Commodore Stockton,
who had arrived in San Diego a short time
before. Of these two commands Dr. Griffin was
made ranking medical officer. Shortly afterward
they marched to Los Angeles. On the 8th of
January they met some Mexican troops at San
Gabriel river and drove them back. The next
day they had another engagement at La Mesa.
On the loth they took possession of Los Angeles,
a town of some three thousand inhabitants. On
the 12th forces under Gen. J. C. Fremont
arrived at Los Angeles and General Kearny's
command was transferred to San Diego, where
Dr. Griffin was placed in command of the gen-
eral hospital. In May, 1847, he was ordered to
report for duty at Los Angeles, and was on duty
there until May, 1849, when he was transferred
to the staff of Gen. Persifer Smith as medical
officer. From 1850 to 1852 he was stationed at
Benicia. He was then ordered to San Diego to
accompany Major Heintzelman on an expedition
against the Yuma Indians on Colorado river.
After the expedition had completed its work he
returned to Benicia. In 1853 he was ordered by
the war department to report for dutj' at Wash-
ington, D. C. He went east and remained there
until 1854, when he resigned his commission in
the army and returned to Los Angeles in the
capacity of a private citizen, settling in this city
and engaging in practice- Two years later he
was married in this city to Miss Louisa Hays, a
native of Maryland, who died May 2, 1888, at
the age of sixty-seven years.

rr LI TAYLOR. Among the many who have
1^ devoted their best energies to the develop-
I ment of her boundless resources, Southern
California has reason to gratefully remember as
a benefactor Eli Taylor, who, during the long
years of his residence within her boundaries,
contributed in no slight degree to her betterment
and progress.

Born in Maryland, June 22, 1835, liis life on
his father's southern farm seems to have held
little inducement for a protracted or indefinite
existence, and being an industrious lad and full
of enthusiasm for the future, he early started out
on his own responsibility. His first venture was
as an apprentice at the carpenter's trade in

Washington, D. C, and after perfecting himself
in the same he utilized it for many years as a
means of livelihood. In the early '50s he turned
his face towards the far west and came in a train
of emigrants across the plains with ox and
mule teams and wagons. Arriving in Los
Angeles, he engaged in the practice of his trade
of carpenter, architect and builder, successfully
prosecuting the same for many years.

In 1872 Mr. Taylor settled on the farm where
his family now resides, and where his death
occurred February 25, 1900. He purchased sev-
enty acres of wild and crude land and at once
began its cultivation, setting out trees and in
other ways preparing the soil to accomplish its
utmost under the genial skies and bright sun-
shine. From the first days of his residence near
Rivera the force and influence of the new comer
was apparent. His breadth of ideas, and large,
practical fund of common sense, were valuable
adjuncts to a growing community. Though
having received but a limited education as far as
actual school tuition was concerned, he was a
keen observer of men and events, and learned
much in the school of every day occurrences.
He realized the value of educational advantages,
and his interest in promulgating and perfecting
tho.se of his immediate vicinity was one of the
fine and disinterested traits of nis character. For
a number of years he served as trustee of the
school board of his district, and in this capacity
rendered valuable and lasting service. One of
his ambitions was the study of the irrigating and
water systems, an important question surel)',
and one requiring the best from resourceful
minds. He was able to practically demonstrate
the wisdom of his theories, and was largely
instrumental in promoting and developing the
methods now in vogue.

Juh- 22, 1862, in Los Angeles. Mr. Ta\lorwas
united in marriage with Martha Hunter, a native
of Illinois, and a daughter of Capt. Jesse and
Keziah (Brown) Hunter, natives respectively of
Kentucky and Missouri. When their daughter
was an infant in arms, in 1844, they started
across the plains in an emigrant train, conveyed
hence by ox teams and wagons, and at the end
of their journey settled in Los Angeles county,
Cal., where they were among the very earliest
settlers of the locality. To Mr. and Mrs. Taylor

8io

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

were born seven children: John H., who is at
home; Eli, who is living in Los Angeles; Albert,
of Downey; George W. and William H., who
are at home; Edgar C, in Los Angeles, and Jesse
P., at home.

On the well-conducted ranch near Rivera Mrs.
Taylor now presides over the interests of the
home, which is a hospitable center of attraction
for the numerous dwellers of the vicinity. Mrs.
Taylor's popularity is visibly increased by the
presence in her home of an old-time friend, Miss
Cooper, whose interesting personality, combined
with Mrs. Taylor's charm of manner, makes them
much sought after by the devotees of the cheerful
and optimistic in life.

During the years of his activity, Mr. Taylor
was an active worker and member of the Presby-
terian church, and his widow and family are still
identified with the interests of the same church.
He was a member of the Los Nietos and Ranchito
Walnut Growers' Association, and also of the
Los Nietos Valley Pioneer Club. Although
barred by blindness from the active duties of
existence during the last twelve years of his life,
he still continued to look after his home business
interests until his death. In the memory of
those who used to know him, whether as friend
or business associate, he is esteemed for traits of"
mind and character that would do honor to any
community. His integrity was never questioned,
and his intere.st in the general welfare never
doubted, and in the cessation of his activity, Los
Angeles county has lost a noble and disinterested
adherent.

[OHN W. MITCHELL. The balmy air and
sunny skies of Southern California have at-

(2) tracted thousands of the talented sons of
other states of the Union, and to-day each pro-
fession and calling is represented here by men
of rare ability and natural endowment. Among
those who rank high in the law is John W.
Mitchell, who has been identified with the inter-
ests of Los Angeles for a period of twelve or
thirteen years, contributing to the prosperity of
this locality in numerous material ways. His
career at the bar has been one of great credit,
and fidelity to the right has characterized his
everj' action in the field of jurisprudence.
John W. Mitchell is the last surviving repre-

sentative of a family which has been noted in the
annals of Virginia for many generations. His par-
ents, William H. and Nancy J. (Green) Mitchell,
were honored and loved by all who knew them,
and when death claimed them, the community
in which they dwelt felt that a public loss had
been sustained. The father lost his life at the
battle of Cedar Creek, while serving as a soldier,
fighting for the cause in which he ardently be-
lieved. Some of the ancestors of our subject
were patriots in the Continental army, and,
without exception, all of his relatives have been
noted for the strength and fearlessness of their
convictions. His only brother, who was an
artist of marked ability, came to Los Angeles
in 1887, on account of failing health, and later
died in this citj'.

The birth of John W. Mitchell occurred in
Lynchburg, Va., November 23, 1861, and in
that village he spent the years of his boyhood.
He obtained an excellent education in the public
and private schools of his native state, and for
about five years studied law in the office of John
W. Daniel, United States senator from his state.
He then pursued a course in Professor Minor's
law class in the University of Virginia, and was
admitted to the bar in 1881. Opening an oflBce
he engaged in the practice of his profession for
several years in Virginia, after which he went to
Texas, and for some time was engaged in the
duties of his calling at Houston and Galveston.

It was in 1887 that Mr. Mitchell decided to
come to Los Angeles, largely on account of his
brother's illness and the desire to be with
him. The years have rolled away rapidly, yet
he remains, and has no wish to return to the
east, which he formerly supposed was to be his
life long home. His oiEce is in the Byrne build-
ing, one of the finest office buildings on the
Pacific coast. Making a specialty of corporation
law, he has gained the business of some of the
many exten.sive corporations and large manu-
facturing concerns of this .section, and in the
multiplicity of his duties finds little leisure time.
He possesses accurate knowledge of the law, and
is especially well posted in the particular branch
to which he gives his attention. In the manage-
ment of cases entrusted to him he spares neither
time nor labor, and keenly looks into the mat-
ter from every possible point of view. His clear,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

logical reasoning and masterly summing up of a
case, before judge or jury, carries conviction and
rarely fails of procuring a verdict on his behalf.
The great public issues of the day are of deep
interest to Mr. Mitchell, as they should be to
every patriotic citizen. Like his forefathers he
gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, and
has served as a member of the state committee of
that political body. Among his personal friends
he numbers many notable persons, and at his
beautiful home he has had the pleasure of enter-
taining leading members of the bench and bar
and state officials. He and his wife take a deep
interest in educational matters. The residence
of Mr. Mitchell is situated in the western part of
the city, and, for architectural beauty, it has
rarely been surpassed, even in this region where
lovely homes abound. Since his youth he has
taken deep interest in educational matters, and
for some time has served as a member of the
state school board. Possessing marked literary
ability, he has contributed articles on timely
topics to many of the leading magazines and
journals of this country, and, moreover, has
composed several plaj'S of merit, besides having
acted in the capacity of editor-in-chief of the
Houston Chnmide, now known as the Post.

(lUDGE BENJAMIN S. EATON. Both
I grandfathers of Judge Eaton were soldiers of
G) the Revolution, and his father. Col. Elkanah
C. Eaton, was commander of the garrison at
Fort Trumbull, at the mouth of the Thames
river, in the war of 1812, at the time the British
fleet blockaded the port of New London. It will
thus be seen that the subject of our sketch, who
was born in Plainfield, Conn., December 20,
1823, descended from men who were prominent
in practical patriotism. At eight years of age he
was a pupil of Plainfield Academy. At thirteen
years he was sent to a private school at New-
burg, remaining two years, which ended his
school days. After a year with a brother at Nor-
wich he associated with a company of civil engi-
neers in the employ of the Norwich & Worcester
Railway, then building. These men were en-
gaged in the construction of a steam engine on a
simpler plan than that then in use. This involved
the principle of a "center exhaust." Want of

means defeated the enterprise, but the correct-
ness of Mr. Eaton's principle is attested in the
present construction of stationary engines.

After this he taught school in Southbridge and
Oxford, Mass., returning to Newburg to study
law with W. C. Hasbronck, and later with John
W. Brockway in Ellington, Conn. In 1845 he
entered the law school of Harvard University, re-
ceiving his diploma one year later. He then went
to St. Louis and entered the office of J. B. Crock-
ett, who afterwards was for twelve years on the
supreme bench of this state. In 1847 he married
Helen Hayes, of Baltimore, and took up his resi-
dence in Weston, Mo., where he published the
Frontier Journal \v\\.\\ success. In 1850 he joined
the mighty stream of wealth seekers, westward
bound, arriving in Sacramento in August after a
tedious overland trip with oxen.

After working on the Times and Transc7-ipt he
hunted gold in Hopkins' creek, succeeding well,
and with his means assisted the late J. J. Ayers
in setting up the Calaveras Chronicle. Later he
came to Los Angeles, engaging in a brief Indian
campaign, and in 1853 was chosen district attor-
ney of the county. His family arrived by way
of Panama in December, 1854. His daughter,
now Mrs. Hancock Johnson, at that time three
and a-half years old, was carried across the
isthmus on the back of a native. Judge Eaton
remained in Los Angeles, filling oifices of trust
and emolument, until December, 1858, when his
brother-in-law, Dr. John S. Griffin, having pur-
chased the San Pasqual rancho, he occupied the
old hacienda built by Don Manuel Garfias, the
original owner of the place. His wife, who re-
mained in Los Angeles, lingered in sickness until
the following May and then died. This left Mr.
Eaton without strong ties to hold him here, and
he decided to go east to visit his aged mother.
His route was a perilous one, horseback o\ er
the great plains. During the winter with hi.'-
mother he met Alice Laj ton Clarke, whoni he
married in February, 1861, and together they
came to Los Angeles via Panama and San Fran-
cisco. During the following summer the city
determined to build waterworks for domestic
purposes, to supplant the old antiquated cask-
and-barrel method of distribution, aid he was
appointed engineer of construction. But little
money was appropriated, and the works were

8l2

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

finally superseded by the present company. The
next important work was taking the water from
the river to the "Woolen Mills," and in 1864 he
built a zanja carrying river waters out on what
was then an arid plain, on the west side of Main
street, now occupied by the finest residences in
the cit}'. In 1865 he again took up his residence
on the San Pasqual rancho, and shortly after-
wards bought the "Fair Oaks" homestead from
the widow of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, the
same now being occupied by J. F. Crank.

His first labor was to complete a ditch to bring
the water out of Eaton's canon. This was a tedi-
ous task, for, owing to his limited means, he was
obliged to do all the work himself The Indians
from the desert made raids on the valley, at one
time stealing all his horses and at another killing
two men with their poisoned arrows. Mountain
lions killed his stock, and what with the mother
and five children, who had to be left at home
during the long days, the scanty funds, hauling
water in a cask, the hard work, etc., this season
was the ordeal of his life, and shows the wonder-
ful nerve and pluck with which he faced not
only nature's obstacles, but also the advice of his
friends, who urged him to give up a task so dif-
ficult— that of bringing a garden out of the desert.
A trip to the scene of his troubles will .show that
his toil was not in vain, for where the sage brush
and grease-wood held sway now we see great
tracts of orchard and vineyard, each with its
beautifully embowered home set beneath the
palms, peppers and magnolias.

About 1870 Mr. Eaton was commissioned to
sell Dr. Griffin's interest in the San Pasqual
rancho, but in this was unsuccessful until 1875,
when he took D. N. Berry, a representative of
the Indianapolis "California Colony," to look
over the place, and negotiations were at once be-
gun which finally culminated in a part of the
original subscribers forming a company, incor-
porating under the name of the San Gabriel
Orange Grove Association, and Mr. Eaton, who
had become a shareholder to fill up the ranks de-
pleted by the great Cook failure, was chosen
president. He was not only intrusted with the
construction of the water system, but instructed
the coloni.sts in the use of the precious fluid in
irrigating. He had for a long time hoped to put
to a thorough test his pet scheme of sheet iron

piping for irrigating systems, and the adoption
of his plan throughout Southern California is
proof of the correctness of his theories. In Farns-
worth's History, P. M. Green writes: "The
plan of conducting water for irrigation in under-
ground pipes, and with pressure suflScient to
carry the water into the upper stories of the
highest houses, was the first of the kind adopted
in the state. A system of irrigation that com-
bines all the advantages of the best system of
water works in the United States was a novel
idea to the Californian accustomed to open
ditches, but the method has proven eminently
successful."

Since constructing the Pasadena water works
Mr. Eaton has built similar works for Hermosa
and Iowa colonies at Cucamonga, at Jacinto,
Marengo, Glendale and North Pasadena, all of
which have proved successful, and have re-
claimed large tracts of land that otherwise would
be untenable and valueless. Through the per-
sonal efforts of Mr. Eaton the San Pasqual school
district was formed.

The reader of this sketch will realize what an
important part Mr. Eaton has taken in the build-
ing of this commonwealth, the development of its
resources and reclaiming its arid lands. A host
of friends attest his genial personality.

ROBERT A. LING was born in Canada,
October 5, 1852, a son of George S. and
Mary (Taylor) Ling. He was reared on a
farm until twelve years of age, and attended
school in Michigan. He then spent four years on
the lakes in merchant service, and gained his first
business experience in merchandising at Le Roy,
Mich. In 1873 he was first married, but lost this
wife in Los Angeles in 189T. Two years later he
was united in marriage with Jennie A. Olmsted,
of Hartford, Conn., where her father, a retired
broker, and her sister still reside.

In 1873 Mr. Ling came to California, settling in
Los Angeles, and for six years he was employed
in the sherifTs office. In 1882 he was elected
justice of the peace and police judge, serving for
two years. Since 1S86 he has successfully fol-
lowed the profession of law. He has made a
special study of criminal law, and has defended
twenty-two murder cases, in which nineteen of his

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

815

clients were acquitted and three were cotumitted
for manslaughter. Over one hundred cases of
felony were defended b}' him, out of which only
two were convicted. He has been retained as at-
torney in a large number of damage suits of va-
rious kinds, several important will contests, nota-
bly the Cohn case, which occupied fifty-seven
consecutive days of the court, the contestant,
whom he represented, winning. His success in
civil cases has been no less marked than in those
of the criminal class. He has been admitted to
practice in all of the federal and state courts.
His strong powers are especially apparent in
making pleas before the jury.

Politically Judge Ling is a stanch Republican.
Patriotic and enthusiastic, he has participated in
numerous campaigns, his speeches being received
with praise and thoughtful consideration by his
associates. He is much sought after by those
who conduct the campaigns of the Republican
party. Fraternally he is a member of the Ma-
sonic and Odd Fellows orders and is a Knight
of P)'thias. In religion he is identified with the
Congregational Church. He has a daughter and
son, both of whom are natives of California, and
a credit to their parents.

HON. THOMAS D. MOTT. To the pioneers,
the forerunners of civilization and pros-
perity, a special debt of gratitude is owed,
and the people of Los Angeles, who now en-
ioy the delights and privileges of a country than
which there is none fairer under the sunny skies,
should never forget just tributes of praise to the
few sturdy frontiersmen who made their pleasant
life here possible. To the efforts of a few far-
sighted, energetic citizens of the humble adobe
village of Los Angeles of two or three decades
ago, nearly all of her present proud pre-eminence
is due, and as long as the city shall endure their
names will be found closely associated with her
early history and marvelous growth.

Of this number Hon. Thomas D. Mott un-
questionably occupies a prominent place, and to
all but a few of the later comers to this section
he is too well known by reputation, at least, to
require an introduction. Born seventy-one years
ago, in Saratoga county, N. Y., at the age of
fourteen he entered a canal grocery, where he

worked about a year. Afterward he obtained
emplo3'ment in a general merchandise store at
$25 per 5'ear and board. He remained there for
two years and up to the time of his departure for
California, Naturally ambitious and full of enter-
prise, he needed but the discovery of gold upon
the Pacific coast to act as an incentive, and with
a party of equally enthusiastic and hopeful
young men he took passage in a steamship at
New York City, and wended his way to San
Francisco, by way of the Isthmus of Panama.
Thejourney which then consumed four months
of time, now is made in about as many days — a
fitting type of the differences which are to be seen
in the west of half a century ago, and the won-
derful west of to-day. The industry and appli-
cation of young Mott were rewarded in better
measure than were the efforts of many of his
friends, and at eighteen he found himself in the
possession of a snug capital which he had made in
the gold mines. He then embarked in a mer-
cantile business at Stockton, where he remained
until 1 85 1, when, finding that the public was in
great need of a good ferry across the San Joaquin
river, he established some and won not only the
appreciation of those concerned, but likewise
reaped a golden harvest.

It was in 1852 that Mr. Mott cast in his lot
with the comparatively few inhabitants of Los
Angeles, and thus, for nearly half a century, he
has shared the disappointments and hopes, the
downfalls and success which destiny has dealt to
us. For some time after his arrival here he
carried on a livery and sales stable, but ere long,
it was found that he possessed just the qualities
which are needed in a statesman and public man,
and he was brought to the front by the many
friends who had been attracted to him by his sterl-
ing traits of character. In 1855 he became identi-
fied with the Democratic party, to which he has
given his allegiance principally, but voted for
McKinley and the gold standard in 1896. In
1863 he was elected to the office of county clerk
of Los Angeles county, and in 1865, 1867 and
1869 was re-elected, thus serving four terms in a
position which at that period undoubtedly was
one of the most complicated of an}' within the
gift of the people of this locality, as it embraced
the responsibilities of ex-officio auditor and re-
corder. He administered the duties of this dif-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ficult place with absolute integrity and uuswerv-
iug fidelity to the interests of the public, and this
led to his further preferment and honor. In 187 1
he was chosen to represent this district in the
state legislature, and there he was able to aid in
thecarryingout of a project w-hich has been more
effective in the upbuilding of Los Angeles than
any other enterprise ever meditated. As is now
w^ell known, the matter of a railroad through
this section was being agitated, and on the out-
come of the matter undoubtedly depended our
future. After a long and severe contest to repeal
the five per cent subsidy law, through the efforts
of Mr. Mott Los Angeles county was exempt
from the repeal of that law, which enabled the
people of Los Angeles to secure the Southern
Pacific Railroad by granting the railroad com-
pany the five per cent subsidy. Mr. Mott took
a very active part in the local controversy, and
also owing to his indefatigable efforts, a branch
of the supreme court was established in this city.
He was tendered the office of first resident deputy
clerk, and served as such to the entire satisfac-
tion of ever30ue until a change of administra-
tion brought the usual political upheavals. But,
to revert to the important matter of the establish-
ment of railroads in Southern California. It was
a grave question, in 1870, whether or no the
vSouthern Pacific, then being built through the
San Joaquin valley, would be laid out to embrace
Los Angeles. Two diverging lines had been
surveyed from Tehachepa pass southward, one
line to the Soledad pass and over heavy grades
and by costly tunnels to Los Angeles, the other
down the Mojave desert, the route now traversed
by the Santa Fe Railroad. Would the people
here, who were the chief ones to be benefited,
rise to the occa.sion and meet the vast expense of
building and equipping the road to this city,
reaping their profits in later years ? A few pub-
lic-spirited citizens here, among whom was our
subject, were alive to the importance of the mat-
ter and spared no pains to place it in the proper
light before the people. In this connection a
letter which appeared in the Del Monte JVave, a
monthly magazine, explains itself:

Los Angeles, May 5, 1872,
"Hon. Leland Stanford:

"Dear Sir: — Our personal relationsare of such
a character that we have deemed it proper to ad-

vise you in advance of movements which, if
carefully attended to, may redound, not only to
your benefit, but may be also of material service
to our country. We expect to call a meeting of
tax-paying citizens of the county in a few days
for the purpose of selecting from amongst them
an executive, giving the said committee full
power to meet the representatives of any rail-
road company that may visit our place for the
purpose of agreeing upon some plan whereby we
may have a railroad running through our coun-
ty, or, at least, to our city. We apprise you of
the movements soon to take place here, that you
may, if you deem it proper, take steps so as to
act in harmony with our citizens, and in that mat-
ter subserve the public benefit to be derived from
our mutual undertaking. With the greatest as-
surance of our personal regard, and our co-opera-
tion in any move which may promote the best in-
terests of the county and your own, and hoping
you may find it convenient to pay us a visit soon,
we remain, yours sincerely,"

(Signed) T. D. MoTT,
B. C. Wilson.

The result of the letter was the dispatch of an
agent by the company to Los Angeles, to confer
with the people here, and, after various public
meetings, committees were appointed and con-
ferences with Messrs. Stanford and Huntington
ultimately resulted favorably. The election took
place, and a railroad subsidy was made, sixty
acres of land were donated for railroad purposes,
and the work was commenced. The entire rail-
road was completed September 8, 1877, a golden
spike being driven, with appropriate ceremonies,
in the Soledad canon, in the presence of the
mayors of San Francisco and Los Angeles, and a
multitude of people. Fifteen hundred men were
employed for a twelvemonth on the world-famous
Sau Fernando tunnel, which is nearly seveu
thousand feet long and cost two and a- half mil-
lions of dollars. The influence and indefatigable
energy exercised by Mr. Mott in this great
achievement entitles him to the respect and con-
fidence of everyone who has the welfare of his
country at heart, and even a chance visitor in
Southern California may well bless his name, for
without him its interests must inevitably have
been at least retarded, perhaps a whole decade.

In his private life our subject has an uu-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

817

blemished record.he lias been as true to his friends
and loved ones as in his public relations. Broad-
minded and liberal, he is of the highest type of
the California pioneer, and his conversation and
reminiscences of earl}' daj-s are unending themes
of interest to his friends. Kindlj- by nature, he
has aided many a poor stranger on the Pacific
coast, and many an unfortunate in health or
circumstances, his benevolence being of a prac-
tical, unostentatious kind. In 1861 he married
a sister of Judge Sepulveda, a brilliant member
of the bar, and a distinguished representative of
one of the leading native families of this locality.
At the beautiful, cultured home of Mr. Mott the
wise and honored, in all of the professions and
arts, have been royally entertained, and his
memory will be treasured when death crowns him
with peace.

GlNDREW A. BOYLE. The record of the
U life of Mr. Boyle is a record of hardships
I I bravely borne, reverses courageously met,
thrilling experiences encountered and success
worthily won. In the suburb, Boyle Heights,
his name is perpetuated in the annals of Los An-
geles, and there could be no memorial more fit-
ting or more worthy of a man who was brave and
strong and true. His life began in County Gal-
way, Ireland, in 18 18, and ended in Los An-
geles.

When he was fourteen years of age Mr. Boyle
came to America and for two years was employed
in New York. January 7, 1836, he enlisted in
Westover's Artillery of the Texan army, and his
command was ordered to Goliad, where it was in-
corporated with the forces of Colonel Fanning.
After various engagements the Texans were
captured, and Mr. Boyle, who had been wounded,
expected to be shot by the enemy — a fate which
four hundred of his comrades met. However, it
chanced that Gen. Francisco Gara}-, second in
command in General Urrea's division, was the
officer in command of the Mexicans, and when
he learned Mr. Boyle's name he at once assured
him that his life would be spared," adding that
some time before he had been hospitabl}- enter-
tained at San Patricio, Tex., by Mr. Boyle's
brother and sister, and had promised them that,
if their brother should fall into his hands, he
would treat him kindlj'. General Garay after-

ward took Mr. Boyle to Matamoras and invited
him to go with him to the City of Mexico, but
the many exciting experiences of his army life
had made the youthful soldier homesick, and he
preferred to return to the States. He landed in
New Orleans without money or friends, and se-
cured work at $2.50 a day, thus securing the
means to buy necessary clothing. He then
availed himself of the Texan consul's offer of a
free pa.ssage on a schooner to the mouth of the
Brazos river, and from there walked one hundred
and fifty miles to the camp of General Rusk,
where, on account of impaired health, he was
honorably discharged from the army. After re-
covering from a severe illness, he returned to
New Orleans. From that time until 1842 he
engaged in the mercantile business on the Red
river.

In 1846 Mr. Boyle married Elizabeth Christie.
After closing his business on the Red river he
went to Mexico, where he was a successful mer-
chant. In 1848 he started to return home, bring-
ing $20,000 in a claret box. At the mouth of
the Rio Grande, in attempting to board a steamer,
his skifi" capsized and his money went to the bot-
tom, he barely escaping with his life. Thus the
savings of years were lost in a moment. Return-
ing home, a further calamity awaited him. His
wife had died from a fever caused by the report
that he had been drowned at the mouth of the
Rio Grande. There was left to him an only
daughter, and in her his affection centered. From
that time until his death she was his idolized
companion.

Early in 1851 Mr. Boyle arrived in San Fran-
cisco, where he started in the boot and shoe
business, but suffered materially in the two fires
of that year. Later he built up a large trade in
the wholesale boot and shoe business. In 1858
he came to Los Angeles and bought a vineyard
(planted in 1835) on the east side of the river,
under the bluff. He made his home on the edge
of the bluff. About 1862 he began to manu-
facture wine, previous to which time he had
shipped his grapes to the San Francisco market.
As a wine merchant he met with success. The
quality of his manufacture was the best, hence
his sales were limited only by the quantity of his
output. His home on the bluff was the scene of
many pleasant gatherings, for he was of a most

!i8

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

hospitable nature and was never happier than
when friends sought his comfortable home. He
was also active in city affairs, and was a member
of the city council several years. No one was
more interested in local development than he,
and no one to a greater degree rejoiced in the
constant growth of the city and its progress in
commerce, horticulture, education and all those
things which go to make up the culture and
refinement of existence.

^JjEORGE D. BLAKE. During the years of
I— his active professional life in Los Angeles
^J Mr. Blake has established a reputation as a
lawyer second to none. Like the majority of our
citizens, he was born east of the Mississippi river.
Cornell, 111., was his native town, and 1863 was
the year of his birth. While he was yet small
his father died, and from an early age he was
thrown upon his own resources. This fact, how-
ever, instead of being a detriment to him, was ben-
eficial, for it developed his powers of self-reliance
and determination. It was his purpose to obtain
a good collegiate education, and every effort was
bent toward that end. He studied for a time at
Knox College, one of the old established and
thorough institutions of Illinois. From there he
entered the law department of the University of
Michigan, where he took the complete course,
graduating in 1885. After the completion of his
course he opened an office in Chicago and began
the building up of a practice in that city. Soon,
however, he found that to gain success in so great
a city, with its hundreds of famous lawyers,
meant years of patient waiting on his part. He
believed that success would come more quickly
in the great west, with its large fields of effort
and its magnificent opportunities for the young.
Accordingly, in 1888, he opened an office in Seat-
tle, Wash., where he remained for five years.
From there he came to Los Angeles in 1893. His
subsequent career at the bar has been remarkable.
It is said by many who are qualified to judge,
that as a pleader before judge and jury he has
few equals. He can cope with the ablest minds,
and stands as a peer of our most eminent lawyers.
Frequently he has been retained as counsel in cases
involving large interests. Notable among the.se
was the case entitled "ManuelaOrnelas, a minor,

by George D. Blake, her guardian, plaintiff, vs.
Frank J. Martin et al., defendant," which was
tried in the superior court in 1897 by Judge Allen,
sitting without a jury. The many complications
and seemingly insurmountable obstacles that lay
between Mr. Blake and success made this case a
notable one. The property involved was a large
mortgage on a valuable tract of real estate which
the guardian of Manuela Ornelas, a twelve-year-
old girl, had fraudulently retained. Mr. Blake
was appointed her guardian and attorney by the
superior court, for the purpose of recovering on
the mortgage. The case occupied a week, and
was decided in the girl's favor. The seven hours'
argument of Mr. Blake, with its display of learn-
ing, logic and eloquence, won for him from both
the court and the opposing counsel many compli-
mentary notices, and established the fact that in
the arena of intellectual combat he is a giant.
His mental powers are of an unusually strong and
vigorous order. On questions of law he discrim-
inates forcibly and clearly. In argument he is
sagacious and convincing. By careful analytical
processes of mind he reaches his conclusions
methodically and surely. In questions apper-
taining to jurisprudence his judgment is sound
and well defined. He is well versed in the prin-
ciples of the law, grasping its technicalities so
thoroughly that they remain thenceforward in-
delibly imprinted upon his mind.

The lady whom Mr. Blake married was a
woman of rare gifts of mind. Her life, though
brief, was remarkable in its results and striking
in its individuality. Miss Alice R. Jordan was
born in Norwalk, Ohio, October 10, 1864, and
received a high-school education in Coldwater,
Mich., where from a child she was considered a
prodigy in learning. She graduated from the
high school the youngest member of her class.
At the age of sixteen she entered the University
of Michigan, being the youngest student who
had ever entered upon the classical course. At
the expiration of four years she graduated from
the literary department. She then entered the
law department, where she prosecuted her studies
under the preceptorship of Hon. Thomas M.
Cooley. At the end of the first year, before she
had entered the .senior class, she passed a most
rigid examination in open court and was admit-
ted to practice in all the courts of Michigan.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Being ambitious that the foundation of her legal
practice should be thoroughly assured, she de-
sired to continue her studies, and applied for ad-
mission to the law department of Columbia Col-
lege, but was refused because she was a woman.
Undaunted, she applied to Harvard, but met with
a similar disappointment. She then applied to
Yale, and though at first she was not encouraged,
finally the doors were opened and she entered the
senior class, being the first woman admitted to its
law department. The case was considered so re-
markable that some of the more conservative pro-
fessors anticipated dire results. However, in a
.short time everyone became accustomed to the
sight of a woman passing to and fro in the reci-
tation halls. As the collegiate year drew near
a close, and she had with credit passed the final ex-
amination, the question arose whether or not the
corporation should exceed the powers granted by
the constitution and confer upon her the degree of
LL.B. As a compromise, they ofifered her a
certificate, but this she declined. The excite-
ment was intense. Professors, students and trus-
tees were agitated upon the subject, and the re-
tiring president. Noah Porter, remarked: "I wish
I had never been called upon to sign a college
degree granted to a woman."

Finally, a special session of the corporation was
called, and the president was instructed to grant
the degree with full honors. After leaving col-
lege she studied for two years in California, and
then became the wife of Mr. Blake, to whom she
bore a son, Jordan Blake. She died in 1893 in
Los Angeles, which had been her home during
the years of her married life.

|~ DGAR B. OWENS. Though not one of the
1^ early settlers of Glendora Mr. Owens has
L_ been identified with its interests for a period
sufficiently long to enable his fellow-citizens to
accurately gauge his ability and recognize his
merits. With justice he is said to be one of the
leading men of his locality. During 1891 he
came to California and settled on the land he has
since owned. On his orchard of twelve acres
there are six hundred and fifty orange trees, the
balance being deciduous fruits. Besides the
management of this tract he has been connected
with outside enterprises. At the organization of

the Glendora Citrus Association he was a charter
member and was elected the first president, serv-
ing in the office for three years, and at the same
time he was also a director. He was also a char-
ter member of the A. C. G. Lemon Association
and for several years was a director of the same.

In Delaware county, N. Y. , Mr. Owens was
born March 17, 1840, a son of William K. and
Eliza (Chamberlain) Owens, natives of Delaware
county. His paternal grandfather, John Owens,
was a native of Connecticut and of Welsh ex-
traction. The business career of our subject
began when he was eighteen, at which time he
became interested in mercantile pursuits in Can-
nonsville, N. Y., where he was a well-known
business man from 1858 to 1878. For the first
five years of that time he was a member of the
firm of W. K. Owens & Co. Subsequently the
firm name was Owens & Tanner, after which the
title became E. B. & M. W. Owens, and the
latter firm continued in business for many years.
After a service of some years as deputy post-
master of Cannonsville, during the first adminis-
tration of President Grant he was appointed post-
master, holding the two offices altogether for
about twenty-five years. When twent3f-four
years of age he was elected supervisor of the town
of Tompkins, Delaware county, being the first
Republican supervisor elected in that town. He
filled the office for four years. For years he was
an active factor in the political life of his town
and county. In 1878 he sold his interest in the
mercantile business to his brother, M. W. Owens,
but he continued to make his home in Cannons-
ville until the fall of 1890. Afterward he spent
a short time in Iowa and Nebraska, and was then
induced to come to California, in the hope that
the invigorating climate might aid him in regain-
ing his health — a hope that was not disappointed.

In 1866 Mr. Owens married Catherine Mc-
Gibbon, a native of Delaware county, N. Y., and
a daughter of William and Isabella McGibbon,
both deceased. Six children were born of this
marriage, four of whom are living, namely:
Isabella E. ; Katherine.wife of George H. Given,
of Des Moines, Iowa; Ernest B., of Glendora;
and Robert C, a graduate of Pomona College at
Claremont, and now living in Glendora. The
older daughter is a graduate of Elmira (N. Y.)
College, from which she graduated in 1889 with

820

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the highest houors of her class and was awarded
a class prize. Afterward she taught for six con-
secutive years in the Citrus Union high school,
meantime gaining a high reputation for thorough-
ness in educational work. She finally resigned
the position in order to take a post-graduate
course in methods of teaching at the California
State University in Berkeley, and is now teach-
ing in the high school at Long Beach. The
family are connected with the Presbyterian
Church of Azusa.

While not as active in politics now as formerly
Mr. Owens never loses his interest in public
affairs and never ceases to advocate Republican
principles, for he believes them to be for the high-
est good of our countr}'. On various occasions
he has been a delegate from Glendora precinct to
the county convention of his party.

pCjlLLIAM S. HOOK. Unquestionably the
\kl progressive city of Los Angeles owes its
YY truly remarkable growth and flourishing
condition to the able and energetic business men
who comprise a large share of her citizens. The
visitor from the north and east cannot fail to be
surprised when he observes that this city is far
better equipped in numerous modern manifesta-
tions of inventive genius, in streets and boule-
vards, in water supply, and means of cheap and
rapid transit, in the electric lighting of its thou-
sands of beautiful homes and buildings, as well
as the public highways, than are scores of the
leading cities of the United States and other
countries.

In this day of business activity and ambitious
enterprise nothing is more important than the
methods of transit. Los Angeles is to be espec-
ially congratulated upon her fine street -railroad
system, comprising about one hundred and fifty
miles. One of the newest of these lines, known
as the Los Angeles Traction Company, had its
inception about six years ago, work being com-
menced in March, 1895. The first portion of the
road lay chiefly along Hoover street, to what then
was the city limits, and later the line was ex-
tended to the Southern Pacific Railroad station,
then on West Adams street, to Western avenue,
and afterwards along Eighth street to Westlake
park.

The Los Angeles Traction Company now
owns over twenty-six miles of road and operates
more than twenty-nine miles. Within a few
years the energetic business men who compose
the company have accomplished much, and they
are constantly planning additions to their lines
and improvements in their system. The power-
house is conceded to be one of the finest in the
country, all the machinery used being of the lat-
est and best construction. Nearly fifty beautiful
new cars are used on the lines of the company,
and the comfort of the public is looked out for in
every detail of the service. Employment is given
to upwards of oue hundred and fiftj^ persons, and
none have reason to complain of the treatment
which is accorded them.

The Hook brothers, who have taken so dis-
tinctive a place in the management of the Los
Angeles Traction Company, are old and expe-
rienced men in the railroad business, as they have
given about thirty years to that kind of enter-
prise, first commencing their career in Illinois.
Thomas J. Hook is the president of the Traction
Company, while William S. Hook holds the re-
sponsible position of manager. Both are indus-
trious, thorough-going business men, as their suc-
cess amply testifies. The company with which
they are connected is a particularly strong one,
owing to the fact that every dollar of its stock is
owned and controlled by the directors and man-
agement. Needless to say, the credit of the pros-
perity of the enterprise is chiefly due to the ex-
cellent judgment and fine executive ability of the
president and manager, who carefully look after
every detail of the business, and are ever ready
to sacrifice time and means for the good of the
company and the satisfaction of the public.

r~ RANCIS O. YOST, M. D. The public is
Iv) to be congratulated upon the fact that the
I ' lines are constantly being tightened around
the medical profession, that the years of prepara-
tion and study required are being lengthened,
and that more rigorous examinations are exacted
ere a physician is allowed to engage in medical
practice to-day. Having met all the modern re-
quirements the amateur practitioner certainly
possesses a much better foundation for future
success at the beginning of his career than did

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

821

his medical brethren of a few decades ago, and
is, moreover, conversant with all the latest and
most approved methods of dealing with disease.

Dr. Francis O. Yost, who has been located in
the eastern part of Los Angeles for the past seven
years, has met with the success which he justly
deserves. Thorough and painstaking in his care
of patients, courteous in his manner and kindly
in disposition, he numbers many sincere friends,
even outside the limits of his patrons and con-
stant associates and colleagues. Everyone real-
izes that a young professional man in this day
must possess great pluck and energy, especially
when he is endeavoring to obtain a foothold and
the confidence of the public in a strange city, and
to those who keep up a brave heart during the
first few years and win a place by true merit great
credit is due.

The birth of Dr. Francis O. Yost occurred in
Unadilla, Mich., in 1871. His boyhood was
chiefly passed in Boston, Mass., where he ob-
tained a liberal education in the noted public
schools of that city. Before he was twenty years
of age he had decided what his future work
should be and had entered the Harvard Medical
School, where he was graduated in the spring of
1893. Soon after that event he came to South-
ern California, and opening an ofiice in East Los
Angeles, has since been engaged in practice here.
In order to keep fully in touch with modern
thought he joined the Los Angeles County Med-
ical Association and the Southern California
Medical Society, and during the existence of the
Los Angeles Polyclinic (which splendid charitable
institution was necessarily closed for lack of
funds to carry on the work) he was greatly inter-
ested in the enterprise. Fraternally he is con-
nected with several of the leading orders, among
them the Knights of Pythias, the Foresters, the
Knights of the Maccabees, the Modern Wood-
men and the Sons of Veterans. In his political
creed he is a loyal Republican, but has not been
an aspirant to public positions nor has he, as
yet, found the leisure time to devote to conven-
tions save once in 1898, when he attended the
Los Angeles city Republican convention.

Undoubtedly our subject inherited his love and
talent for medical work from his father. Dr.
George L. Yost, who for years was numbered
among the prominent phy.sicians and surgeons of

New York, his native state. He was a patriotic
citizen and when the Civil war came on he en-
listed in the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth
New York Volunteers, and was honored by being
made first lieutenant of his company. He died
in 1877, when in his thirty-ninth year, at Water-
loo, N. Y. He is survived by his wife, whose
maiden name was Sarah Stearns Patterson, and
who at the present time is in her fifty-seventh
year. Three of their four children are living.

HAMMEL AND DENKER. The late Henry
Hammel and Andrew H. Danker were two
useful, widely known and esteemed pioneers
of Los Angeles. Their characters and their des-
tiny seem to have been cast in very similar
moulds. True it is that their lines, as by fate,
ran along quite parallel lines and later dropped
into the same channel, their names becoming as
familiar as household words and a tower of
strength and influence in the business circles of
Southern California. They were both of Ger-
man birth, reared under rather similar circum-
stances, gained a business experience when yet
of tender age and left their native heath, their
Fatherland, at precisely the same age, being sev-
enteen when they came to America. Separately
they drifted into the hotel business, in which they
later became partners. They married sisters,
young women of French birth. Of almost iden-
tical business, social and domestic tastes, it does
not seem strange that their partnership existed
until they were separated by death, that of the
one following closely upon that of the other.

Henry Hammel was born in the south of Ger-
many, in Hesse-Darmstadt, September 19, 1834.
There, as a youth, he acquired the rudiments of
a fair German education. He seemed to have
inherited the business instinct and naturally
grew into habits of industry, frugality and
economy, and it was these qualifications that
furnished the foundation for his success in life.
About 1851 he came to America and direct to
Los Angeles. His first three years in California
were spent in San Francisco, where he held
subordinate positions in a hotel. On settling in
Los Angeles he secured employment in the Bella
LTnion hotel, of which very soon he became the
proprietor. The Bella Union was in those days

822

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and for many years afterward the leading hotel
in Los Angeles, and Mr. Hannnel as host met
and became somewhat intimately acquainted with
nearly all of the leading public men and notable
characters of those historic and romantic days.
In 1864 he sold his interest in the Bella Union
and joined the rush into the then newly dis-
covered gold fields of the Kern river country.
He located at Havilah and in partnership with
Mr. Denker, built a hotel at that place which
they called the Bella Union and for several years
they carried on a profitable business. However,
after a time the rush and excitement subsided
and business declined. About 1868 Mr. Hammel
returned to Los Angeles, Mr. Denker remaining
to gradually close up the business. The firm
leased theLTnited States hotel, corner of Requena
and Main streets in Los Angeles, and this they
owned and operated until the opening of the
great real-estate boom of 1886. From that time
Mr. Hammel devoted his energies, with his part-
ner, to the management of their extensive real-
estate and property interests in and about Los
Angeles.

In this city in 1869 Mr. Hammel married Miss
Marie Ruellan, a native of Paris, France, who
proved to him a truly noble wife and helpmeet,
counseling and sustaining him through the vicis-
situdes and excitement of the busy and eventful
years that followed. She and one daughter,
Matilda, wife of E. O. McLaughlin, and two
grandchildren, Edward Henry and Cecile Ma-
tilda, survive him. Mr. Hammel died Septem-
ber 3, 1890, leaving an honored name as a citi-
zen and business man. He was associated with
the Free and Accepted Masons and was a Knight
Templar.

The late Andrew Henry Denker was born at
Brunswick, four miles from Bremen, Germany,
October 17, 1840, the son of a thrifty farmer.
When yet a mere boy he entered a store and
commenced selling goods in his native town, be-
coming thoroughly familiar with the business.
In 1857 he embarked for America. Landing in
New York he found employment in a store and
not long thereafter started in business on a
modest and judicious scale for himself. He
continued there until the year 1863, when he
came via the isthmus to California, reaching San
Francisco in the same year. He gratified his

desire for gold mining and adventure by making
a somewhat extended prospecting tour of Arizona
and New Mexico, which proved a fruitless ex-
periment, and he returned to Los Angeles on
foot, with a large fund of valuable experience
and absolutely no money. However, he im-
mediately found employment as clerk in the
then Lafayette, later the Cosmopolitan and now
the St. Elmo hotel, then owned and operated
by Kohl, Dockwiler &■ Fluhe, but later owned
by Hammel & Denker. After two years Mr.
Denker went to Havilah and joined Mr. Hammel
as a partner in the Bella Union hotel, where he
remained about eight years. The business at
Havilah prospered and the partners made money.
Upon closing that hotel Mr. Denker rejoined Mr.
Hammel at the United States hotel in 187 1. The
partnership proved in every respect agreeable
and profitable and the partners invested their
money in choice selections of both city and coun-
try realty. Besides owning some of the best
business and residence property in the city, they
purchased the Rodeo de Las Aguas rancho, a
fertile stretch of over thirty-five hundred acres
of valley and frostless foothill land, lying between
Los Angeles and Santa Monica, and traversed
by both lines of the Los Angeles & Pacific Elec-
tric Railroad to the Soldiers' Home and Santa
Monica. Under the supervision of Henry H.
Denker, a brother of Andrew H. Denker, who
has been with the firm for the past thirt}' years,
the magnificent ranch has since the present
ownership been kept in an advanced state of cul-
tivation and improvement. Henry Denker was
born October i, 1846, and was reared at the old
home in Brunswick, Germany, becoming a prac-
tical farmer. In 1859 he joined his brother in
America. In 1866 he went to Havilah, where
he was interested in mining. His knowledge of
the grain and stock business, to which the ranch
has been entirely devoted, is scientifically thor-
ough, and the property is therefore a profitable
inveslment.

Andrew H. Denker married Miss Louise A.
Ruellan, a sister of Mrs. Hammel, and a native
of France, where she lived until coming to Amer-
ica with her mother in 187 1. Just prior to leav-
ing France she passed through all of the excite-
ment incident to the Franco- Prussian war, and
left her native city soon after the siege of Paris

S/off^i^z^^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

827

was raised. She is a lady of retired and quiet
tastes, fond of home and familj'. She has five
children, namely: Marie, who is the wife of
Louis Lichtenberger; Antoinette, Mrs. George
Lichtenberger; Leontine and Isabel, both grad-
uates of the Los Angeles high school; and Louis,
a youth of fifteen years. The family home is at
No. 223 West Twenty-fourth street and is one of
the attractive residences for which Los Angeles
is celebrated.

During his busy career Mr. Denker was ac-
counted one of the city's most active and pro-
gressive citizens. His faith in the future of his
adopted city was unbounded, and he laid plans
that were destined to add to her future greatness.
He planned and floated the great Tenth street
hotel enterprise, which, if completed, would have
been the finest hotel on the Pacific coast. The
foundation was laid at great expense, but the
subsidence of the great real-estate boom fore-
stalled its completion. That the enterprise
languished was not due to any lack of confi-
dence, energy or wisdom on the part of its pro-
jector. Mr. Denker was a Knight Templar
Mason, an Odd Fellow and a member of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He pos-
sessed, to an unusual degree, those qualities of
mind and heart which make a man popular and
companionable. His death occurred November
13, 1892.

gEN. EDWARD BOUTON. According to a
biographical and genealogical history pub-
lished by Joel Munsell's Sons, of Albany,
N. Y., the Bouton family have a traditional
record or history dating back to the fifth century,
when history tells us that clans or tribes of
Gauls inhabited the country bordering on the
river Rhone and extending from lake Geneva to
the Mediterranean sea. But the Boutons were
more particularly identified with the Visigoth
clan, and the head of the Salian tribe, under
King Hilderia, A. D., 4S1, who at his death left
his son Clovis king of the tribe. From this
period, during the reign of Clovis, wars of con-
quest were of frequent occurrence; the Franks
from the north making attacks upon the south-
ern Gauls, were successfully resisted by Clovis;
and Syragrius, a Roman usurper, was defeated
40

and his people subjugated by Clovis, who made
himself popular with his subjugated subjects by
favoring their bishops and by marrying Clotilde
(or Holihelda), the niece (or, as some historians
say, the daughter) of the king of Burgundy, a
Christian. Clovis promised his wife that if her
God, whose aid he invoked during the battle of
Tolbiac, should give him success, he would em-
brace her religion. This he subsequently did,
and was baptized into the Christian faith; his
example was generally followed by his people,
among whom were the ancestors of the Bouton
family, who were leaders in his army.

The ancient Bouton shield or coat of arms had
the following motto on a groundwork on per-
pendicular lines, "De Gules a'la Fasce d'Or,"
which is old French, and its translation means a
force as of a leopard when it attacks with its red
mouth open. This coat of arms is still borne by
the Count Chamilly, at present residing in Rome.

The "Dictionaire des Generaux Francais"
states that from 1350 the military and court
records abound with the Bouton name for two
centuries.

Nicholas Bouton, born about 1580, bore the
title of Count Chamilly. Baron Montague de
Naton was the father of Harard and John (twins)
and of Noel Bouton, who were Huguenots and
refugees during the violent persecution of the
Protestants by the Roman Catholics during the
predominance of the Guises in France. At
length, the intolerance of the Catholics being
over, Noel Bouton distinguished himself and was
made Marquis de Chamilly and was subsequently
made marshal of all France, and a life size
portrait of him was placed in the gallery of
French Nobles at Versailles, France, where it is
still to be seen.

828

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

The French historian, speaking of the Boutons,
says that it is accorded to a noble ancestrj- that a
proclivity for patriotism, education and religion
is seen in the race all down the ages. Some
members of this family settled permanently in
England, where they had taken refuge during
the Huguenot persecutions and soon became
prominent in the military and civil service of the
government, their names being Anglicized by
adopting the "gh," spelling the name Boughton.

It is claimed that the first advent of the Bou-
tons into England was as officers in the army of
William the Conqueror in 1060, and that some
time after other members of the family sought an
asylum in England from the persecution of the
Protestants in France, that under the names of
Boughton, Rouse and Broughton, two members
of this family were at the same time peers of
England and six others represented seats in the
English parliament. This statement seems au-
thenticated by Burke's Peers of England.

Rouse Boughton's ancestors were of verj' high
antiquity in the counties of Surrey, Worcester,
Warwick, Gloucester and Hereford. Dr. Nash,
in his history of Worcester, mentions that its
patriarchs of that shire accompanied the Con-
queror to England and the statement is con-
firmed by the Battle Abbey Roll. The name of
Boughton became merged into Rouse by Thomas
Philip Rouse Boughton, who assumed the name
of Rouse and took up his residence at Rouse
Leach. This gentleman, as Thomas Rouse,
Esq., served as high sheriff of Worcester in
1733-

Charles William Boughton, Esq. (second son
of Schuckburgh Boughton, Esq., of Poston
Court, County Hereford, and grandson of Sir
William Boughton, fourth baronet of Lawford,
County Warwick) assumed the surname of Rouse
and represented the boroughs of Eversham and
Bramber as Charles William Boughton Rouse,
Esq. Mr. Boughton Rouse was chief secretary
of the board of control and was created a baronet
June 28, 1791, but soon afterward he inherited
the baronetage of his own family, the Boughtons.
Sir Edward Boughton, of Barchester, County
Warwick, wascreateda baronet August 4, 1641.
The Boughtons held baronetcies in England for
eleven generations.

It is asserted that of the many Boutons and

Boughtons throughout New England during the
Revolutionary war, there was not an able-bodied
man who was not serving his country, and the
records of the war department show that every
northern state and over half of the southern
states were represented by Boutons in the Union
army during the war of the Rebellion, three of
them attaining the rank of brigadier-general. It
is undoubtedly a historical fact that for some
fourteen centuries members of this family have
proved themselves valiant soldiers on many of
the important battlefields of the civilized world,
and always on the .side of loyaltj', religious
libert}' and better government.

SUPPLEMENT

To the history of the Bouton race, as published
in the Bouton TBoughton) genealogy, copied
from a manuscript made by Judge William S.
Bouton, of South Norwalk, Conn., from a
French history in the Astor Library, New York
City.

The Boutons are of Bungarian extraction, and
very much of the patriotic, moral and religious
character exhibited bj' the family all through the
centuries to the present was an inheritance trans-
mitted by a noble ancestry, which shone with re-
newed lustre in its descendants who served in the
war of the Rebellion for the preservation of this re-
public. The patriotism and religious character
of the family will become more apparent as we
proceed to an examination of the history of its
several branches from 1356, when Edward III.
of England invaded France, to 1865, the close of
the rebellion in the United States.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME

In the twelfth century an ancestor serving as
a chorister in the chapel of the duke of Burgundy
founded his name and fortune and that of his
family by striking down with his official baton
an assassin who made an attempt on the life of
his master, which act raised him in the ducal
chapel to the position of page of honor to the
duke of Burgundy, and his gallant achievement
was properly commemorated by heraldic inscrip-
tion on a shield, which the family have ever
since borne, viz.: De Gules a la Fasce d'Or, with
the surname Baton (which was afterward cor-
rupted into Bouton) bestowed upon him by the

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

829

duke. The change of Baton to Bouton was, it
• was said, in allusion to the brightness of the
buttons with which as a page his coat was
adorned.

(Note. — According to well authenticated rec-
ords, there were officers by the name of Bou-
ton in William the Conqueror's army in 1060, a
century earlier than the incident related of the
chorister in the duke of Burgundy's chapel.)

Subsequently he acquired other laurels in the
wars of the times, for which the duke bestowed
further favors upon him. To him was given the
command of the fortress of Dole, and the hand
of a beautiful heiress with large estates and
baronial castles, which gave him rank among the
foremost nobles of Burgundy. It was at this
point in its history that the family began to
emigrate to other climes, and it will be more
practicable to follow their history in the locality
or countries where they settled.

The French line is traced back authentically
as far as 1350 to Jean Bouton, Signeur de
Savigny. Many of the Bouton name appear in
the French military and court records of the
fifteenth, sixteenth and later centuries. Nicholas
Bouton bore the titles of Count de Chamilly,
Baron Montague de Naton. His son, Noel
Bouton, born 1636, advanced the honor of the
house and was made marquis of Chamilly, and
in 1703 the marshal of all France. "See Dic-
tionaire des Generaux and Dictionaire de la
Noblesse."

THE ENGLISH BRANCH OF THE BOUTONS

William Bouton, according to tradition and
history, was a Bungarian soldier of fortune and
served in the army of Edward III. of England
when he invaded France in 1356, and attained
the title of Sir William Boughton. He won the
personal favor of King Edward at the battle of
Portiers and ever after followed his fortunes, and
at the close of the campaigns returned with him
to England and was knighted by his adopted
sovereign. Sir William's estates were situated
on the banks of the river Avon, and the manor
house was known as Lawford hall and was built
by Edward, son of Sir William, during the reign of
Queen Elizabeth. Edward Boughton was high
sheriff of the county and member of the shire, and

after death his body was consigned to the family
vault under the church at Newbold.

THE IRISH BRANCH OF THE FAMILY

The Irish branch of the family was founded by
Herard Bowton. a descendant of the brother of
the marquis, who, in the reign of Louis XIV. of
France, rose to the rank of Premier Valette de
Chambre, and died upon the scaffold in the prison
of the Luxembourg in 1794 for his opposition to
priest and king. Herard Bowton had a twin
brother named John. Both were educated in the
family of a priest in Ireland. Herard Bowton,
upon the revocation of the edict of Nantes, re-
turned to Ireland, still following the fortunes of
Marshal Tehomborge, under whom he served in
the Protestant army under William III., risking
life and fortune in behalf of civil and religious
liberty. He particularly distinguished himself
as a fearless and valiant soldier at the battle of
the Boyne, July i, 1690. > Herard Bowton was
rewarded by the king with a share of the con-
fiscated lands situated in the county of Bally-
rack, which had fallen to the Conqueror. Herard
and John Bowton were twin brothers and born
in France about seventy-five years before the
battle of the Boyne. Probably after that en-
gagement Herard returned to France, where he
received the income of his estates at Ballyrack,
Ireland.

(Note. The present Lord Montague Bowton is
a lineal descendant of Herard Bowton.)

As Herard was born into the world before
John, the titles and estates devolved, under the
feudal system, upon the oldest male child. The
younger, having received his portion in money,
crossed the British channel to seek fortunes and
honors in the new world.

The career of the Bouton family has ever been
synonymous with civilization. When it spread
abroad among the nations it carried with it a
higher grade of civilizing influences," which have
left their impress upon the people with whom
they came in contact, and the name has always
been the harbinger of civil and religious liberty.
Their descendants are by comparison numerous
as the leaves of the forest, and dispersed in
almost every clime. It has taken deep root, and
its fruits are found in other as well as in their
own native Bungarian soil.

830

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

For the principle of civil and religious liberty
Sir William Boiighton in 1356 joined the stand-
ard of Edward III. of England, when he in-
vaded France, and for the same principles Herard
Bowton followed the fortunes of William III. of
England, who at Portiers under Tehomborge
and at the battle of the Boyne fought nobly for
liberty.

Gen. Edward Bouton is a lineal descendant of
Nicholas Bouton, Count Chamilly, through his
son John Bouton, who embarked from Graves-
end, England, in the barque Assurance, in July,
1636, and landed at Boston, Mass., in December,
1636, aged twenty years. Early in the settle-
ment of Hartford, Conn., he moved to that place,
and in 167 1, and for several years subsequent, he
was a representative in the general court of the
colony of Connecticut. General Bouton's grand-
father, Capt. Daniel Bouton, distinguished him-
self commanding Connecticut volunteers during
the Revolutionary war, and his father, Russell
Bouton, served his country well in the war with
England in 181 2. His maternal grandfather,
Moses Hinsdale, rendered valuable service in the
Revolutionary war by the manufacture of one
hundred cannon for the colonial troops, from
metal mined, smelted and cast by himself, and
for which he received nothing, simply because of
the inability of the infant government to pay.

General Bouton's line of descent from John
Bouton, the original immigrant, is

ist, through his son, John Bouton, Jr., born
at Norwalk, Conn., September 30, 1659.

2d, Nathaniel Bouton, son of John Bouton,
Jr., born at Norwalk, Conn., in 1691.

3d, Daniel Bouton, son of Nathaniel Bouton,
born at New Canaan, township of Stratford,
Conn., October 24, 1740.

4th, Russell Bouton, son of Daniel Bouton,
born at Danbury, Conn., October 31, 1790; who
married Mary Hinsdale May 16, 1814, at Read-
ing, Conn., where they resided until 1821, and
then moved to the township of Howard (now
Avoca), Steuben county, N. Y., where Edward
Bouton, the subject of this sketch, was born
April 12, 1834.

In his early youth FMward Bouton attended a
country school atGoff's Mills, Howard township,
and subsequently studied at Rodgersville Acad-
emy and Haverling Union .School in Bath,N.Y.

At the age of nineteen he entered a store at
Bath, of which two years later he became part
proprietor, and sole proprietor at the age of
twenty-three. By this time the business had be-
come extended, and he shipped large quantities
of grain, wool, provisions and produce, on the
Erie Railway, having purchasing agents at nearly
every station. In 1859 he relinquished his Bath
connection and engaged in an even more lucrative
business at Chicago, 111. , as grain commission mer-
chant, with vessel property on the lakes. When
the Civil war broke out he sold his businessand,
chiefly at his own expense, raised a battery
which throughout the war was familiarly known
as Bouton's battery, its ofScial designation being
Battery I, First Regiment, Illinois Light Artil-
lery. At the time General Bouton organized his
famous battery, it was costing the state of Illi-
nois $154 per capita to recruit, transport and
maintain troops previous to being mustered into
the United States service. Bouton's battery
cost the state only $13.20 per capita, the balance
of the expense being paid out of the private
purse of General Bouton. He gained promotion
to the rank of brigadier-general and participated
with honor in the battle of Shiloh and some fortj-
other engagements and many skirmishes and in
various expeditions in west Tennessee, northern
Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. At the
close of the war the command was offered to
General Bouton of a corps of twenty thousand
veterans to be organized to serve as volunteers
in the Mexican war with France and a colonelcy
in the regluar army was also pressed upon him
in the most flattering terms, by Generals Grant
and Sherman, but preferring to retire to civil
life, he declined both of these, and in 1868 re-
moved to California, and purchasing the San
Jacinto ranch, ninety miles east of Los Angeles,
engaged extensively in sheep raising. Since
1882 he has also been interested in real-estate
speculations.

January 20, 1859, General Bouton married
Miss Margaret Fox, who was born in Avoca,
N. v., and died in California August 14, 1891.
He was a second time married, at San Diego,
Cal., March 22, 1894, his wife being Elsa John-
son, granddaughter of Count Hogfaldt, of Swe-
den, and a third cousin of Princess Dagmar. One
child, a boy, has been born to them.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

831

We can scarcely make a better presentation of
General Bouton's biography than by copying the
following article by Col. Robert Cowden, who
was one of his most intimate friends and ardent
admirers:

"Early in the late war for the Union, General
Bouton, then a commission merchant in Chicago,
organized a battery of light artillery which al-
ways, among soldiers, bore his name 'Bouton's
Battery,' but was oflScially known as Battery I,
First Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery. This
battery distinguished itself all through the war,
from the battle of Shiloh to those of Nashville and
Franklin three years later. General Bouton com-
manded his battery in person from the first until
his promotion and here first attracted the atten-
tion of his superiors. Early in May, 1863, Gen.
Lorenzo Thomas, Adjutant-General of the United
States army, landed at Memphis, Tenn., with
orders direct from President Lincoln for the or-
ganization of colored troops, six regiments of
which were wanted from this point. The order
to organize these was dated the 4th of May. In
consultation with General Thomas on the one
hand and with his six division commanders on
the other, Gen. Stephen A. Hurlbut, command-
ing department of west Tennessee and northern
Mississippi, made choice of Captain Bouton, at
that time chief of artillery of the Fifth Division
of the Sixteenth Army Corps, Sherman's old
Shiloh Division, to command one of these regi-
ments, and in that choice distinguished himself
as a discerner of men. It was understood that
General Sherman entertained misgivings and
was loath to lose General Bouton from a service
in which he had shown such capacity, but ad-
mitted that, if anyone could make soldiers of
negroes, it was Bouton. In proof of the correct-
ness of his judgment, it is noted here that Gen-
eral Marcy, inspector-general of the United
States army, less than two years later, after a
thorough personal inspection, pronounced three
of the colored regiments in General Bouton's
command, 'in drill, discipline and military bear-
ing equal to any in the service, regular or volun-
teer.'

"One of General Bouton's best achievements,
which I have not noticed in print, but which did
not escape the eyes of his superiors, occurred
July 13, 1864, one month after the disaster to

our troops at Guntown, Miss., when in command
of about four thousand five hundred men, white
and colored, he made a march of twenty-two
miles in one day, from Pontotoc to Tupelo,
Miss., guarding a heavy train of three hundred
wagons and fighting in the same time four dis-
tinct battles, each successful and against su-
perior odds. Generals A. J. Smith and Joseph
Mower, commanding corps and division respect-
ively, declared this achievement unsurpassed
within their knowledge.

"But it was not alone in the sanguinary
struggle on the field that General Bouton's quali-
ties shone. He was equally capable in the ad-
ministration of affairs, as was proved by results.
Memphis, an important river port, and geo-
graphically central to a large and wealthy cotton
growing country, was a point not easily con-
trolled satisfactorily to the general government
and in the interest of the people. After many
failures and losses, and when confusion and dis-
trust had long run riot. General Bouton was ap-
pointed provost-marshal of the city, which made
him, for the time, dictator in affairs military and
civil, including all trade privileges and care of
abandoned property, of which there was much;
prisons, scouts, detectives, the police and sani-
tary regulation of the city, in short, everything
in and immediately about the city. With the
most careful management an expenditure of
$9,000 a month was necessary to efficient gov-
ernment. In the exercise of his usual fidelity
and the appointment of only the most trustworthy
subordinates in every department he soon intro-
duced order; collected and disbursed moneys;
paid all past indebtedness, heavy as it was, and
current expenses; and at the end of six months
handed the government of the city over to the
newly elected municipal officers and turned over
several thousand dollars to the special fund of
the war department.

"Still another service of first-class importance
to the United States government and to the sub-
jugated southland did General Bouton render,
that marked him as a man of more than ordinary
sagacity. While he was yet provost-marshal of
Memphis, Col. Sam Tate, of the late rebel army,
came in to take the prescribed oath of allegiance.
Having done this, he expressed a desire to re-
cover control of the Memphis & Charleston

832

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Railroad, of which he was president. The gov-
enmient no longer needing the road for mihtary
purposes, General Bouton drew up a plan or
agreement at the suggestion of Gen. John E.
Smith, b3- which not onlj- this, but other south-
ern roads in this section, were finally returned
to their owners. One of the first and principal
stipulations in the agreement was that no claim
should ever be made against the government for
the use of or damage to said roads while they
were being used for military purposes. All
parties in the interest of the company having
signed the agreement, General Bouton proceeded
in person to New Orleans and to Nashville and
secured the approval of Generals Canby and
Thomas, department commanders. Colonel Tate
then went to Washington to complete with Gen-
eral Grant, the secretary of war, and the quarter-
mister-general, all arrangements for the transfer
of the property. No sooner had he done this
than he presented a claim against the govern-
ment which President Johnson, an old friend of
his, ordered paid. Enemies of President John-
son charged that he received a part of this and
during the impeachment trial desired General
Bouton's evidence on the contract. But, at the
suggestion of General Grant, he never appeared,
and soon after went to California, where he has
ever since lived. After Johnson's death it was
developed that he did not receive a dollar of
Tate's money.

"In the spring of 1866 General Bouton de-
clined a colonelcy in the regular army, the ac-
ceptance of which in the regular order of pro-
motions, would have brought him by this time
near the head of the army. Although recom-
mended by Generals Grant and Sherman and
warmly endorsed by Generals A. J. Smith and
Joseph Mower, in language almost extravagant,
the general chose to decline, preferring civil pur-
suits.

"General Sherman's esteem of General Bouton
was tensely expressed in the following language,
not long before my last handshake with the aged
hero. Said he, 'I think well of General Bouton.
I always found him the right man in the right
place. He is an honest, modest, brave, true
soldier, and capable of filling any position he
will accept." I last saw General Sherman at a
reception in Columbus, Ohio, during the grand

encampment in 1888. In order to ensure quick
recognition, I said, on taking his hand, 'Bou-
ton's Battery.' Instantlj' he straightened up,
while the old-time fire flashed in his eyes, as he
said, giving me an extra warm shake, 'Bouton's
battery, I remember it well. Splendid battery.'
These were his last words in my hearing and
with the.se words I would close this recital."
(Signed)

Robert Cowden,
late lieutenant-colonel commanding Fifty-ninth
United States Colored Infantry.

Dayton, Ohio, April 17, 1895.
During his army career General Bouton was
several times mentioned in terms of commenda-
tion, especially for strict integrity, by both Presi-
dent Lincoln and Secretary of War Stanton; on
one occasion Secretary Stanton saying that he
was one of the few armj' officers who had been
able to handle Confederate cotton without being
contaminated. In recommending General Bou-
ton's promotion to brigadier-general. General
Grant said: "I consider Colonel Bouton one of
the best officers in the army, and there is not one
whose promotion I can more cheerfully recom-
mend." Generals Halleck and Sherman pro-
nounced him the best artillery ofiScerin the army;
General Halleck saying that he had never seen a
better battery than Bouton's either in Europe or
America, and that less than a thousand men had
saved the day at Shiloh, most conspicuous among
the number being Bouton's battery of Chicago.
General Sherman on one occasion said: "Bouton
was as cool under fire and as good an artillerj'
ofiicer as I ever knew, and there is no living
man whom I would rather have handle my artil-
lery in a hard fight." General Washburn said
that General Bouton's defense of the rear of the
vanquished Union forces, under General Sturgis,
on their retreat from Guntown, Miss., to Ger-
mantown, Tenn., for two days and nights, a dis-
tance of eighty-one miles, with but a handful of
men, against theincessant and impetuous attacks
of General Forrest's victorious armj', constituted
one of the most heroic deeds recorded in history.
Generals A. J. Smith and Joseph Mower both
pronounced him the best brigade commander
they had ever seen. When General Smith's
veterans of the Sixteenth Corps were, for the
third time, repulsed before the Spanish Fort at

,> , J'!f ^^'■y P'"='"'''^ represents General Bouton at thirty years of age, and is one of the
J.,?^nS;tH '^,'i"'""TT°n'^*'*'^'' "P'^'' y"" f°""'J "' ""^ Spanish fort Mobile, with the order
endorsed on them to kill or capture this officer at any cost or hazard.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

833

Mobile, he said to Colonel Keiidrick: "I wish to
God Bouton were here, he would go in there
like a whirlwind."

To show how the general was regarded by the
Confederates, the followinig incident may be
narrated. Soon after his promotion to be a
brigadier-general, and when thirty years of age,
he had some pictures taken at Oak gallery in
Memphis, Tenn. One of these was obtained by
the Confederate General N. B. Forrest from one
of Bouton' s officers who was taken a prisoner of
war. This picture General Forrest sent to Mo-
bile, where hundreds of copies were made and
distributed among the Confederate soldiers in the
southwest. When Mobile was captured, both
Gen. A. J. Smith commanding the Sixteenth
Corps and Colonel Kendrick, formerly of Gen-
eral Bouton's command, reported finding many
of the pictures with the order endorsed upon
them to kill or capture this oflBcer at any cost or
hazard.

In the St. 1,0ms Hepubh'cati, ]a.nvLa.ry 8, 189 1,
there appeared an article, "Stories of Pioneer
Daring," in which the author, Charles F. Lum-
mis, gives the following incident in the life of
General Bouton:

"An equally remarkable display of pure nerve
was the exploit of Gen. Edward Bouton in a
lonely pass in Southern California in 1879. A
quiet, gentle-voiced, mild-mannered man, one
would hardly suspect in him the reckless daring
which won him distinction in some of the most
desperate engagements in the Civil war. It was
he of whom General Sherman said in my hearing :
'He was the most daring brigadier we had in
the west.' The terrific artillery duel between
General Bouton's Chicago battery and two rebel
batteries at Shiloh, and the desperate three hours
at Guntown, Miss., when he and his brigade
stood off the savage charge of nearly ten times as
large a force, with the loss of nearly two-thirds
of their number, will be remembered as one of
the most gallant achievements of the great war.
And the courage which does not depend on the
inspiration of conflict and of numbers is also his.
"In July, 1879, he had occasion to visit his
great sheep ranch in the wild San Gorgonio
Pass, California. The country was then infested
with notorious Mexican and American bandits,
and travelers always went armed. General Bou-

ton and his partner were driving along the
moonlit forest road, when three masked men
sprang suddenly from the bushes and thrust in
their faces a double barrelled shotgun and two
six-shooters, at the same time seizing their
horses. It was understood that the general was
carrying $18,000 to buy a band of nine thousand
sheep, and this the highwaymen were after.
They made the travelers dismount and fastened
their arms behind them with chains, closing the
links with a pair of pinchers. Another chain
was similarly fastened about General Bouton's
neck, and one of the desperadoes, a cocked re-
volver in hand, led him along by this, while the
other two held shotgun and revolver ready to
shoot at the slightest resistance from the pris-
oner. So the strange procession started off, the
highwaymen desiring to march their prisoners
away from the road to some secluded spot where
their bodies could be safely concealed. Their
intention to rob and then murder, fully estab-
lished by later developments, was perfectly un-
derstood by the captives; and the general de-
cided if he must die, he would die trying. As
they trod the lonely path in silence, he felt along
the chain which secured his wrist; with utmost
caution, lest the bandit behind with a cocked
shotgun should perceive his intent. Slowly and
noiselessly he groped until he found a link which
was not perfectly closed; and, putting all his
strength into a supreme effort (but a guarded
one) he wrenched the link still wider open and
managed to unhook it. Without changing the
position of his hands perceptibly he began to
draw his right cautiou.sly up toward his hip
pocket. Just as it rested on the grip of the
small revolver concealed there, the highwayman
behind saw what he was at, and with a shout
threw the shotgun to his shoulder. But before
he could pull the trigger, Bouton had snatched
out his pistol, wheeled about, and shot him
down. The desperado who was leading Bouton
by the chain whirled around with his six-shooter
at a level, but too late, a ball from the general's
revolver dropped him dead. The third robber
made an equally vain attempt to shoot the
audacious prisoner, and was in turn laid low by
the same unerring aim. It was lightning work
and adamantine firmness, three shots in half as
many seconds and every shot a counter."

834

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

0EORGE WHITWELL PARSONS was born
I ill Washington, D. C, and is of Revolu-
Q tionary stock, his great-grandfather's tomb-
stone bearing the inscription: "Capt. Josiah
Parsons, a patriot of Bunker Hill." His father,
Samuel M. Parsons, was born in Wiscasset, Me.,
and throughout his active life has been an attor-
ney and counselor-at-law, and a stanch adherent
of Republican principles. By his wife, Virginia,
who was born in Richmond, Va., and died in
New Jersey June 22, 1S69, he had two sous and
two daughters, now living.

George Whitwell Parsons dates his first knowl-
edge of California from August, 1876, but it was
not until March, 1887, that he settled in Los An-
geles, where he now resides. In the early part of
1880 he went to Tombstone, Ariz., which was then
coming into prominence as a rich mining camp, and
for seven years he was one of its controlling spirits
in the interest of law and order, being one of the
council often when the first vigilance committee
was formed, and always in the saddle with the first
to drive the Apaches out of the country or assist a
beleaguered ranch. His mining interests led him
into old Mexico much of the time, but, after
losing many friends, and several times reported
killed by the Apaches, and being prevented by
the raids of Geronimo and Chatto from operating
successfully, he was obliged to abandon every-
thing.

Coming to Los Angeles in 1887, Mr. Parsons
became immediately identified with the growth of
the city. He is a charter member of the Los An-
geles Chamber of Commerce and a director in that
important body for three successive terms; also
served first as chairman of the committee on
mines and mining, and later as chairman of the
committee on railroads and transportation. As
chairman of the mining committee he was instru-
mental in retaining the State Mining Bureau at
San Francisco when it was proposed to transfer it
to Berkeley Institute, thus abolishing the prac-
tical workings of the bureau. His resolutions
looking to the establishment of a school of mines
at Los Angeles were unanimously adopted by the
Chamber. In 1894 he directed attention to the
fact that the oil-bearing territory in the southern
counties had not been given scientific attention,
and introduced resolutions calling for immediate
action by the State Mining Bureau, which there-

upon placed an expert, W. L. Watts, in the field,
who has been in active service ever since, to the
great advantage of the oil interests. Active
developments immediately followed, and to-day
Southern California is in the lead as an oil pro-
ducer.

As chairman of the committee on railroads and
transportation Mr. Parsons called special atten-
tion to the necessity of the road to Salt Lake City
and the practicability of the Tehauntepec Railway,
connecting the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific
Ocean. The railroad to Salt Lake City is now an
assured fact. United States Senator Clark, of
Montana, and others, having just incorporated a
company for the building of the same.

In November, 1894, Mr. Parsons was sent as a
delegate by the Chamber of Commerce, in the in-
terests of the San Pedro harbor, to the Trans-
Mississippi Commerciai Congress, which met in
St. Louis in November of that year. His de-
votion to the San Pedro matter at that time re-
sulted in his being placed on the committee on
resolutions, and he was asked to act as secretary
of that body, Hon. W. J. Bryan, of Nebraska,
being chairman, but he declined the honor, hav-
ing been selected to champion the cause of the
deep-water harbor at San Pedro and prepare
resolutions on the same, which were unanimously
adopted through his efforts.

As one of three members of the municipal re-
form committee of the League for Better City
Government he did earnest work in the extended
efforts made at that time to unearth rank cor-
ruption in the board of education, which efforts
were finally crowned with success. In the great
fight for one cent a pound protective duty on
citrus fruits he was sent to the state legislature
by the Tariff Association of Southern California
in an effort to have the legislature rescind its
former action and increase the protective duty
from twenty to forty cents per cubic foot. In
this matter he was also successful.

At the request of the board of directors of the
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, he was ap-
pointed by the governor as vice-president of the
state of California in the Trans-Mississippi and
International Exposition held at Omaha in 1898,
and after persistent efforts to arouse the state at
large to the importance of this undertaking, and
much work before the state legislature, with the

^Y^^^C^Wz^^^<t^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

837

assistance of Senator Bulla and Representative
Valentine, an appropriation of $50,000 for the
great exposition was finally passed by the senate,
but the governor vetoed the measure.

The various offices held at different times by
Mr. Parsons show the versatility of his talents, as
well as the high esteem in which he is held. He
was a member for California of the executive
committee of the Trans- Mississippi Commercial
Congress; state vice-president and treasurer of
several organizations, including that of the new
diocese of Los Angeles created by the Episcopal
Church, and embracing all the counties in
Southern California; is a director in the Young
Men's Christian Association, which has property
valued at $150,000; was president of the old Los
Angeles Mining and Stock Exchange, and is an
active member of the Free Harbor I^eague . He is
a charter member of the Sunset Club, a member of
the Academy of Sciences and the Athletic Club,
and in every way possible strives to promote the
best interests of his city and state. In politics he
gives his support to the Republican partj''.

EHARLES A. COFFMAN was born in
Botetourt county, Va., October 25, 1833,
and was a son of Samuel CofFman, a very
old settler of Virginia. The Coffman family de-
scended from the Pennsylvania Germans, and
distinguished themselves in many lines of occu-
pation. Charles A. lived in his native state until
his sixteenth year, when he went to Illinois, and
was for a time one of the guards in the state pen-
itentiary, then located at Alton. In 1852 he
came to California, and crossed the plains with a
mule-team in a train of emigrants. The journey
consumed the greater part of six months, and
was full of daring, danger and adventure. After
locating in Marysville, above Sacramento, he
was for a time employed in the mines, and sub-
sequently engaged in freighting from Marysville
and Sacramento to Carson City and the Comstock
mines in Nevada, and also into Idaho. In 1868
he sold out his freighting business, and in the
fall of 1869 came to Los Angeles, but after a few
years' residence there settled on the ranch at
Ranchito, where he lived from 1877 until the
time of his death, October 11, 1898, a singular
circumstance being that his death occurred on the

corresponding day of the month when he and his
family first arrived at Los Angeles. He was in-
terred in Whittier cemetery, where his first wife is
also buried.

Mr. Coffman first married Mary Elizabeth
Hampton, who was born in Bedford county, Va.,
August 30, 1839, and died in Los Angeles in 1870.
Their four children were: Frank A., who,se sketch
follow this; Martha, now the wife of H. S. White,
and living in the vicinity of Rivera; Edgar C,
residing on the old Coffman homestead at Ran-
chito; and Dr. Harry L., a graduate of the Jef-
ferson Medical College of Philadelphia. Mr.
Coffman was married a second time, July 22,
1891, his wife being Annie Lee Dorland, of
Whittier, Cal., who survives him, and lives in
Los Angeles.

Mr. Coffman's life was on the broad and ex-
panding order, and embraced many avenues of
activity, research and usefulness. His early op-
portunities for acquiring an education were neces-
sarily of a limited nature, and were confined mainly
to attendance at the night schools of the early sub-
scription schools. He later became a thought-
ful reader, and was a keen and intelligent observer
of events and people. Considering the limited
facilities for getting around the country during
part of his life, his travels were quite remarkable,
and even more so during his later years. In 1859,
after having lived in California for several years,
he returned to Virginia by the Panama route,
and there married his first wife, and late in i860,
in company with his wife and one brother, again
started for California over the plains in a train of
emigrants, arriving at Marysville as on the pre-
vious occasion, thus accomplishing twice that
which, once done, is considered a herculean task
to the average mortal.

In all matters pertaining to the upbuilding of
his adopted county he took a foremost part, and
his intelligent insight and sound common sense
were appreciated in proportion as they were
gladly offered, in the general common cause. In
politics he was a member of the Democratic party ,
but he had no political aspirations, although often
solicited to accept positions of trust and responsi-
bility. This was in accord with his disposition
and character, which was retiring and unassum-
ing.

Fraternally he was associated with the Inde-

838

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Los Angeles.
He was a member of the Los Angeles Chamber
of Commerce, also one of the promoters and in-
corporators of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Wal-
nut Growers' Association, and asa directorof the
same he was greath- interested in all of its work-
ings. In the loss of Mr. Cofifman, Los Angeles
count}- residents will ever feel a deep regret. A
strong and influential pioneer, he left behind him
an indelible impression for good in his communi-
ty. He is remembered as a dominating and
strong influence for the good and development of
her best institutions and enterprises, and as a
large-hearted noble man and friend.

and has ever in mind the good of the community
and the well-being of all who come within the
range of his kindly nature.

r~ RANK A. COFFMAN is a native of Marys-
r^ ville.Cal., where he was born November 24,
I 1861. When nine years of age he came to
Los Angeles county with his parents, and has
since made his home in this locality. Mr. Coff-
man isoneofthemost prominent and enterprising
horticulturists in Rivera, and owns one hundred
and five acres of land, partially under walnuts.
He has made a scientific study of his chosen oc-
cupation, and his researches have ever been ap-
preciated by his contemporary horticulturists.
For a time he served as state horticulturist in-
spector of the Ranchito district, his father, Charles
A. Coffman, having held the same position for
three years previously. While he does not suffer
any of the disadvantages that ofttimes hamper
the careers of prominent men's sons, his life is
nevertheless interestingly interwoven with that of
his father, and has been necessarily influenced by
a close proximity with his fine and substantial
personality.

Mr. Coffman is a Democrat as far as political
affiliations are concerned, but is not an office-
seeker. He was educated in the Los Angeles
high school, and is a man of more than ordinary
erudition. He married Elizabeth A. Standefer,
a native of Texas, and of this union there is one
son, Marshall B.

Mr. Coffman is a member of the Los Nietos
Valley Pioneers' A.ssociation, and was one of the
first to be identified with this flourishing organi-
zation. He is broad-minded and resourceful.

FTDGAR C. COFFMAN. California is not
ry only a land of promise and a splendid field
L_ for Mr. Coffman's ability and achievement,
but as the place of his birth, and the scene of
his childhood days, it takes on an added interest.
He was born in Sacramento, Cal., September 20,
1864, and is a son of Charles A. and Mary E.
Coffman. When five years of age he moved
with his parents to Los Angeles county, where he
has since lived. He received a splendid home
training, and diligently studied in the public
schools. At an early age he displayed a predi-
lection for horticultural pursuits, and to this occu-
pation he has devoted his life. He has altogether
one hundred and twenty acres of land, largely
given over to the raising of walnuts.

Mr. Coffman married Edna E. Orr, of Santa
Monica, Cal., and a daughter of James M. Orr.
Of this union there is one daughter, Helen R.
In politics Mr. Coffman entertains a preference
for the Democratic party, but he has never had
political aspirations, and holds liberal views re-
garding the politics of the administration. He
is a member of the Los Nietos and Ran-
chito Walnut Growers' Association and the Los
Nietos Valley Pioneers' Association. He is also
connected with the Order of Foresters at Rivera.
Mr. Coffman is known and esteemed for his
many excellent traits of mind, character and at-
tainment, and for the unswerving interest so often
apparent when called upon to as.sociate himself
with the enterprises or institutions for the im-
provement of the community in which he lives.

r"REDERICK JAMES WOODBURY. The
r3 subject of this article was born near Farm-
I ' ington, Ontario county, N. Y., October 28,
1834, a son of Greenleaf M. and Frances (Patter-
son) Woodbury. His father, a native of Ver-
mont, born July 12, 1811, was taken by his
parents in childhood to New Hampshire, and
there grew to manhood, returning when twenty-
one to the scenes of his birth and there engaged
in milling and merchandising. Later he removed

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

839

to New York, and carried on a mercantile busi-
ness in Speucerport. The stirring events in the
settlement of the Mississippi vallej' aroused his
ambition and in 1840 he and his famil3' settled in
Peoria county, 111. With the pioneer spirit he
pressed further westward and in 1854 sought the
rich agricultural regions of Iowa, settling in
Marshalltown, where he engaged in the banking
business. He died in that city when sixty-three
years of age.

The marriage of Greenleaf Woodbury united
him with Miss Patterson, who was born in Broome
county, N. Y., May 18, 1811. They became the
parents of three children. Frederick James re-
ceived a common-school education and also stud-
ied for one term in the State University of Illinois.
At the age of twenty-two he married Martha
Wallin, who was born in Ohio, a daughter of
James Wallin. Four children were born of their
union, three of whom are living, namely: Frank,
who is married and has four children; Georgi-
ana, also married and the mother of four children;
and George, who resides with his parents.

For some time Mr. Woodbury followed milling
at Marshalltown, Iowa, and also had charge of a
mill in Hardin county, that state. He was with
his father, who built three flouring mills en
the Iowa river. While he was identifying him-
self with the activities of the business world hos-
tilities began between the north and south, and
his patriotism was set aflame for his country.
In 1862 he enlisted a company of volunteers, of
whom he was chosen captain. This band of
soldiers is known in history as Company K,
Twenty-third Iowa Infantry. They spent their
first winter of army service in southwest Mis-
souri. In the siege of Vicksburg Captain Wood-
bury was slightly wounded. He remained at the
front, with the exception of a brief absence while
on a sick furlough, until he was honorably dis-
charged in the autumn of 1864, about one hun-
dred miles from New Orleans. He was one of
Iowa's brave soldiers, and one of the large num-
ber of volunteers whom that state gave to the
Union, some of whom lie buried in southern bat-
tlefields, but many returned to enjoy, in after
years, the fruits of their sacrifices for their coun-
try. Captain Woodbury served under Colonel
Dewey, who died shortly after entering the serv-
ice. The command was then given to Lieutenant-

Colonel Kinsman, who was killed while leading
a charge at Black River bridge near Vicksburg.

When Captain Woodbury was enrolling volun-
teers for his company a neighbor's dog followed
him from place to place. The dog was a very
sagacious animal, displaying an instinct that
seemed at times to reach intelligence. It accom-
panied the company to the front. In every bat-
tle it was not far away and as soon as the battle
ended he would seek out Company K. When
the company returned home the members cast
lots for the animal and he was won by a Mar-
shalltown veteran, in whose home "Doc" spent
his remaining days. While the dog is mentioned
thirty-three times in the Bible and not once favor-
ably, here, thousands of years afterwards, is one
dog whose record shall go down the highway of
generations as having been imbued with some-
thing akin to patriotism.

At the close of the war Captain Woodbury re-
turned to Marshalltown. As his father had dis-
posed of his various milling interests, he entered
the hardware busine.ss, which he followed for
several years. Later he resumed milling, which
he followed until 1882. He then disposed of his
propert}' in Iowa, and, like many others, wisely
planted himself and family in Southern Califor-
nia, finding a congenial home four miles from
Pasadena. He set out one hundred and fifty
acres to oranges and lemons and also opened up
a large vineyard. During the historic boom,
when land sold at fabulous prices, he disposed of
his property and retired from the fruit business.
He now resides in a magnificent home on Orange
Grove avenue, which he erected in 1895. To see
this beautiful home is to admire it and to come in
contact with its inmates is to realize anew the
pleasure of association with people of culture and
liberal hospitality.

The first presidential vote cast by Captain
Woodbury was for Gen. John C. Fremont. He
is a charter member of John F. Godfrey Post
No. 93, G. A. R., and also of the Southern Cali-
fornia Veterans' Association. In both of these
organizations he has held office, but he refuses
positions of a political nature. He has served as
a director of the Pasadena National Bank. Dur-
ing the years of his residence in this garden spot
he has seen, as it were, "the desert bloom as the
rose," and the waste places transformed as if by

840

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

magic into lovely homesteads. He has seen thou-
sands of homes built, occupied b}^ cultured, con-
siderate aud honored citizens. As the years have
rolled by he has not only seen accretions all
around, but moving among men and women of
high character he is honored and respected for his
many virtues, for his manly qualities and for his
determination in overcoming obstacles and attain-
ing success.

HERBERT E. CHESEBRO. Among the
prominent and successful business men of
Southern California who by their own efforts
have attained a position of influence in the work-
ing world, is Mr. Chesebro, of Covina, well known
as the manager and secretary of the Covina Fruit
Exchange, and of the Covina Citrus Association.
He was born May 7, 1864, in Oswego, N. Y., a
son of Elmanson and Mary (Sweet) Chesebro,
both natives of the Empire state and of English
descent.

Practically thrown upon his own resources
when a boy of twelve years of age, he began
work in Oswego, where he was employed as a
clerk in different .stores, serving in that capacitj^
principallj' in two establishments. Going to Chi-
cago, 111. , in 1880 he was for a while clerk of the
superior court. Preferring life in the east, he
accepted a position in New York City with Henry
and Nathan Russell & Co., wholesale and retail
dealers in crockerj- and glassware, remaining
with that firm six years. He worked for them
both in the store and on the road as a commer-
cial salesman, while in the .store having charge of
the wholesale department. In the year 1887
Mr. Chesebro came from New York City to Los
Angeles, Cal., where he was engaged in the real-
estate business for a short time. Coming to Co-
vina in 1889 he was for six years the lessee of the
Hollenbeck ranch of three thousand acres of land,
which was devoted principally to the raising of
stock and grain. Purchasing, in the meantime,
twenty acres of land about two miles from Co-
vina he started a fruit ranch of his own, setting
out ten acres of orange trees and ten acres of
lemon trees, and is now residing there with his
family.

A man of energetic activity and good execu-
tive ability, Mr. Chesebro has been a conspicuous
factor in establishing and supporting enterprises

of benefit to the fruit grower, having been one of
the projectors of the Covina Citrus Association,
which was organized in 1895, and of which he
has since been secretary' and manager, as well as
one of the directors; and of the Covina Fruit Ex-
change, organized in 1898, of which he has also
been manager and secretary until the present
time and is also a director. For a number of
years he has been one of the directorate of the
Covina Irrigating Company, which he is now
serving as president, this being his third year in
that office. He is also officially connected with
the Southern California Fruit Exchange, of Los
Angeles, representing the Covina Fruit Exchange
and the Covina Citrus Association on its execu-
tive board. He is a Republican in his political
affiliations, a member of the Covina Lodge, I. O.
O. F., and belongs to the Methodist Episcopal
Church.

July 8, 1885, Mr. Chesebro married Lottie
L. Wilder, of Oswego, N. Y., and they have
three children: Herbert W., Myra L. and
Lucile M.

[~ DWARD E. POLLARD has been a resident
j^ of the upper San Gabriel valley since 1881,
^_ having come from Texas to California in
that year. In 1889 he purchased fourteen acres
of fruit land, on which he now resides. The
tract was at the time in almost a primeval con-
dition of nature, yet his keen judgment caused
him to put his faith in the investment, and sub-
sequent events have justified his discernment and
foresight. The entire fourteen acres are now un-
der cultivation to citrus fruits, in the raising of
which Mr. Pollard has gained a practical and
helpful experience. In other matters connected
with horticulture he is also interested. He is
the Contract Water Company's representative on
the San Gabriel River Water committee. He as-
sisted in the organization of the Contract Water
Company and for several years served as its
president. For a time he also held the position of
deputy county sheriff.

In Fannin county, Tex., Mr. Pollard was born
February 14, 1863, a son of Richard and Melvina
(Hart) Pollard, natives respectively of South
Carolina and Louisiana, the former now deceased,
and the latter living in Texas. The paternal
grandfather was a Revolutionary soldier. The

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

841

common schools of his native county supplied
Mr. Pollard with a fair education. At an early
age, hearing much of the opportunities afforded
by California, he resolved to come to this state,
and when only eighteen years of age he settled in
the valley that he is proud to call his home.
Fraternally he is connected with the lodge of Odd
Fellows at Azusa. His political opinions are de-
cidedly Democratic in tone. He was reared in
the faith of this party and has never seen any
reason to change his ideas, which were also the
principles upheld by his forefathers. His mar-
riage united him with Miss Hattie E. Penney, of
Los Angeles, Cal., and they are the parents of
five children, Helen A., Harold E., Ruth, Leroy
and Irene.

IT DMUND W. BACON. From a field of wav-
Ke) ing barley to orange trees groaning beneath
^_ their luscious burden is a happy transition
witnessed by many of the pioneers of bright, sun-
glinted California. Such has been the experience
of Edmund W. Bacon, whose kindly interest in
the soil and its producing possibilities has been
justified after years of careful fostering and ar-
duous endeavor to that end.

Born in Norfolk, Ontario, August 22, 1864, he
is a son of George and Emaline (Sheldon) Bacon,
natives of Canada. Thus it would seem that ex-
tremes were to be meted out to our subject, and
first of all a decided change of climate. His early
training, however, fitted him for his future work
as a horticulturist, for he was reared on his fath-
er's farm in Norfolk county, and surrounded by
the influences calculated to instill a love for all
things that grow and are of use to man and ani-
mals. He received the education of the public
schools of Canada, supplemented by a good deal
of keen observation while going around the coun-
try, and a decided predilection for good books and
the various avenues for acquiring information.
lu the fall of 18S7 he started out in the world for
himself and went to Saginaw, Mich., where for
three years he was employed in the engineering
department of the Flint & Pere Marquette Rail-
road Company. In 1891 he came to East Whit-
tier, Cal., and entered the employ of the East
Whittier Land and Water Company. After serv-
ing in that capacity for eight years he was ap-
pointed, in 1899, superintendent of the company.

and is practically the manager of the concern at
the present time. His rise in this important
position is due to the satisfactory results of his
capable management and to his understanding of
a business which is the outgrowth of the peculiar
climatic and soil conditions of this part of his
adopted country.

Mr. Bacon married Anna Irvine, of Saginaw,
Mich., and a native of Scotland. They have one
child, Ruth E. While Mr. Bacon is in sympathy
with Democratic principles, he is independent in
local affairs, and entertains liberal ideas regard-
ing all matters of public interest. He is not an
ofiBce seeker. He is associated with the Fraternal
Aid and the Fraternal Brotherhood at Whittier.

(Tames J. west, in the days before Glen-
I dora had sprung into existence, Mr. West
Q) came to the present site of the town, and
from that time to this he has been identified
with its growth and development, particularly
with the growth of its horticultural interests.
The land upon which he settled was in a primi-
tive condition. No attempt had been made to
improve it, or to test its adaptiveness to grain or
fruit, and its improvement is entirely the result of
his own energy and industry. In his home ranch
he has thirty-seven and one-half acres of land,
most of which is under cultivation to oranges and
lemons. Aside from the management of his ranch
he has other interests. He is a member of the
Glendora- Azusa Water Company and the Glen-
dora Citrus Association. The educational affairs
of Glendora have received his earnest attention,
and at one time he was president of the board of
trustees of the public schools, with which he is
still identified activel}'.

In Trumbull county, Ohio, Mr. West was born
December 28, 1852, a son of John P. and Eliza-
beth (Harshman) West, natives respectively of
Ireland and Pennsylvania. His father moved
from Trumbull count)', Ohio, in 1856, to Henry
county, Iowa, where he embarked in agriculture
on a large scale. His ability was such that he
was frequently chosen to occupy positions of
honor. For several terms he served in the Iowa
house of representatives. During the Civil war
he spent three years in the Union army as a ser-
geant, and took part in some important battles.

842

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

In 1875, accompanied by his family, he came to
California and settled at Compton, where he re-
sided for a number of years. He was a member
of the constitutional convention that framed the
California state constitution. He was a member
of the first state senate of California that con-
vened after the adoption of the present constitu-
tion. Forsometimehe was justice of the peace
at Compton. Subsequently he resided for some
years at Montesano, Wash. , but afterward re-
turned to California. His last days were spent in
Glendora, where he died June 11, 1891. His
widow survives him, and resides with a daughter
in Los Angeles. Nine of his children survive,
namely: James J.; Thomas A., of Compton;
John Charley, of Glendora; Frank E., of Los
Angeles; Ed. V., of Glendora; Ella, now Mrs.
Edward Goodell, of Montesano, Wash.; Mabel,
now Mrs. Frank Curtiss, of Los Angeles; Kate
G.,now Mrs. Edwin Mace, of Azusa, Cal.; and
Lizzie, now Mrs. Lamont L. Washburn, of Los
Angeles.

As a boy our subject lived in Henry county,
Iowa. His education was received principally in
Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant,
Iowa. When a young man he taught school in
Iowa. In 1875 he accompanied the family to
California, and three years later settled on his
present ranch at Glendora. Politically he is in-
dependent, voting for the men whom lie consid-
ers best qualified to represent the people. He is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of
Glendora and a contributor to its maintenance.
By his first wife he has one son, Lloyd Albion
West, of Glendora. September 9, 1885, he mar-
ried Miss Lou E. Dougherty, of Glendora, by
whom he has four children: Oscar Roy, Ada M.,
Lester M. and Lora L.

lATTHEW TEED. Could the history of
Matthew Teed be written in full it would
prove extremely interesting to everyone,
whether personally acquainted with this sterling
pioneer citizen of Los Angeles or no, as it would
record and emphasize the vast changes which
have come to the great west within less than
half a century, and, indeed, within a few years.
As the narrative proceeded, the terrible struggles
which were the common experiences of the fron-

tiersman, the dreadful risks and dangers which
he took at every step, and the heroism and forti-
tude with which he accepted the vicissitudes of
fortune, would stand out plainly, and command
the admiration of all. Even an outline of his
career contains much of suggestion, and, in
imagination, the reader can draw the picture of
the past and contrast it with the blessings of to-
day.

Matthew Teed, the youngest of seven brothers
and sisters, was born in Devonshire, England,
April 17, 1828. On his father's farm, near the
village of Exeter, he became strong and robust,
well equipped for the great tasks which were be-
fore him. After completing a course of study in
the local schools he served a five years' appren-
ticeship to the carpenter's trade. Soon after
reaching his majority he sailed for the United
States, and worked at his trade in New York City
one summer, then going to Adair, Mich., where
he spent about four years.

Having learned much of the gold excitement
on the Pacific slope, Mr. Teed decided to seek his
fortune here, and made the journey to San Fran-
cisco by way of Nicaragua canal. Then he
proceeded to Stockton, and soon afterwards went
to the gold fields of Mariposa county. As he did
not succeed in his quest in what he deemed a
reasonable length of time, he returned to Stock-
ton, where he found employment at his trade un-
til 1858. By that time he wished to return to a
more civilized country, and, buying a ticket for
the east at San Francisco, he started for home.
Only three hours out from the Golden Gate the
shaft of the ship was disabled, and, being landed,
Mr. Teed and eight other men fitted up a pack-
train at San Josi5 and started overland through
Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Pen cannot describe the sufferings of the little
party, as for more than four months they plodded
across the desert regions of this truly "arid
zone." Many a time they almost perished for
water, sometimes having to traverse the burning
sands for forty miles ere they reached the wel-
come draught, and, after hardships nearly unen-
durable, six men and seven of their mules arrived
at Las Vegas, more dead than alive. Two of
their poor comrades had perished on the journey,
and twenty of their mijleshad met a similar fate.

For ten weeks Mr. Teed stayed at the strag-

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

843

gliug hamlet in New Mexico, recuperating and
doing as much work as he could do, and, as the
Pike's Peak gold excitement was at fever heat at
this time, he soon started for Denver. Arriving
there, he found a camp comprising about twent)'-
five miners, and he it was who built the first log-
cabin on the site of the present proud and beauti-
ful city. Then he was occupied in mining and
contracting until 1862, when he went to Mon-
tana, as gold had been discovered at Elk Cit}^
so the reports came. This was one of the most
dangerous trips ever made by him, chiefly owing
to the perilous mountain torrents and deep and
rapid streams which are so numerous on that
route. For fifteen days the party endeavored to
ford the Snake river, for instance, and when one
hundred and fifty miles of the journey had been
made the wagon-trains had to be abandoned, and
the rest of the way, three hundred miles, was
traversed on foot.

Reaching Elk City, it was found that there was
neither work nor gold to repay them, and Mr.
Teed set out for Walla Walla, some two hun-
dred and forty miles further. Thus he. walked
five hundred and forty miles through a wild and
trackless region, and penetrated into places
where man probably had never been before.
From Walla Walla he went to Stockton, obtain-
ing employment in both towns, and it was not
until 1863 that he entirely abandoned his jour-
neys on the deserts and into new and unexplored
localities.

In 1863 he came to Eos Angeles county, and
in January, 1864, he settled in the city of Eos
Angeles. In 1865, with six companions, he made
a trip across "Death Valley" into Nevada. It was
in the month of February, and yet the scarcity of
water was terrible. They went as far as Perani-
gat, Nev. , where the gold excitement was high.
They remained only a short time. Wood being
scarce in the desert, they boiled all t'lieir beans,
and later dried them. The return trip was not so
eventful, but exciting enough. The Indians were
constantly on the war-path, and a constant men-
ace to them.

Since his return to Eos Angeles Mr. Teed has
been extensively engaged in building and con-
tracting, and many a beautiful residence or pub-
lic structure stands as a monument to his skill.
He was associated with others in the erection of

the Temple block, the Holmes and Downey
buildings, and other well-known business blocks,
and bears a justly -earned reputation for integrity,
skill and adherence to every detail of his con-
tracts.

In 1868 Mr. Teed married Miss Toner, of Iowa,
whose death occurred in 1881. Eater he was
united in marriage with Mrs. Wyatt, of this city,
and their pleasant home is located at No. 513
California street.

The high respect in which Mr. Teed is held by
his fellow -citizens has been frequently manifested
by them. Five times have they elected him to
serve in the city council, knowing that he repre-
sents the progressive element, and that he hon-
estly strives to promote the welfare of the people.
During the nine years of his service on the board
some of the most noteworthy steps taken for the
lasting benefit of the city have received his loyal
support, and for the past six years he also has
been a member of the board of park commission-
ers. Fraternally he is a Royal Arch Mason, and
is a member of the Pioneers' Society, which or-
ganization he was instrumental in founding.

(lOHN E. SIMMONS. At the foot of the
I Sierra Madre range of mountains lies Alta
Q) Vista ranch, owned and occupied by Mr.
Simmons, who has resided here since 1884, and
is therefore entitled to be called one of the early
settlers of this locality. In fact he was among
the earliest to settle in what is now known as the
first North Pasadena precinct. The twenty-seven
acres comprising his ranch are very valuable,
both on account of the richness of the soil, the
high class of improvements and the desirability
of the location. Almost the entire property is
planted to orange trees of the very best varieties,
the fine quality of the oranges being a well
known fact.

The family of which Mr. Simmons is a mem-
ber has proved its patriotism in more than one of
our country's wars. His grandfather, Noble
Simmons, took part in the war of 18 12 and the
latter' s father, Daniel Simmons, fought for inde-
pendence during the Revolution. Our subject's
father, Daniel Simmons, Jr. , engaged in farming
in Delaware county, N. Y. He married Miss
Ann E. Eamport, who was of English descent.

844

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Their son, John L., was born in Delaware county
February 24, 1852, and spent the first nineteen
years of his life in that county. On starting out
for himself he went to Wisconsin and settled in
the central part of the state, in Juneau county,
where he carried on lumbering pursuits for five
years. While he was there he married Miss
Grace Thompson, and they became the parents
of a son, J. Edward.

The year 1S75 found Mr. Simmons in Califor-
nia. His first experiences in this state were in
Humboldt county, where for eight years he gave
his attention principally to the lumber business.
In 1884 he came to Los Angeles county and set-
tled on the ranch where he now resides. He has
made a thorough study of the fruit-growing busi-
ness; and his habits of close observation, as well
as his long experience of the condition of this
locality, have made his opinion valuable concern-
ing horticulture. In politics he favors the Demo-
cratic party and votes that ticket.

y^HADDEUS S. C. LOWE. Of the many
/ C men of gifted attainments whom California
v2/ proudly claims as citizens there are few who
have attained a fame greater than that which
Prof. Lowe enjoys. His name is perpetuated in
the nomenclature of this -state and in the annals
of Southern California he is accorded the dis-
tinctive place which his talents deserve. While
he is a man of varied talents and achievements,
perhaps the crowning feat of his whole life has
been the building of the railroad from Pasa-
dena to the top of Mount Lowe, a feat of engi-
neering which stands unsurpassed in the world's
history. The road is operated by electricity, and
is visited by almost every tourist from the east,
by all of whom it is regarded as one of the great-
e.st attractions offered by the Pacific coast region.
Besides its prominence as a feat of engineering
skill, it is well worthy of a visit on account of its
scenic beauties. Nothing grander could be con-
ceived, and those who take the trip are a thou-
sandfold repaid for the outlay of time and money,
by the lofty grandeur and sublimity of the view
gained from the heights.

Referring to the history of the Lowe family, we
find that Prof Lowe's parents, Clovis and Alpha
Abigail (Green) Lowe, were natives of New

Hampshire. The ancestors of his maternal grand-
father, Thomas Green, came from Scotland to
New England and bore a part in the wars of the
Revolution and 1S12. Thomas Green was a man
of splendid physique, six feet and two inches in
height, with broad chest and stalwart frame; he
withstood the ravages of time, and when he died,
at ninety -seven years, he was in possession of his
mental and physical faculties. His son-in-law,
Clovis Lowe, was a merchant and a dealer in
real estate, and took a prominent part in the local
leadership of the Whig party of that day, also
served his county in the legislature, and for years
held the office of justice of the peace. He died
in Coos county, N. H., when eighty-six years
of age. The family of Clovis Lowe consisted of
five children, four of whom were sons. Of these,
Oscar died in Cambridge, Mass., in 1898. Pem-
broke, who was in the quartermaster's depart-
ment during the Civil war, is now living in Phil-
lips county, Kans. Percival G. was a member
of the United States army from October 17, 1849,
until 1854, and afterward was employed as mas-
ter of transportation across the plains. In De-
cember, i860, he settled in Leavenworth, Kans.,
where he still makes his home. In 1SS4 he was
elected to the Kansas senate and served in the
sessions of 1885, 1886 and 1887. One of his
sons, Wilson G. S. , is now an instructor in the
Michigan Military Academy at Orchard Lake,
Mich.; and another, Capt. Percival G., is now-
commanding Company F, Twenty-fifth United
States Infantry, stationed in Manila.

T. S. C. Lowe was born in 1S32 in New Hamp-
shire, in the village of Jefferson. His boyhood
was uneventfully passed, with little to distinguish
it from the lives of those around him. His edu-
cation was begun in the common schools, but the
broad information he now possesses is the result
of self-culture. He has always been of an inves-
tigating turn of mind, fond of probing into the
unknown depths of science, and never happier
than when investigating some difficult scientific
problem. While still young he came to be known
as a man of genius, with gifts far above the av-
erage. A constant student, it was his aim to
develop his talents, so that he might be helpful
in the particular field he had chosen for his life
work. He came into national prominence during
the Civil war, at which time he originated a plan

Pholo by Marceau

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

847

of signaling with balloons and of generating gas
in the field. His abilitj- was recognized and he
was placed in charge of the balloon corps in the
army of the Potomac. Some years later he in-
vented water gas and the ice and refrigerator
process. In 1867, by artificial means invented
by him, some years before he refrigerated the
first steamship (the William Taberof New York)
for the transportation of meats and other foods,
which system since then has revolutionized the
food supply of the world. In 1888 he came to
California and established his home in Pasadena,
where he built, on Orange Grove drive, one of
the most beautiful residences of this fair city.
Since then he has given much of his time and
thought to the consummation of his plan to build
a road to the top of the mountain named in his
honor — a plan, the successful consummation of
which may well be a source of gratification to
him. He has also for some years past been pres-
ident and general manager of the Los Angeles
City Gas Company, and at the same time has
been identified with other measures, which he
has assisted in bringing to a successful issue. He
is now as hale and rugged as at any time in his
life, and has at the present time new enterprises
in hand, which promise to be of great benefit to
mankind.

M P. MULFORD. In selecting a field for the
/\ application of his ability and qualifications,
Iz/t Mr. Mulford wisely chose the profession of
law. There is much in this profession to appeal
to a thinking man. Throughout all the changes
in other spheres of thought, the law alone remains
unchanged, and its unvarnished delineation has
ever been founded on the principles of justice
and humanity. Hence he who enters it finds
abundant scope for his intelligence and logical
faculties. Since opening an ofiEce in Los Angeles,
Mr. Mulford has built up an important and ex-
tensive practice, extending intojthe various courts,
and bringing him into contact with the brightest
intellects of the west.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Mulford was
born August 26, 1850, and is the only surviving
child of David Mulford, who was born in Butler
county, Ohio, in 1812, and is still living. His
mother, Sarah Ann Mulford, who died six weeks
after his birth, was the daughter of Shobal and
41

Mary Vail, of Middletown, Butler county, Ohio,
who were Quakers and early settlers in the
southern part of the state. The motherless boy
was taken charge of by his dead mother's sisters,
Mrs. Elizabeth Patton and Mrs. Catherine Dean,
who undertook his early training.

The time between his sixth and eighteenth
years was spent in Henry county, 111., on a farm
where the tasks were arduous and long, continu-
ing for nine months in the year, which left him
but three months for attendance in the public
schools. When eighteen years of age he re-
turned to Ohio, to be educated by his father;
with conscientious diligence he applied himself
to the pursuit of knowledge, and in 1876 gradu-
ated with honors from the Ohio Wesleyan Uni-
versity, at Delaware, Ohio. Subsequently he
read law with Col. M. C. Lawrence, of Union
county, Ohio, and in December, 1878, was ad-
mitted to practice by the supreme court of Ohio,
at Columbus, and, two years later, in the United
States courts.

In 1880, owing to failing health, Mr. Mulford
was compelled to temporarily abandon his law
practice and to seek a change of location and
surroundings. For two years he traveled through
the south in search of renewed health, and in
1883 came to Los Angeles, and the land of flowers
and sunshine, with boundless faith in the natural
restoratives of this beautiful ' 'city of the angels. ' '
He wisely concluded that an outdoor life would
aid in the work of recuperation, and for a time
engaged as a salesman and financial agent for
Porter Bros. & Co. After three years, fully con-
valescent, he resumed the practice of his profes-
sion, being largely benefited by his mercantile
experience, which had given him an extended
acquaintance in the city. With this advantage,
he entered upon his successful career in the
world of law in Los Angeles, which has since
been a source of gratification and pride.

August 26, 1885, Mr. Mulford married Helen
B. Farrar, a college classmate and a daughter of
Capt. William M. Farrar, of Cambridge, Ohio, a
prominent lawyer, and a member, during the war,
of General Garfield's staff. Of this union there
are no children. In politics Mr. Mulford has ever
been a stanch Republican, and identified with
many of the important undertakings of his party.
Because of natural disinclination he has never

848

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

been a candidate for office, although the nomina-
tions for both citj- and state offices have been
urged upon him. He has been prominent in the
religious world of his adopted city, and has for
years been an active member and officer of the
First Methodist Episcopal Church of Los An-
geles, and is at the present time secretary of the
board of trustees.

Through his own untiring efforts, incessant
hard work and close application to the best tenets
of his profession, Mr. Mulford has gained a prom-
inent position among the best legal exponents of
Los Angeles, and has at the same time accumu-
lated considerable of this world's goods. Among
his property interests may be mentioned a
beautiful and artistic home, located on the north-
east corner of Eleventh and Hill streets, which
is set in a frame work of cultivated grounds, and
is in every way worthy of the enterprise of its
owner, and an ornament to that locality of the
city. He is a stockholder of the First National
Bank of Los Angeles. In innumerable ways also
he has evinced his interest in all undertakings
for the advancement of his city, and is a generous
contributor towards all that aids in the uplifting
of his fellow men. To such citizens Los Angeles
is indebted for her largest growth and widest de-
velopment. Much of his success in life is at-
tributed to the able assistance and good fellow-
ship of his wife, to whom he readily accords a
large degree of unstinted credit.

Mr. Mulford is a prominent Mason and is at
present a member of Pentalpha Lodge, F. & A.
M., Signet Chapter, and Los Angeles Com-
mandery No. 9, of Sir Knights, and one of the
Mystic Shriners.

gAPT. TERRELL B. THOMAS has for sev-
eral years been associated with the Kerck-
hoff-Cuzner Mill and Lumber Company, the
past two years having been manager of its busi-
ness in Covina. A native of Sauk county. Wis.,
he was born January 30, 187 1, a son of the late
Capt. Thomas C. and Belle C. (Case) Thomas.
His father removed from Wisconsin to California
in 1882, in that year settling with his family in
Pomona.

Terrell B. Thomas obtained the rudiments of
his education in Wi.sconsin, where he lived until
eleven years of age. Coming then to Pomona,

Cal., with his parents he there continued his
studies in the public schools, subsequently enter-
ing the Los Angeles Business College, from which
he was graduated in 1892. In 1894 he accepted
a position with the Kerckhoff-Cuzner Mill and
Lumber Company at Pomona, where he remained
until the ist of January, 1899, when he became
manager of their business in Covina, where he is
faithfully attending to the responsible duties con-
nected with his office.

lORONI M. GREEN. The history of
;. M. Green, a veritable "forty-niner,"
id for more than three decades an honored
citizen of Los Angeles, possesses much of interest
to the general public and to those acquainted
with this sterling pioneer, for it breathes forth
the dauntless spirit and hardihood of character,
under the most trying circumstances, of frontier
life, which has been the secret of our success as a
nation. To him and to all possessing his strong
traits and unswerving integrit}' of soul every
right-minded person should do homage; especially
should this be true of the younger generation,
now entering into the fruits of the labors of these
heroic spirits who paved the way to the prosperity
and peace which we now enjoy as a people.

A son of Charles C. Green, a native of New
York, our subject was born in the town of Pike,
N. Y., November 8, 1835. He removed with
his father's family to Nauvoo, 111., when he was
six years of age, and in 1843 they located at
Montrose, a town on the west bank of the Missis-
sippi river, nearly across from Nauvoo. Three
years later the family located in Ferry ville, now
known as Omaha, Neb., and in 1848 Asa M., the
twenty-year-old brother of our subject, died and
was buried on the hill west of the town. On the
first day of May, 1849, the family, which now
comprised eight members, started on the long
and perilous overland journey across the plains.
Small-pox was devastating the land and at the
place where the Greens crossed the Big Elkhorn
river they learned that three or four hundred of
the Omaha Indians who had died with the dread
plague the previous year were buried, and the
Green children picked up innumerable trophies
at the Indian burying-ground, bears' teeth, birds'

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

849

claws, beads, etc. As the immigrants continued
their journej' they at last came to the Platte
river, and were two days in crossing that stream,
on account of quicksands and deep holes in the
bed of the river. Among the Black Hills,
whither their road next led, a party of Sioux In-
dians overtook them, and one of the braves tried
to buy little Catharine Green, offering a pony in
exchange. So determined was he to possess the
little maiden for his squaw that he followed the
cavalcade several miles before he abandoned the
quest. At Fort Laramie the Greens stayed two
or more days, that their faithful oxen might rest,
and thence the party proceeded towards Pike's
Peak. Camping at Devil's Gate, M. M. Green
and some of his boy companions explored the
grim, gloomy cafion, and decided that it was
rightly named. The next incident remembered
by him occurred on the Sweetwater river, when
he and one James Smith strayed from the train
with the idea of catching some fish. They
leisurely tried one pool after another, with little
thought of how the afternoon sun was gradually
sinking in the west, and suddenly they awoke to
the sense of possible danger. Dusk was closing
in upon the lads, and the grewsome howling of
wolves and coyotes became more and more fre-
quent. Somewhat alarmed, they hurried along
the trail, but could see nothing of the wagons,
and two of the great gray wolves of the plains
now confronted them. The boys had no weapon
save a small smooth-bore gun, suitable only for
squirrels or rabbits. Our subject had not lived in
the west without learning much of the wisdom of
the frontiersman, and when his comrade urged
him to shoot one of the beasts he demurred, say-
ing that if the other wolf should thus get a smell
of blood their own lives would certainly pay the
penalty. Needless to say, the lads gave the road
to the gaunt animals and made a wide detour.
Wolves are cowardly, save when in large num-
bers, and though they watched the boys closely
for a sign of weakness or wavering upon their
part, they did not attack them. Luckily for the
children, they soon found a fresh wagon track,
and following it away from the main road thej'
reached a camp, where they were welcomed and
cared for through that night. In the early morn-
ing they were found bj' their fathers, who had
been searching for them, and thenceforward they

had strict injunctions not to leave the wagons.
One of the causes of their anxiety had been that
huge fires had burned upon several mountain
peaks, and it was feared that the Indians of that
region were thus signalling to one another, and
that they were on the war-path.

The last time that the Greens had to cross the
Sweetwater they had another experience never
forgotten by them. It had now reached about
the first of December, and one evening one of the
dreadful sudden blizzards and heavy snow-storms
of the great northwest swept down upon them.
Within an hour six inches or more of snow had
fallen, and if it had not been that a thicket of
willows near the camp afforded slight protection
to their cattle, they must have perished. The one
wagon could not contain the eight members of
the Green family, so, after stowing away the
mother, girls and youngest son, the father said to
his elder boys, "We must make a fire in the wil-
lows and do the best we can through the night."
The cattle also hovered as close to the bonfires as
possible, and if it had not been for this fore-
thought on the part of the father, who kept up a
good fire in spite of the storm, it is doubtful if
daylight would have found men or beasts alive.
A coop of chickens attached to the wagon was so
filled with snow that several of the occupants
were frozen. The snow was so deep at points on
the summits of the Rockies that other wagons
and teams had to come to their assistance, but at
length Salt Lake City was reached, late in De-
cember. The father determined to remain there
until spring and located about ten miles south of
the city named, and eventually he stayed there,
buying a small farm on the Cottonwood river
and building a house and making other improve-
ments. He died in Salt Lake City in 1885, at the
ripe age of seventy-five years. His wife, whose
maiden name was Emmaliza Ellis, and who like-
wise was a native of New York state, lived to at-
tain her sixty-sixth year. They were the parents
of sixteen children, only four of whom are now
living.

A brother of our subject, A. M. Green, con-
tinued on his way to California the winter of
1849-50, and when he had made arrangements
for his family, who had been left with his father,
he returned for them, and was accompanied west
by his brother, Nathaniel. Our subject was very

850

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

anxious to go, too, but his father objected
strongly, and when the youth persisted in talking
of California the elder man promised him a regu-
lar "horse-whipping" if another word was said
by him on the subject. The stern and unflinch-
ing severity of his generation prevailed, and
when, one day long afterward, in January, 1853,
he unfortunately overheard his son talking to the
mother about California he carried out his threat,
and, of course, thereby so endeared himself to his
son that the latter resolutely determined to leave
home at the first opportunity and told his father
that he should do so. In February, 1853, Ben
HoUiday and a Mr. Warner, who were in partner-
ship, were to start from Salt Lake City for Cali-
fornia, and, hearing that he might go with them
as a teamster, Mr. Green made arrangements
with them. He told his mother of his plan and
quietly slipped away from the little church just
before time of dismissal on a certain Sunday.
The party which he was to join was to camp that
night at a point twenty-five miles north of Salt
Lake City, and thus he had thirty-five miles to
cover that peaceful Sunday afternoon, but he
reached the camp about six or seven o'clock.
The next day the party proceeded towards the
Weber river and then, finding that the water
was very high, they were compelled to go to the
"upper" ford. Here, too, they foresaw unusual
danger, and spent two days in raising the wagon
boxes and making things secure, ere the3^ tried
the ford. A man named Williams, whose wife
and five children were traveling in a small family
wagon with a low box, refused to take advantage
of Mr. Holliday's kind offer to let the woman
and little ones cross the river in one of his high,
strong freight wagons, and when halfway across
the swift current capsized the Williams wagon
and the word went from one to another that six
persons were drowning. Young Green was
about one hundred yards from the river, attend-
ing to his team. Without taking time for a sec-
ond thought he yelled to his informant to take
charge of the horses, and away he ran, throwing
aside his clothing as he ran, and only stopping to
pull off his shoes. In the meantime one Rodney
Badger, reputed to be one of the best swimmers in
Utah, had leaped into the stream, and after swim-
ming about half a mile, had apparently become so
thoroughly chilled and confused that reason must

have left him, for the spectators saw him suddenly
turn and desperately begin fighting with the
swift current, as he strove to swim up-stream.
In a few seconds he sank and was seen no more
until his body was recovered the following spring.
Our subject, who was a fine athlete, ran along
the bank for about a mile and a-half, through
willows and brush, clothed only in his under-
garments, a bitter-cold sleety rain beating upon
him. At last he caught a glimpse of the perishing
ones and heard a heartrending cry — some figures
were still clinging to the old wagon-box which
had lodged against some obstruction near a tinj'
island about fifty yards from the shore. Perhaps
a dozen men stood upon the high bank looking
on, and they regarded the breathless young man
with cold curiosity as, without a word or ques-
tion, and with deep contempt in his heart for the
cowards, as he thought them, he plunged into the
icy current and swam boldly to the rescue of the
helpless ones. Not all heroes are crowned with
laurel and awarded medals of honor, but the
heroic struggle which the brave youth made that
day to save human lives is worthy of being in-
scribed in the annals of his state and countrj'.
He reached the unfortunates, and, after consider-
able effort, managed to convey them, one by one,
to the island. Every one of them was nearly in-
sensible with fright and cold, and the first
thought of Mr. Green was that a fire must be
kindled as soon as possible, but, of course, he had
no matches, and was himself so stiff" and ex-
hausted with the cold and ordeal through which
he had passed that he dared not attempt to swim
to shore and back again in that condition. He
shouted again and again to the "cowards" on
shore, hoping that one of them would muster up
the courage to make the trip, while holding a
package of matches by his teeth or tied on his
head to keep it dry. No one responded to his
entreaties, and then he implored them to wrap a
stone and some matches in a cloth and throw it
as far as possible. This was tried, but in vain,
as each time the bundle dropped into the flood.
Another hero now appeared on the scene — a
humble "red-haired Jim" — who came running
and at once acted upon our subject's suggestion,
and, with the invaluable matches, swam to the
island and assisted in making a fire. The poor
children were so nearly frozen by this time that

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

85'

the}' singed their hair tr3-ing to get warm over
the blaze. Only three of them had been saved,
for two little boys had been swept by the current
past the men standing on the bank and none of
them had dared to risk his life in an attempt to
save them. When Mr. Green reached the shore
he found that some one had stolen his clothes,
but his loss was more than made good to him by
"Captain" Hooper, the head of the train.

Floods and various obstacles had so delayed the
train that provisions were becoming extremely
scarce and peril on that score threatened. At the
head of the Humboldt river mutiny gained
strength in the camp and revolvers were used to
intimidate, and one day seventy-five of the men
deserted, starting on foot for California, another
squad of twenty-five or thirty following their ex-
ample the next day. Thus the train was so
crippled for men that it was necessary to send to
Carson City for others. Mr. Green accompanied
a little party and was supplied with three days'
provisions only. He had hoped (as did his com-
rades) to overtake a train, but failing to do so,
was entirely without food for three days and
nights, though traveling all the time. When he
reached Godby's train he was so weak and
starved that they gave him only a cracker and a
little milk at first. After remaining with these
kind friends in need for a couple of days he toiled
on with his four comrades, and just before cross-
ing the fifty-five mile stretch of desert before
them they filled their four-quart canteen with
water, and this had to last them until they arrived
at Ragtown, on the Carson river, on the further
side of the desert. Starting at about three o'clock
one afternoon they traveled steadily until four
o'clock the next morning, when they were so ex-
hausted that they lay down to rest on the sand.
When they wakened their eyes were rejoiced, for,
in the distance they beheld the beautiful river,
which meant a renewal of life to them.

The privations and hardships through which
young Green had passed had made inroads upon
his strength, and the cholera now tried to finish
his career. A kind-hearted woman, whose hus-
band was engaged in freighting provisions over
the mountains, nursed the young man and there-
by saved his life. When he had recovered in
part her husband offered to furnish a horse or
mule and provide all necessaries if Mr. Green

would accompany him and aid in driving the
pack mules on a trip towards the west. The
proposition was agreed to, and thus the invalid
was spared many of the hardships incident to
crossing the Sierras on foot. A portion of his
journej' to Sacramento was made on foot, as his
employer did not go the entire distance, and on
the Fourth of July, 1853, ^^ entered the city,
where he remained about three weeks. He then
worked on a levee for $75 a month for some
four months, after which he was employed at
Mocalama Hill, where a reservoir was being
constructed.

It was not until August, 1855, that Mr. Green
started for San Francisco, where he soon em-
barked on a schooner bound for San Pedro, pay-
ing $25 for his passage. He was then conveyed
by stage to Los Angeles, the fare being $25.
Doubtless he was not highly impressed by the
adobe village, for he took only one meal here ere
he began making arrangements to leave. Find-
ing that the stage fare to San Bernardino was
$20, he, with his four companions, decided to
walk, and soon after reaching that point he
bought fifteen head of horses and pack mules,
paying therefor $150. With his friends and Ed
Hope, who carried mail from San Bernardino to
Salt Lake City, Mr. Green set out for his parents'
home on the old Cottonwood, by way of Bitter
Springs, Kingston Springs, Las Vegas, Little Mud-
dy, Mountain Meadows (where the massacre sub-
sequently took place), thence through Iron coun-
ty, Fillmore, Peyson City, Springville, Provo
and Lehigh. The parents of Mr. Green were de-
lighted to see him again after his long absence,
and manj' other friends welcomed him back again.

August 31, 1856, our subject married Miss
Sarah Jane Morris. Their son, A. M. Green, of
this city, was born in Utah April 25, 1858. A
son, Charles, died in Carson City, Nev. Mary
Ellen was born in Brighton, Cal., August 4,
i860. Alice C, born November 20, 1866, died
January 13, 1867, and was buried at Fillmore
City. Emma Jane and Emma L-, twins, were
born August 25, 1868. The latter died the same
day, but Emma Jane lived until November 4,
1878. A. M. Green enlisted as a member of the
California National Guard, in Eagle Corps, June
9, 1880, was promoted to the office of first
sergeant June 4, 1884, and was honored with the

852

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

commission of captain and adjutant on the staff of
the commander of the Seventh Regiment, N.G.C.,
January 3, 1886.

In 1857, the year after Mr. Green's marriage,
the Mormon troubles and outrages were at their
height. The Mountain Meadow massacre, the
martial law proclaimed by Brigham Young, the
so-called governor of Utah, and the resistance
offered United States troops by the followers of
the head of the Mormon Church, made life in
that section anything but peaceful or enjoyable.
Mr. Green proved himself as brave and loyal a
citizen to his country as he has ever been, and in-
deed risked his life and property by offering his
services to the government in the building of Fort
and Camp Floyd. In April, 1859, he started
with his family for California, and reached
Brighton, Sacramento county, in June. For the
next four years he engaged in farming and team-
ing, and carried supplies to Gold Hill, Carson
City, Silver City, White Pine and many other
mining towns and camps. August 30, 1863, he
took his dear ones and went to Idaho, spending
that winter in Salt Creek. He then bought a
load of butter, eggs, bacon and flour and sold his
stock in Montana at high prices, bacon and ham
bringing $1 a pound, eggs seventy-five cents a
dozen and flour $20 per hundred-weight, but just
before it had sold for $1 per pound. Gone from
home about six weeks he made about $1,200 by
his trip. In July of the same year he bought a
lot in Paris City, Idaho, and built a house upon
the property, and in 1865 he purchased a toll
bridge across Thomas' Fork. He also owned
three hundred and twenty acres of land situated
.some seven miles above Montpelier. Buying and
selling beef, butter and other necessaries to those
crossing the plains, he prospered, but, as his wife
was not content to dwell there, he sold out every-
thing in 1866. Common earthen- ware plates
and knives and forks brought fifty cents apiece,
and $150 was paid for a small cook-stove. On
their way westward, the family spent a portion of
the winter at Deseret, Utah, and early in the
spring resumed their journey to Sacramento.
There Mr. Green rented a farm, and as freight-
ing rates had become so low he decided to buy a
threshing-machine, and this plan he carried out
successfully.

In 1869 the Green family came to Los Angeles,

and had but $20 after the expenses of their trip
had been met. They camped near the corner of
Sixth and Pearl streets, and in 1870 Mr. Green
took up a tract of government land, some eighty
acres, on section 12, township 2 south, range 14
west. In 1876, after six years of residence there,
he was put off the property by "Billy" Roland,
the sheriff, but after twenty years of law suits he
compromised for twenty acres, which he still
owns, besides eighty-two acres adjoining town.
He then rented the Cottles ranch, two miles south
of the city, on Vermont avenue, and in 1881
bought the place at the administrator's sale. He
has made of it a beautiful homestead. In 1895
he erected a cottage, in which he expects to
spend his declining years in the peace which he
richly deserves. Politically he is a Democrat, and
for four years, beginning with 1880, he was sent
as a delegate from Santinella precinct to the
county convention.

30HN A. MUIR. The history of John A.
Muir is that of a man who has made the best
possible use of his opportunities, and who
not only was ready and waiting for such as came
to him in due course, but went more than half
way to meet them. Poor and unknown a few
years ago, he now enjoys the distinction of being
one of the leading railroad officials on the Pacific
coast, and year by year has added fresh laurels to
those he had won ere his business experience had
covered a decade of time. His example is worthy
of being held up to ambitious young men to-day,
and if his industry and strict attention to the wel-
fare of his employers were more generally emu-
lated there would be comparatively few failures
by candidates for commercial success.

As his name indicates, John A. Muir is of
Scotch extraction, and doubtless inherited the
traits of absolute integrity, courage and tenacity
of purpose for which the people of the land of
heather are noted the world over. His father,
Dr. Samuel Allan Muir, was a gentleman of ex-
ceptional ability and learning, and many of his
relatives have achieved distinction in scientific
and literary circles. Dr. S. A. Muir received his
education in Scotland, and for a long period was
successfully engaged in the practice of medicine
in Nova Scotia, where his death took place in

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

853

1876. His wife bore the maiden name of Esther
H. Crowe, and of their three surviving sons two
are physicians, namely: Dr. D. H. and Dr. W.
S. Muir.

The nativity of John A. Muir occurred in the
town of Truro, Nova Scotia, September 25, 1850,
and there he passed his youth, obtaining a lib-
eral education in the common schools, and was
ever ready to pick up general information and
gained much of his knowledge by his keen powers
of observation. Probably from this natural tend-
ency he mastered the art of telegraphy in the
office of the Western Union in his home village,
and in later years this served him in good stead.
His father owned a private drug store, and there
the youth became familiar with the business,
which, when he was about eighteen years of age,
he concluded he would try upon the Pacific coast.
Taking passage in a steamship bound for the
Isthmus of Panama, he proceeded to San Fran-
cisco by this roundabout route, and, for a short
time after his arrival in that city, he was em-
ployed in a drug store owned by another man.
He then went to Rocklin, Cal., where he em-
barked in the drug business upon his own ac-
count, and soon he was made night telegraph
operator for the Central Pacific Railroad Com-
pany. Having proved his ability and trust-
worthiness, he was made agent at Rocklin by the
railroad company, and, as time passed, was
gradually promoted from one position to another,
being yard-master, train-master and division
train-masfer, with headquarters at Sacramento;
then assistant to the division superintendent at
Sacramento, and division superintendent at Tuc-
son, Ariz. While it is certain that not all of the
really deserving employes of an extensive rail-
road corportion, and perhaps very few in pro-
portion to the number employed, can rise to high
and important positions, it is beyond question
that only those who are especially worthy of pro-
motion are thus honored. Therefore, when we
next find that Mr. Muir was made assistant su-
perintendent of the Los Angeles division of the
Southern Pacific in 1886, and that, when Major
Hewet resigned, he was promoted to the .super-
intendency of the lines here in January, 1893, no
further comment is needed.

During his long residence in Cahfornia — about
thirty years — he has become thoroughly wedded

to the Pacific coast and has the utmost confidence
in its great future, as, indeed, he has had since
he landed here a young man with his own way
to make as best he might. In political matters
he is a Republican, and fraternally he is promi-
nent in Masonic circles.

In his domestic relations Mr. Muir has been
especially blessed. He married Miss Mary R.
Jones in Sacramento in 1872, and ofthe six fine,
manly sons who were born to them two are mar-
ried and have children and homes of their own.
They are named as follows: Samuel Allan,
David William, John Church, Henry Austin,
Gerald Fillmore and Frank Sherman.

ITdWIN R. WYLIE. Before coming to his
ry present ranch near Downey, Mr. Wylie led a
L_ somewhat migratory existence, his many
ventures in search of permanent location and oc-
cupation taking him into several states, and even
out ofthe country. As early as 1867 or 1868 he
cast his lot with the early settlers of the vicinity
of Downey, and has since been identified with
its intelligent growth and development. He
has a ranch of thirteen acres, partially under
walnuts.

The Wylie family is of Scotch extraction and
has been prominent in many ways in their own
and adopted country. Edwin R. was born
August 15, 1827, in Brook county, Va., and is a
son of Robert and Elizabeth (Brown) Wylie, na-
tives of Virginia. The maternal grandfather
Brown was a captain and soldier in the Revolu-
tionary war. His grandson, Edwin, received his
early training on his father's farm, and such lim-
ited education as was to be derived from the early
subscription schools. Being an observer of more
than average intelligence, and having a fond-
ness for books, he more than made up in later
years for the deficiencies and limitations of his
youth.

Following the example of so many in those
earl}' daj^s, he joined, in 1850, a' train of ambi-
tious emigrants who crossed the plains to Cali-
fornia. Their means of locomotion was by
wagons, drawn alternately by oxen and mules,
the journey consuming four months. They
started from St. Joseph, Mo., May 22, and landed
in what is now Placerville, Cal., but which was

854

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

then called Haugtowu. For a time Mr. Wylie
engaged in gold mining and also in the mercan-
tile business. After four j-ears he started a gen-
eral farming venture in Sonoma county, and sub-
sequently went to Idaho, where he continued his
raining experience. After a short residence in
California he migrated to Mexico and farmed for
a time and continued the same after his return to
Sonoma county, Cal. In 1867 he settled on his
present ranch.

Mr. Wylie was first married in Petaluma, So-
noma county, Cal., in 1856, to Miss Ann Sea-
well, who was born in Tennessee. She died in
1862, leaving two children, Robert H., who lives
in New Mexico, and Lucy A., who resides in the
city of Los Angeles. In 1875 Mr. Wylie mar-
ried Mrs. Louisa J. Corbett, of this county. Of
this marriage a son was born, Edwin R., who is
now eleven years old. By her first union Mrs.
Wylie has two children, Anna and Cora, the for-
mer now living in Los Angeles, and the latter
with her mother.

In national politics Mr. Wylie is a Democrat,
and interested in all of the undertakings of his
party. He is broad-minded and progressive and
is highly esteemed by all who know of his many
excellent traits of character.

HON. R. F. DEL VALLE. This gentle-
man needs no introduction to the people of
California, as his distinguished public serv-
ices, in the ranks of the Democratic party, have
made his name familiar in all sections of this
wonderful state. Besides, he is a worthy repre-
sentative of one of the few remaining native
Spanish-American families of Southern Califor-
nia, and his birth occurred in Los Angeles, De-
cember 15, 1854. He was reared, however, on
the veritable "Cumulos" ranch, made forever il-
lustrious by the brilliant authoress, Helen Hunt
Jackson, in her widely read book, "Ramona,"
which, in spite of the criticisms on the score of
sentimentalism, has been pronounced by eminent
critics as "the only distinctive American novel"
thus far produced.

Hon. R. F. Del Valle is the son of Ygnacio
and Ysabel Varela Del Valle, who stood high in
the esteem of their hosts of friends and acquain-
tances, as typical exponents of the old-school

gentility. They possessed intelligence and gen-
ius, and gave to their children the best educa-
tional and social advantages within their power,
which was not slight. The father died at his
old home in 18S0, aged seventy-two years. The
mother still resides on the old homestead.

In 1S73 R. F. Del Valle was graduated from
Santa Clara College, and, as his strong mental
bias was toward the law, he then commenced pre-
paring himself for his chosen field of labor. In
order to have better advantages than he could
obtain in the then insignificant town of Los An-
geles, he went to San Francisco, where he re-
mained until he was admitted to the bar. He
has practiced in the supreme court since 1877,
and very soon after his admission to the ranks of
the legal brotherhood gave promise of the ability
which he has abundantly manifested.

From his youth Mr. Del Valle has been actively
interested in the Democratic party's success, and
recognizing his zeal and general qualifications
for exalted public offices, he was brought to the
front by his friends, and when only twenty-five
was elected to the state legislature, where, though
one of the 3'oungest members of the state assem-
blies of the Union, he acquitted himself with
credit. The following year, 1880, he was fur-
ther honored by being chosen as a presidential
elector on the Hancock ticket and again was sent
to the legislature. While a member of the legis-
lature he secured for Los Angeles the State Nor-
mal School, which proved ofinestimable value to
the city as an educational and social center. At
the time (1881) it was considered an almost
hopeless task to attempt to secure the establish-
ment of the institution, the prevalent opinion be-
ing that one State Normal (that at San Jose ) was
sufiBcient for the state. Much praise was bestowed
on Mr. Del Valle for his truly noble endeavors
and indefatigable labors in the city's behalf. In
1 882 he was elected as senator by a handsome ma-
jority and in 18S3 was chosen president pro tem
of the senate. In 1884 he was his party's choice
for congressman from the sixth congressional
district of the state and four years later presided
over the deliberations of the California Demo-
cratic convention, which assembled in Los Ange-
les. He is naturally modest and retiring in dis-
position, but when called to assume positions of
responsibility and honor, at once rises to the oc-

ai^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

857

casion and gives evidence of his peculiar fitness
by the tact and adroitness which are character-
istic of great leaders. His thorough knowledge
of parliamentary law and rulings, his keenness of
perception and broadness of judgment, especially
commend him as a statesman and politician,
though his real preference is for the quiet walks
of life and the interests of his chosen calling.

0AVID C. TEAGUE. No resident of San
Dimas is better known than Mr, Teague,
and this fact is but the natural sequence to
his close connection with various important local
enterprises and organizations. Since he came
here in 1878 he has been a factor in the develop-
ment of the rich resources of this region. Besides
having served as president of the Indian Hill
Citrus Union, he holds the following ofiicial po-
sitions: President of the San Dimas Citrus Union,
president of the North Pomona Deciduous Fruit
Association, president of the San Dimas Land
and Water Company, and president of the New
Deal Land and Water Company. The enumer-
ation of these offices alone suffices to prove his
close identification with local projects, his high
standing as a citizen, and his prominence in the
development of local water and fruit interests.

The record of Mr. Teague' s father, Crawford
P. Teague, of San Dimas, is presented on another
page of this volume. The family came to the
west when David was a youth, and he therefore
is familiar with the progress of the state. He
was born in Indiana, October 23, 1847. When
he was four years of age, in 1851, his parents
settled in Davis county, Iowa, and there his boy-
hood days were passed. In 1865 he came with
them to California, settling in Tehama count}^,
but soon going to Sonoma county. In 1878 he
came to Los Angeles county, where he has since
made his home. For a number of years he en-
gaged in agriculture here. In 1888 he set out
a number of orange trees and also a few prunes.
The venture was so successful that he was en-
couraged to increase his number of trees, and
since then his time has been practically given to
horticulture. He has twenty acres of land under
oranges and apricots, in addition to which he
has thirty acres used for general farm purposes.
In 1875 Mr. Teague married Miss Annie Run-

yon, of Hickory county, Mo. She died in Sep-
tember, 1890, leaving five children, viz.: Walter,
Hattie M., Edith, Elmer and Russell.

In Masonry Mr. Teague ranks very high. He
is a member of Pomona Lodge No. 246, F. & A.
M.; Pomona Chapter No. 76, R. A. M.; and is
also a Knight Templar, belonging to Southern
California Commandery No. 37, K. T., and Al
Malaikah Temple, A. A. O., N. M. S. The
Covina Lodge, A. O. U. W., numbers him
among its members. In him San Dimas has an
unswerving friend, who has always been eager to
serve the best interests of the town and generous
in his contributions to the general advancement.
In social circles he is known and appreciated as
a man of liberal views and generous impulses,
and whose high character is worthy of the ut-
most confidence of his associates.

30HN M. KING. Of the multitude who
have come out of the east and embellished
with their abilities, achievements and honors
the charmed history of California, some there are
who are no longer within the pale of the enjoy-
ment of her prosperity, of her abundant harvests,
the singing of her birds, the sighing of her flower-
scented air. Henceforward, beyond the call of
poor human lips, the touch of clinging hands, a
few of the travelers from this fleeting bourne will
have the consciousness of having walked the
highways and byways in the light that is dimmed
only by perverse human nature. Such an one
was John M. King, who, though born March 6,
1849, and deceased January 3, 1900, was an old
man only when his many excellencies were
enumerated, and the extent known of his hold
upon the hearts of the people. And it has been
given to few to spend such a large portion of their
lives in this comparatively new country, or to be
identified with its growth from the time when its
possibilities were but shadowy outlines in the
minds of a few.

A native of Indiana, Mr. King was the son of
William and Nancy (Murphy) King. When but
a toddling child his parents took him to Texas,
where, in this great wilderness, they bought a
farm and were industriously engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits. The family soon after sustained
a severe loss in the death of the father. After

858

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

struggling with tlie vicissitudes of their life in a
strange country the mother married Joseph G. B.
Haynes, and subsequently the family moved to
Los Angeles county, Cal. , and settled for a time
at EI Monte. As may be imagined, the oppor-
tunities of any description were then of a very
meager kind, the schools especially being an al-
most unknown quantity. The education which
Mr. King acquired, and which was of such prac-
tical use to him in later life, was entirely the re-
sult of later application and utilization of the
various avenues of information.

Early in life he realized the responsibility of
his position as a member of a large and neces-
sarily expensive household, and therefore took up
land on his own responsibility in Orange county,
Cal., in 1 87 1. The twenty acres comprising his
ranch were given over to the cultivation of
oranges, to which he devoted him.self in this
locality until 1879. He then moved to the
vicinity of Whitljler, where his family is now
located. His first purchase comprised twenty-
five acres, and later he added twenty-one acres,
all of which was planted with walnut trees.
Originally the land was in a wild and scrubby
state, and necessitated much patient application
to reduce it to a condition of utilitj- and resource.
The farm now has one thousand one hundred and
twenty-seven walnut trees, which are in a thriv-
ing condition.

Mr. King was married May 5, 1870, to Ellen
Noe, a native of Texas, born in 1854. Her
parents were Leroy L. D. Noe and Charlotte
(Smyth) Noe, the former a native of Indiana, who
went to Texas and there died. They were
among the very early settlers of Texas, and after
the father's death and the mother's later mar-
riage, the family started for California byway of
the plains with a wagon and ox-team. Arriving
at their de.stination they cast their lot with the
pioneers of Santa Ana, Cal. To Mr. and Mrs.
King were born eleven children: James T. ;
William E. ; Mamie, the wife of Byron Cole;
Daisy, who is married to William Sutton ; Arthur,
Gertrude, Lory, Allie, George, Robert and Elva.

Mr. King's political affiliations were with the
Democratic party, and he was associated with
many of its important undertakings. He was a
member of the first board of trustees of the Pico
school district, and also a member of the Los

Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers' Associa-
tion, which he helped to incorporate. For years
he was identified with the Los Nietos Val-
ley Pioneer Club. Fraternally he was a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

In the minds of all who were privileged to en-
joy his friendship, profit by his example, or reap
the benefit of his kindly acts of consideration and
encouragement, Mr. King is remembered as a
worthy example of an upright and Christian life.

At a meeting held September 11, 1900, by the
Los Nietos Pioneer Club the following preamble
and resolutions were unanimously adopted:

"Whereas, It has pleased the Supreme Ruler
of the Universe to call our beloved friend and
fellow-member, John M. King, from this tran-
sitory existence to the joy and felicity of everlast-
ing life; and,

"Whereas, In his death his family loses a
good and loving husband and father, the Pioneer
Club a valuable member, and societj' at large a
brother and friend, whose blameless life and
faultless character have influenced for the better
all with whom he has come in contact; therefore,
be it

''Resolved, That to the family of our deceased
friend and fellow- member we extend our heart-
felt sympathy in their affliction; and be it further

"Resolved, That these resolutions be spread
upon the miautes of the Pioneer Club and a copy
thereof be sent to the family of our deceased
member.

"F. A. Sanchez, Secretary.

"J. F. ISBELL, President."

RS. IVA E. TUTT. Who would imagine
that the imposing title of secretary and
general manager of the Long Beach & San
Pedro Electrical Company belongs to a modest
and far from aggressive little woman, with fair
hair and brown eyes, with a due regard for the
demands of fashion, and few of the mannish traits
commonly ascribed to the "new woman." Yet
she certainly occupies a unique and quite enviable
position as the only woman in the world, as far
as known, who stands at the head of an electric
lighting plant, and at the same time personally
supervises the business in all its details. Her
history contains much of unusual interest, and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

859

the following facts in regard to the plucky young
woman will be perused with eagerness by the
general public, as well as by her hosts of personal
friends.

Quite naturally, as it appears to the biograph-
er, Mrs. Tutt hails from a western state, Minne-
sota being her birthplace, and, as her life has
been mainly spent on the frontier, she early
developed the independence of spirit and the
resourcefulness so characteristic of our west-
ern women. When she embarked in her present
great enterprise she knew but little of the elec-
trical part of the business; but she was quite a
machinist. Her father had devoted his life to
that line of work and had held responsible posi-
tions in machine shops. He subscribed to a great
variety of journals on the subject of machinery,
and gave his children many a practical lesson,
which has proved beneficial to them in later life.
His son is now a prominent civil engineer. After
her marriage Mrs. Tutt resided upon a Montana
ranch for several years, and there brought her
knowledge of machinery into practical use upon
numerous occasions, taking down and setting up
complicated machinery for diiferent purposes.

Nearly four years ago Mrs. Tutt came to
Southern California on account of her health,
and, like the majority of tourists, she visited
Long Beach, which she found groping in dark-
ness, while the local newspapers were waging
vigorous warfare upon such a state of affairs in
so progressive a seacoast town. Her attention
having been called to the matter, as she had some
capital, she determined to invest it in an electric
plant, which should not only furnish light for
this place, but for San Pedro and Terminal
Island also. Prior to embarking in the enter-
prise she received assurances that the inner har-
bor of San Pedro would be improv^ed and an
appropriation to that end would be made, even
if the splendid outer harbor never materialized.
At first she intended merely to invest her capital
in the plant, but she soon found out that she was
equal to the actual management of the business,
and, as she holds the majority of the stock of the
company (which has an authorized capital of
$50,000), she ultimately determined to keep the
reigns of power in her owu hands. She attends
personally to the buying of all machinery, mate-
rial and supplies for the plant, making bids,

drawing specifications and figuring on contracts.
Indeed, she has made herself so thoroughly con-
versant with all of the workings of the system,
that, in an emergency, she can take the place of
any man connected with the business, save that
of climbing the poles for attaching the wires.
She employs an expert electrician and a good
force of efficient men, all of whom regard her
with sovereign respect.

In the Long Beach & San Pedro electric plant
may be found the latest electrical machinery, and
in every respect it compares favorably with the
finely equipped modern ones of Los Angeles and
other cities. There is a water tube boiler fitted
for mechanical draught, a tandem compound en-
gine and dynamos for direct current, and the
distribution is by the three-wire system. Mrs.
Tutt has been of more than local service in the
electrical world, as she has solved the problem
of lighting small towns, when not far distant
from one another, as, in this case, neither Long
Beach, San Pedro nor Terminal Island could have
paid the expenses of an electric plant alone, and
by this system they are joined by the electric cir-
cuit and participate in the benefits of the central
plant. Long Beach and Terminal Island are
beautiful resorts and are yearly winning their
way into the hearts of the people, while San
Pedro's importance in the future of Southern
California cannot be overestimated, and the fine
$3,000,000 harbor improvements being carried
on by the government are already under way.
The success of Mrs. Tutt's undertaking long ago
was an assured fact, and the plant has been
doubled in size within the four years of its exist-
ence. On account of her peculiar position as the
pioneer of her sex in this line of business, she
continually receives marked courtesies from man-
ufacturers and business men, but, while appre-
ciating the knightly spirit in which these favors
are tendered, she does business upon strict com-
mercial lines and asks no favors from anyone.

While it is an undisputed fact that Mrs. Tutt
possesses finer executive and financial ability
than the majority of mankind, she is essentially
womanly. She is not inordinately devoted to
clubs, so-called "woman's rights" and other
things for which the modern woman is supposed
to contend. She has just pride in the fact that
she is a direct descendant of the sturdy old colo-

86o

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

nial stock of New England, and in consequence
of her lineage she belongs to the Daughters of
the Revolution. She has a little daughter about
thirteen 3-ears old now attending the schools of
Los Angeles.

From time to time Mrs. Tutt has been inter-
viewed bj- journalists, 'and photographs of herself
and of the electric plant which she controls have
been published in many of the representative
magazines of the United States and Europe. A
short time ago the IVcs/eni Electrician, printed in
Chicago, devoted its frout page to her portrait
and a r^sum^ of her work here; and the Electrical
Review, published in London, England, also gave
considerable space to a history of her achieve-
ments. Long Beach, where she owns an attract-
ive home, is a beautiful place of residence, and,
as it has many fine churches and schools, it is
steadily forging to the front in the estimation of
the people. And, it is needless to say, that the
electric lighting plant has been an important fac-
tor in its development, as it has in the desirabil-
ity of living in San Pedro and Terminal Island.

^HOMAS STONE. By those who have
f C visited the place, Stonehurst is considered
V2/ one of the finest fruit ranches of Southern
California. The property is owned and operated
by Mr. Stone, who established his home there in
1894, and has since given his attention closely to
its development and irrigation, meantime intro-
ducing improvements that have greatly enhanced
its value. In his work he has the active and in-
telligent a.ssistance of his oldest and youngest
sons, Alexander G. and Claude, his other three
sons being engaged in business in Los Angeles.
A description of Stonehurst will give an idea
of its condition and improvements. This ranch
has undergone considerable alteration lately, all
the deciduous trees having been removed and
oranges planted in their place, with the exception
of ten acres of apricots, which remain. The
property comprises fifty-one and one-half acres,
all under fruit cultivation. Two and one-half
acres are in oranges, planted in 1895, and now in
good bearing condition. The fourth year after
planting the crop taken from them netted $1.50
per tree. There were al.so seven acres planted to
oranges in 1899 and one acre in 1898. In the

spring of 1900 some thirty acres of deciduous
trees were pulled out (which comprised twenty-
four acres of peaches, one acre of Kelsey plums
and five acres of French prunes) and oranges
planted in their place. This is as the ranch is to-
day. Surrounding the residence are some fifty
trees of various varieties of fruits for domestic
use.

The problem of water supply, which has
proved so annojdng to many Californians, does
not distress Mr. Stone, for he has his own supply,
furnished by a well yielding about twenty-five
inches of water of a most excellent quality and in
great abundance. In this way he is independent
of any water company for either irrigation or
domestic purposes For the irrigation of the land
he has steam machinery and for the house the
water is supplied by means of a windmill and
tank. The machinery used is the very best man-
ufactured. The residence is comfortable and
commodious, supplied with all modern con-
veniences and furnished in a manner indicating
the tastes of the owner.

Mr. Stone was born in Glastonbury, England,
April 10, 1844, a son of William and Anne Stone,
both of Glastonbury. When two years of age he
was taken by his parents to Taunton, England,
and there he received a grammar school educa-
cation. When quite young he began to be self-
supporting, and at twenty years of age he was
employed as managing and constructing engineer
for a gas plant. In time he became owner of
stock in the gas works at Somerset, Dorset and
Devon, and at these places he also acted as super-
intendent of the plants. In addition, he owntd
a half interest in a hardware business at Wey-
mouth, England, and for thirteen years acted as
its manager, the firm title being Stone & Pearce.
He still owns stock in many of the enterprises
with which he was formerly connected person-
ally. Since 1894 he has made his home in
Pasadena, having come here direct from England.
He was led in this step by a knowledge of the fine
climate, rich soil and excellent prospects afforded
to those who settle here. Nor has he had reason
to regret his decision in moving to a spot so far
from all the associations of a lifetime, for he has
been prospered in his new home and may hope to
see his ranch become one of the finest in South-
ern California.

'O/^

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

863

While living in England Mr. Stone married
Miss Martha Gray, of Glastonbury. They be-
came the parents of ten children, and six of these
are now living, namely: Alexander G. , Thomas
G., Katie L., Clarence P., Archibald E. and
Claude. The family are connected with the
Congregational Church, in which Mr. Stone
served as a deacon while living in his native
country.

pQlLEIAM H. WORKMAN, president of the
I A/ Workman Company, has been a resident
YV of Southern California since 1854, when
he, a boy of fifteen years, was brought to the
state by his parents, David and Nancy (Hook)
Workman. He was born in Boonville, Mo., in
1839. His paternal grandfather, Thomas Work-
man, a native of England, was a prominent
yeoman of Westmoreland county; and his ma-
ternal grandfather, John Hook, who was of Ger-
man ancestry, was born in Fincastle, Va. , and
served under General Washington in the Revolu-
tionary war. The wife of John Hook was Eliza-
beth Cook, a relative of the distinguished traveler
of that name. As early as 18 19 the Hook family
settled in Missouri. Indians at the time were
numerous and hostile, and it was necessary for
the white settlers to live in forts, as a means of
protection from the savages. In all the work of
clearing and improving the farm-land in their
community they bore an active part.

In the family of David and Nancy Workman
there were three sons. The eldest, Thomas H.,
was killed by the explosion of the steamer Ada
Hancock in Wilmington harbor April 27, 1863.
The second son, Elijah H., settled at Boyle
Heights, and the third son, William H. , is also a
resident of Los Angeles. The last-named fol-
lowed the printer's trade for a time after coming
to California, and then for twenty years was con-
nected with his brother in the saddlery and har-
ness business. For some years he has given his
attention to the real-estate business, in which he
has important interests. Particularly has he been
interested in the improvement of Boyle Heights,
by the introduction of water, street car lines and
other improvements.

During 1887 and 1888 Mr. Workman filled the
office of mayor of Los Angeles, and he has also
been a member of the city council and the board

of education. In his political views he is a
Democrat. His marriage, in 1867, united him
with Miss Maria E. Boyle, daughter of A. A.
Boyle; they are the parents of two sons and four
daughters.

gEORGE D. PATTEN. The business in-
terests of Pasadena have an able representa-
tive in the subject of this article, who is the
senior member of the lumber firm of Patten &
Davies. H^ is a native of Ohio, born in Morgan
county, August 10, 1847, to Mahlon and Sarah
(Cole) Patten, natives respectively of Ohio and
Pennsylvania. His parents were descended from
early settlers of America, the paternal ances-
tors having come from England and settled,
with other Quakers, in the wilds of Pennsylvania,
while the maternal ancestors were from Ireland.
When a boy our subject accompanied his
parents to Jasper county, Iowa, and there grew
to manhood, meantime receiving a good public-
school education. At the opening of the Civil
war he was fired with enthusiasm in behalf of the
Union and determined to enlist, but, being so
young, he was obliged to defer the fruition of his
hopes for a time. January 3, 1863, he enlisted in
Company K, Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry, and
went south to participate in General Banks' cam-
paign on the Red river. He fought at Sabine
Cross Roads, Yellow Bayou and in other engage-
ments of minor importance. Subsequently he
participated in the Shenandoah valley campaign
of General Sheridan and took part in the battles
of Cedar Creek, Winchester, Fisher Hill, etc.
At the close of the war he was mustered out of the
service. He was honorably discharged August
10, 1865, after which he returned to Iowa. He
made a shortstop in Marshalltown and then went
to Osage county, Kans., where he began farming
and stock-raising. Steadily he worked his way
forward, in due time meeting with the success of
which he was so worthy.

In 1885 Mr. Patten came to Pasadena and here
he has since made his home, carrying on a lum-
ber business, having since 1894 been in partner-
ship with E. W. Davies. In addition to his con-
nection with this business he has other interests
of an important character. He is a director of
the First National Bank of Pasadena. The wel-
fare and improvement of Pasadena are matters in

864

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

which he is deeply interested. He has proved
himself to be progressive and public-spirited, aid-
ing in every way possible plans for the benefit of
his home town. As a member of the city council
(to which he belonged for four years and of which
he was president for two j'ears), he helped pro-
mote enterprises of undoubted worth. The
citizenship of Pasadena has had in him a worthy
representative. However, his tastes are in the
direction of business rather than public afiairs or
politics. He has never sought the honors of
office nor cared to occupy positions of a political
character. His business life has been marked by
the exercise of intelligence and uprightness and a
strict regard for the rights of others. He is a
member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he
has attained the thirty-second degree, and is also
connected with the Grand Army of the Republic.
While making his home in Kansas Mr. Patten
married Eva M. Bessie, of Osage county. They
are the parents of four sons and three daughters,
namely: Nellie M., Fred W., Henry S., Callie,
Frank, Walter and Mabel.

(JACOB KUHRTS. This is a name familiar
I to many of the citizens of Los Angeles.
(2/ Through the long period of his residence in
this city Mr. Kuhrts has maintained a reputation
for good judgment, energy and integrity. Then,
too, he has been active in promoting measures of
undoubted value to his home town. He has often
been alluded to as the "father" of the city fire
department, as it grew up under his fostering, in-
telligent oversight and care. Now, in the twi-
light of his life, he is living practically retired
from business anxieties, making his home in the
Kuhrts block, built by himself, and situated at
No. 107 West First street.

Born in Germany, August 17, 1832, Mr.
Kuhrts was a son of Henry and Catherine (Mat-
thieson) Kuhrts, who came from Germany to
New York in 1836. His father found employ-
ment as a ship carpenter in New York, and, after
a life of active toil, returned to Germany, where
he died at the age of seventy years. His wife
also spent her last days at the old homestead
across the ocean, and died at about the same age.
They were the parents of three children, but
Jacob alone survives. He was eleven years of

age when he went to sea as a cabin boy, and for
five years he followed a sailor's life. On the
arrival of his vessel at San Francisco from China,
August 6, 1848, he abandoned saltwater life and
sought employment in the California mines. In
1858 he abandoned mining and came to Los An-
geles, where he has since resided. In 1865 he
opened a grocery on Spring street, and this busi-
ness he successfully conducted for years. In
1867 he built a block on the corner of Main and
First streets, and here he has since made his
home. About fifteen years ago he retired from
business, but as a promoter of the city's welfare
he has continued as active as before. Politically
he is a Democrat. He has honorably filled many
local offices, served as the first city street super-
intendent and has been a fire commissioner since
1886. In 1889 he was chosen president of the
city council. He is probably, in point of service,
the oldest city councilman in Los Angeles. He
is a member of the various Masonic bodies, and
has been identified with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows for thirt}' years. He is an hon-
orary member of the state militia and a member
of the Veteran Fireman's Association of San
Francisco, which is the oldest organization of the
kind in California.

Jacob Kuhrts is a self-educated man. He
appreciated his stock of knowledge because he
hewed it out of the rock of diligence and well-
doing. He has never halted in a good measure
to advance the welfare of the home of his man-
hood. His hand never draws back at the ap-
proach of a movement to widen and broaden the
city's destiny.

May I, 1865, Mr. Kuhrts married Susan Behn,
who was born in Baden, Germany, February 19,
1848, the sixth daughter of Martin and Lena
Behn. One of her uncles, John Behn, was among
the first owners of the famous Catalina Islands.
Mr. and Mrs. Kuhrts became the parents of six
children, four of whom are living. George, who
is married and has one child, is a civil engineer;
Amelia is married and has one child; Grace and
Etta are at home.

It may be said of Mr. Kuhrts and his family
that they have been students in all lines where
true knowledge may be found. They find that
right and truth do not have to serve an appren-
ticeship to be known. The truth always com-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

865

mands the respect of men who refuse to study to
deceive. When men overcome obstacles in life
and set the needs of humanity in motion, it is
proof that they have in them a dynamic force
equal to the occasion, and at the same time pos-
sess the courage to act. Such are the true pro-
moters of progress.

ILO ALLEN. In addition to his farming
and horticultural interests, Mr. Allen has
for the last quarter of a century mainly de-
voted his energies to the application of his trade,
that of brick-layer and mason. His permanent
residence in California began in 1891, when for a
short time he resided in the town of Whittier,
subsequently settling on his present ranch. Of
the eight and a-half acres in his possession, most
of it is devoted to the culture of lemons. The
houses and appliances are of the most modern
and substantial kind, and the place has a home-
like aspect, in keeping with the natural advant-
ages of the vicinity.

Born in LaSalle county. 111., November 13,
1837, he is a son of Ethan Z. and Lydia (Marsh)
Allen, natives of Vermont. Ethan Allen moved
to LaSalle county. 111., in 1834, where he inter-
ested himself in the early development of the
county. He attained to considerable prominence,
especially as applied to the politics of the locality,
and among other offices served as justice of the
peace from 1840 to 1876. The mother of Milo
Allen was connected with a family who were suc-
cessful in many lines of enterprise, and who
fought bravely for their country when duty
prompted. Her father, Joseph March, was a
soldier in the Revolutionary war, and her
brother, Jesse, was a soldier in the war of 18 12.

Milo Allen received his early training on his
father's farm in Illinois, and was taught the dig-
nity and usefulness of an agricultural life. When
about seventeen years of age he began to learn
the brick-laying and mason's trade, in the prac-
tice of which he met with gratifying success.
September 7, 1861, he enlisted in Company D,
Second Illinois Light Artillery, and participated
in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh and nu-
merous minor skirmishes. After three years of
active service he was honorably discharged, Sep-
tember 28, 1864. Upon returning to his native

county in Illinois, he resumed his agricultural
pursuits until 1867, when he journeyed to Cali-
fornia, via the Isthmus of Panama, and for four
years engaged in mining and other occupations.
Returning to Illinois he took up his trade of
mason, in which he engaged until 1891, when he
returned to California, where he has since re-
.sided.

In LaSalle county. 111., Mr. Allen married
Mrs. Jeannette French, and to this couple was
born one son, Robert L. By her first marriage
Mrs. Allen was the mother of three children, two
of whom are living, Oliver H. and Eugene.
Mrs. Allen died September 23, 1899. Mr. Allen
is a member of the Masonic order at Whittier
and of the W. S. Rosecrans Post, G. A. R., at
Whittier. In politics he is a member of the Re-
publican party. Mr. Allen is public-spirited
and broad-minded and takes great interest in all
that pertains to the welfare of the town and
county.

HON. CHARLES W. BUSH, M. D.,a Cali-
fornia pioneer of 1849, was born at Strouds-
burg, near the Delaware Water Gap, in
Monroe county. Pa., November 16, 1824. His
immediate ancestors were among the most active
and patriotic pioneers of that region, and partici-
pated in many of the stirring events of the Revo-
lution. His father, Henry Bush, a carpenter by
occupation, was a son of Henry Bush, Sr. , a
Revolutionary soldier under the immediate com-
mand of General Washington at the battle of
Long Island, where he was wounded and taken
prisoner. Prior to the occupation of Philadel-
phia by Cornwallis the wife of Henry Bush lived
temporarily in that city, and there entertained
George Washington in her home, cooking with
her own hands the dinner of which he partook.
After the war was over Mr. Bush returned home,
but never regained his health, and finally died
from the effects of his wound, which was caused
by a bayonet thrust in his hip. His death oc-
curred at Stroudsburg. His wife long survived
him, and in her last years resided in Shelby coun-
ty, Ohio, whither she removed with her son
Henry.

Of a family of ten children, the subject of this
sketch is the only one resident in California. He
obtained his early schooling at his native home in

866

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Pennsylvania, and later was a stndent in an
academy at Sidney, Ohio. During the winter of
1 847-48 he attended medical lectures at Columbus,
Ohio, and studied medicine at Line Sterling Col-
lege. His first trip to California was in 1849,
when he came via Salt Lake and the Humboldt
Sink, going from South Pass into the Sacramen-
to valley. Almost immediately after reaching
the coast he went into the mines on the Yuba
and Feather rivers, and mined near the town of
Washington, Nevada county. He was one of
the discoverers of the famous Eureka mine.

In 1852 he returned to Ohio via the Isth-
mus of Panama. He first practiced medicine in
Iowa, but in the fall of 1854 returned to Ohio.
He graduated from the Western Reserve College,
Cleveland.

With the exception of this time (about eight-
een months) spent east, where he completed his
medical education and graduated, he mined in
Northern and Central California until the fall of
i860 and then settled in San Francisco, remain-
ing there until 1861, when he came to Los An-
geles. In June, 1865, he joined the rush into the
Kern river mines, and was county physician at
Havilah, Cal. On his return to Los Angeles,
four years later, he made some investments in
real estate that have proved to be wise and ju-
dicious.

In 1872 Dr. Bush was elected to the state sen-
ate to represent Los Angeles county. At that
time Los Angeles was a large county, comprising
not only its present area, but all of what is now
Orange county. He served during two sessions,
and was chairman of the hospital committee. He
was the author of the first medical bill passed for
the regulation of the practice of medicine in Cal-
ifornia. The following year Illinois passed a bill
for the same purpose, and upon inspection it was
found to be a verbatim copy of the California bill,
with the exception of the change of the name
from California to Illinois. After having served
with credit to himself and satisfaction to his con-
stituents, Dr. Bush retired to private life, refus-
ing the proffered honor of a second term as
senator.

Fraternally Dr. Bush is a member of Pentalpha
Lodge No. 202, F. & A. M., and is past high
priest of Signet Chapter No. 47, R. A. M., also
past patron of the Order of Eastern Star. He is

a man of abundant means, able to provide him-
self with all the comforts of existence. Freed
from the necessity of toil, he lived a quiet and re-
tired life, enjoying the confidence and esteem of
a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.

pQlLLIAM JAMES VARIEL. Though
lAi y^^'^o '° statehood, California has pro-
V Y duced many sons and daughters now oc-
cupying honorable positions in the professional,
business and social world. Among the long list
of such resolute, ambitious and persevering
men, we find the name of William James Variel,
who was born in Caniptonville, Cal., June 2,
1 86 1. He is a brother of Hon. Robert H. F.
Variel, in whose sketch the family history ap-
pears.

The little mining town of Camptonville, in
Yuba county, was the home of our subject's boy-
hood. In youthful days he spent considerable
time in roaming through the forests and along
the sparkling mountain streams, engaged in
hunting wild game, and many a trophy of his
skill as a marksman he took back with him to
the little family home. The schools of Campton-
ville were far below the standard of a successful
public school of the present day; but of their ad-
vantages, such as they were, he availed himself
to the utmost. In July, 1877, he wentto Quincy,
Plumas county, and attended school there during
the ensuing three years. In 1880 he obtained a
teacher's certificate, and during the summer of
that year taught at Nelson Point, near Quincy.
During the two following summers he taught at
the same place, while in the intervening winters
he taught at Diamond Spring.

From an early age Mr. Variel was ambitious
to make a place for himself in a profession. Al-
though opportunities were meagre and his en-
vironments discouraging to one of less determina-
tion, he never relinquished his ambition to gain
a collegiate education. In August, 1SS3, he took
the entrance course at the State University in
Berkeley. Owing to a scarcity of means he was
compelled to defray his college expenses by work-
ing at any honest occupation he could find. He
secured employment as janitor of the Berkeley
high school, and later was made janitor in the
university library, afterward securing a position

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

869

as assistant librarian. This last position he held
in 1888, when he graduated with the degree of
B. S. Of recent j'ears the magazines have had
many arguments, pro and con, concerning the
maintenance of students by their own exertions
while they are endeavoring to complete their
college or university course; some arguing that
such a plan takes the students mind from his
studies and prevents his full success, while others
insist that what he loses in text-book knowledge
he gains in habits of self-reliance, industry and
the acquisition of a knowledge of business
activities.

Although in youth it had been Mr. Variel's
intention to enter the medical profession, later
developments caused him to determine to study
law, and wMle in the university he made a
special study of that field. He studied law dur-
ing his leisure hours while engaged in teaching
school for three years subsequent to his university
life. In 1889 he was editor and manager of a
country newspaper. April 29, 1891, he was ad-
mitted to practice by the supreme court of the
state, and at once came to Los Angeles, joining
his brother, Robert H. F. Variel. He has won
his way from that time to this solely through the
exercise of his native powers of mind, broadened
and ripened by self-culture, and a constant and
systematic course of valuable study. Like thous-
ands of other young men he began for himself
without means; but unlike many others he has
conquered adverse circumstances and has now
reached a degree of success notable in one who is
in life's prime. His career in the future may be
predicted with safety, judging from his record in
the past. Fraternally he is connected with the
Native Sons of the Golden West, the Independent
Order of Foresters, and has been a member of
the Masonic order ever since attaining his ma-
jority. During his university course he was an
active member of the Zeta Psi, and owes not a
little of his success to the training there received.

0 V. LANDT. One of the representative
2S members of the Los Angeles bar is S. V.
V2/ Landt, who, during the thirteen years of his
residence here, has steadily advanced in his pro-
fession and in the esteem of the general public.
Pre-eminently he is a self-made man, as the sub-
joining sketch will show.
42

Born on a farm in Herkimer county, N. Y., in
1 841, Mr. Landt passed his boyhood in the usual
occupations of country life. His first serious
trouble was his father's death, this sad event oc-
curring when the youth was thirteen years old,
and thenceforth he was thrown largely upon his
own resources. When he was fourteen he ob-
tained a position with a neighboring farmer, re-
ceiving his board and $g a month for his serv-
ices. That he was more ambitious and eager to
make a name for himself than the majority of the
country youths of his age, was manifested by his
close application to his studies in the collegiate
schools. Commencing at the age of sixteen he
taught school for the ensuing four years, during
three winter months. In the summer he worked
on farms, attending school three months in
spring and fall. In the meantime he spent most
of his leisure hours in legal studies, for three
years in the office of Tremain & Peckham, at
Albany City. The goal of his ambition was at
length attained when he was admitted to the bar
of his native state, after he had pursued a course
in the Albany Law College, where he was num-
bered among the graduates of 1865. When em-
barking upon his professional career, Mr. Landt
went to Tipton, Iowa, where he became a mem-
ber of the well-known firm of Wolf & Landt,
and was twice mayor of Tipton.

For more than a score of years Mr. Landt was
closely associated with Judge Wolf, gaining nec-
essary legal experience in the first years of their
partnership, and later performing his full share
towards the prosperity and success of the firm,
whose business became very extensive.

The marriage of Mr. Landt and Miss Bertha
Brause was solemnized in 1867. Two children
of their union survive, namely: Edward Brause
and Katherine M., both of whom are at home
with their father. The devoted wife and mother,
who was a native of Canada, died in this city
in 1897.

On account of his wife's failing health, Mr.
Landt severed his prosperous business relations
in Iowa, in 1887, and removed to Los Angeles,
where he hoped the mild climate would prove
beneficial to her. Becoming enamored of the
beauties of Southern California, he continued to
stay here after the death of his wife, and turned
his attention to the work in which the major por-

870

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tion of his mature years has been given. He
has loyally supported the Republican party.
Fraternally he is active in the Masonic order.
He has a host of friends in this city and where-
ever he has resided in the past.

GJLEXANDER PATTERSON, assessor of
r I Bristol township and a prominent citizen
l\ of the village of Bristol, was born in this
township February 10, 1842, a son of Matthew
and Jane (Conell) Patterson. His father, a na-
tive of Scotland, emigrated to America in 1835
and became a pioneer of Kendall County, he and
his wife at first making their home with a neigh-
boring family in a log cabin until he had com-
pleted a house of his own. White settlers at that
time were few and Indians still roamed over the
prairies. Grain was hauled to Chicago, which
was then a small town, without pavements or
brick buildings. In the work of building up this
country he bore an important part and his name
is entitled to lasting remembrance by every patri-
otic citizen. He was spared to witness the pros-
perity and growth of Kendall County, and his
old age was rendered comfortable by his industry
in former days. His wife passed away in Sep-
tember, 1880, and nine years later his death
occurred. Further mention of his life will be
found in the sketch of his son-in-law, Simon
Dickson, on another page.

The earliest recollections of our subject are
connected with pioneer days in Kendall County.
He recalls the long walks to the school, the long
rides to market, the long days of hard work and
the few opportunities for recreation or pleasure.
The school he attended was held in a log cabin,
and was known as the Hunt school. He remem-
bers the village of Bristol when it was first
started. He has seen the development of the
country from a wilderness to a fine farming
region, bearing every evidence of the wealth of
its owners.

A few months after he was twenty years of age
Mr. Patterson enlisted in the Union service. In
August, 1862, his name was enrolled in Company
H, Eighty-ninth Illinois, which was assigned to
the army of the Cumberland, McCook's Twenty-
eighth Corps. After the battle of Chickamauga
the regiment was reorganized and assigned to the

Fourth Army Corps, commanded by Gen. O. O.
Howard. He took part in the battle of Stone
River December 31, .1862, and was there struck
in the head by a minie ball, which destroyed
the sight of his right eye. Among his other en-
gagements were Missionary Ridge and the en-
gagements en route to Lovejoy, south of Atlanta,
the one hundred and forty miles being a contin-
uous battle ground. After the battles of Frank-
lin and Nashville he accompanied the troops
against Hood. During his entire time of service
he was away from his regiment but once, and
that was at the time he was ill with smallpox.
He was discharged as corporal June 10, 1865, at
Nashville.

On returning from the army Mr. Patterson
worked with his father on the farm'. In 1872 he
married and started out for himself, purchasing
a farm of ninety-two acres in the corner of sec-
tions 17, 18 and 19. This he cultivated as long
as his health permitted, but, owing to the effects
of his army service, he was unable to do as much
manual labor as he wished. In 1888 he retired
from active work and settled in Bristol, renting
his farm until 1900, when he disposed of it. As
a Republican he has been prominent in local pol-
itics and has served as a delegate to conventions.
For six years he has ser\-ed as assessor and also
has the office of collector. Since the organiza-
tion of Yorkville Post No. 522, G. A. R. , he has
been one of its most prominent members. He is
not connected with any church, but attends and
contributes to the Methodist Church, of which
his wife is a member.

February 8, 1872, Mr. Patterson married
Nancy E. , daughter of Daniel and Chloe Ann
(Whitlock) Stocksleger. Two children were
born of their union, but both are deceased. Mary
Elizabeth was born May 3, 1873, and died Sep-
tember 13, 1874. John H. born March i, 1876,
died January 8, 1885. Mrs. Patterson's father
came from Rochester, N. Y., to Illinois in 1836,
when a young man. He took up government
land on section 20, Bristol Township, and en-
dured all the hardships of a pioneer's existence.
Deeply interested in public affairs, and an edu-
cated man, he was an aid to the citizenship of
his township. He held most of the township
offices. A progressive men, he was one of the
first to purchase improved farm machinery, and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

871

afterward he handled considerable as agent for
various companies. He was successful both in
raising grain and stock. He aided in building
the Methodist Church at Yorkville, of which he
was an active member. His death occurred in
1859, when he was still in life's prime. He left
four children: Mrs. Patterson, Mrs. Mary O'Brien,
Chloe E. and David H., the latter a resident of
Michigan. The original Stocksleger homestead
is still owned by two of his daughters, Mrs.
O'Brien and Mrs. Patterson.

I ILTON S. WILSON. Among the multi-
tudes of gold-seekers who sought a home
and fortune on the Pacific coast half a cen-
tury ago, and, in fact, one of the veritable
"49ers," was Milton S. Wilson, whose allegiance
toward this beautiful land of the setting sun
never has abated since his eyes first rested upon
its charms. He has been identified with many of
the industries and enterprises of this coast and in
the early years of his residence here experienced
the vicissitudes incident to pioneer life.

A native of Licking county, Ohio, Mr. Wil-son
was born March 2, 1823, a son of George and
Jane B. (Moore) Wilson. The former was born
in the Old Dominion, while the latter was a na-
tive of Pennsylvania, and both were agriculturists
from their earliest recollections. In 1842 they
removed from the Buckeye state to Cass countj',
111., where they carried on a large farm.

Mr. Wilson acquired an excellent knowledge
of agriculture in its various branches, and at the
same time mastered the elementary studies taught
in the common schools of his youth. In 1849 he
determined to follow the stream of westward emi-
gration and accordingly joined a party of am-
bitious men similarly actuated. Among his com-
panions on the long journey across the plains
were Cyrus Epler, district judge of Cass and
Morgan counties, 111.; Frank Pixley, who later
became editor of the famous "Argonaut"; Joseph
Heslop, who was the first county treasurer of Tuo-
lumne county, Cal.; and Judge Heslop, later
prominently known in the legal circles of San
Francisco. The party did not reach San Diego,
their destination, until the ist of December,
owing to the fact that considerable time was
spent in prospecting for gold in New Mexico.

Finding it advisable to replenish his funds,
which had been sadly depleted by unexpected
demands and exigencies during the long trip
across the continent, Mr. Wilson accepted a posi-
tion offered to him at San Diego by the local
quartermaster of the United States government,
and assisted in the erection of the first structure
put up at that point — the San Diego Barracks.
Some time afterward he secured passage on the
brig Belfast, bound for San Francisco, and in
that city found plenty to do in various lines of
occupation. In March, 1850, he went to the
mines in Tuolumne county, and subsequently
engaged in freighting supplies from Stockton.
Toward the close of the year he, in company with
several others, opened a store and boarding house
at Soldiers' Gulch, which enterprise was a pay-
ing one for a period, but eventually had to be
abandoned, owing to the extreme scarcity of raiu
and water during the winter of 1850-51.

Santa Clara county appearing to Mr. Wilson
to be a promising place for the raising of grain,
he decided next to embark in that venture, and
in 1852 he, in partnership with other local agri-
culturists, imported threshers and reapers and
improved farm machinery from the eastern states.
In 1853 and the ensuing year he purchased live
stock in San Bernardino county and drove the
same to the northern part of the state, where he
obtained excellent prices. In 1854 ^^ removed
to the San Joaquin valley, and at a point about
fifteen miles from Stockton engaged in farming
and stock-raising. Then, for several years, he
made his home in Santa Clara county, but the
extreme drought of 1864 resulted in the loss of
most of his large herds of cattle, and, as usually
happens, one disaster after another followed until
he found that almost nothing remained to him.
Bravely he once more began the battle of life,
and, entering a quarter section of land in the
Santa Cruz mountains, he commenced dealing in
lumber. In 1870 he returned to Santa Clara,
where for six years he served as a justice of the
peace, giving entire satisfaction to the public.
The Centennial year he was instrumental in the
incorporation of the San Lorenzo Flume and
Lumber Company, but, this venture ultimately
proving a failure, he resumed farming, renting
property in Santa Clara county. Twenty years
ago he cast in his lot permanently with the in-

872

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

habitants of Los Angeles count}-, and for a couple
of }'ears was activeh- engaged in the dairy busi-
ness. In 18S2 he located upon a quarter section
of land situated between Azusa and Vineland,
and in 1883 took up his abode upon a sixtj--five-
acre tract of land near El Monte, his present
home. Here he has instituted substantial im-
provements and now raises from four to five hun-
dred tons of fine alfalfa everj- year, on the fifty
acres which he devotes to that purpose.

By persevering industry and courage, in the
face of difficulties and reverses which would have
vanquished most men, Mr. Wilson has succeeded
in making a snug fortune, while at the same time
he possesses what is far better than wealth — an
honorable name and unblemished record. In his
political preference he is a Republican, and in
1885 he was chosen as justice of the peace at El
Moate. He holds membership with the Presby-
terian Church and is highly esteemed by all who
know him.

The marriage of Mr. Wilson and Miss Mary L.
Chandler, a native of Jacksonville, 111., was
solemnized in i860. Her parents, Isaac and
Evelyn Chandler, pioneers of California, lived in
Santa Clara county for many years. Four sons
and a daughter grace the union of our subject
and wife, namely: George L., Harry M., Fred
Eugene, Austin M. and Mary Letitia.

rr LI W. SHULER. The ranch that he owns
r3 and occupies, situated one mile north of
|_ San Dimas station, has been the home of
Mr. Shuler since 1881. He is the owner of one
hundred and fifty-five acres, devoted to general
farming and stock-raising, and he also gives some
attention to the fruit business. For years he has
owned and operated harvesting machinery, in
which line he is considered an expert. He is a
member of the Glendora Citrus Union and is also
connected with other organizations and enter-
prises of a beneficial nature. Besides his private
interests, he is now serving as a deputy sherifi" of
Los Angeles county.

In Vinton county, Ohio, February 6, 1848,
Mr. Shuler was born to the union of John M.
and Margery (Weed) Shuler, natives respectively
of Ohio and Pennsylvania, the former of German
extraction and the latter suppo.sed to have been of

English descent and a connection of the prominent
Weed family of New York and Pennsylvania.
She was a relative of Thurlow Weed. Her
father. Dr. Dennis E. Weed, was a native of
Connecticut, who moved to Green county. Wis.,
where he was postmaster for years and a promi-
nent physician. John M. Shuler was a mill-
wright and bridge builder by occupation. In
1852 he came to California and was one of the
original locators of the "Blue Lead," above
Downeyville, where he remained for two years,
meantime being very successful as a miner. Re-
turning to Iowa, he made his home in Van
Bureu county until 1864, when he came to Cali-
fornia for the second time, crossing the plains to
the Pacific coast. For six years, altogether, he
remained in San Joaquin and Sonoma counties,
and he died in the latter county. During his
residence in Iowa he held a number of local
offices.

When a small child our subject accompanied
his parents to Van Buren county, Iowa, and
there he remained until he was sixteen. He
then crossed the plains to California, having con-
siderable trouble with the Indians en route. He
and his train accompanied Mrs, John Brown, of
Harper's Ferry fame, for a thousand miles on the
wa}', and he recalls her as a lady of culture and
great courage. He finally arrived safely in San
Joaquin county. After a short time there he
went to Sonoma county, where he remained for
fourteen years, meantime engaging in teaming
and general mill work. He was one of the
original prospectors in the Mojave desert. He
was a member of Company A, Second California
Cavalry Volunteers, under General Canby, doing
scout duty at the time. He fought at the lava
beds during the siege of the Modocs, under
Captain Jack and Shagnasty Jim, in Modoc
county, this state. He had a horse killed in the
campaign, and did not receive payment for it
from the government until July, 1899.

For many years Mr. Shuler has served as a
trustee of the various school districts where he
has resided. Politically he favors the Republican
party. He is connected with the Independent
Order of Foresters at Glendora and the Union
League of Los Angeles. Among the pioneers of
the county he is well known and highly es-
teemed, for he possesses those qualities of head

yeK^ QLfLK^cx^rC

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

875

and heart that win lasting friendships. In
Sonoma count}^ Cal. , he married Miss Isalena
Dougherty, who was born in Illinois and at the
age of two years was brought by her mother
across the plains to California, her father having
diedoue year before. Mr. and Mrs. Shuler have
a host of friends among the people of San Dimas
and vicinity.

(I AMES STEWART. The greatest possible

I good to the community of which he is a resi-
C2? dent comes through the efforts and abilities
of such men as James Stewart. Large-hearted,
enterprising, and full of the determination and
push necessary for the carrying out of all growing
and substantial schemes, he has been a force
among the dwellers of the vicinity of Downey
since he came here in 1S69. The ranch which
has been the object of his care is of fifty-two
acres extent, forty-five of which is under wal-
nuts.

Previous to coming west Mr. Stewart's life was
an interesting one, and through its changefulness
he was enabled to acquire much of the fund of
general information now at his command, as well
as to absorb for future reference the most practi-
cal means of conducting business. The family of
which he is a member is of Scotch extraction.
He was born in East Tennessee May 27, 1828,
and is a son of William and Cecelia (Hayes)
Stewart, natives respectively of North Carolina
and Kentucky. The paternal grandfather was a
soldier of the Revolutionary war, and William
Stewart fought bravely in the war of 18 12.

James Stewart was reared to an agricultural
life, and his early opportunities for acquiring an
education were indeed meager, and were con-
fined to the subscription schools. He was a keen
observer, however, and supplemented his study
during the winter terms at school by close appli-
cation to reading in various lines. In 1852 he
married Lucy A. Dougherty, of Tennessee. To
them were born eight children, of whom the fol-
lowing survive: David O., at Atlanta, Ga.; Fran-
cis E., in Los Angeles, Cal.; John J., also in
Los Angeles; and Mrs. Daniel W. Standlee, of
Los Nietos.

In 1848 Mr. Stewart moved his family from
Tennessee to Texas, in company with a few
others of like mind. They traveled over the plains

with mule and horse-teams and wagons, and
were several weeks en route. They settled in
Anderson county, Tex., where for twenty years
they engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock-
raising. In this state, also, Mr. Stewart added
somewhat to his income by teaching school dur-
ing the winter terms.

In 1863 he enlisted in General Sibley's old and
famous brigade, C. S. A. , and operated from the
Brazos river, in Texas, to the Red river, in Lou-
isiana, and also carried their operations into the
adjoining territories. He was in the battles at
Mansfield, Pleasant Hill and Yellow Bayou, La.,
on the Mississippi river, besides participating in
many minor skirmishes.

Before the engagement at Mansfield the Confed-
erate forces had been retreating from the enemy for
several days, skirmishing more or less each day.
At Mansfield they met with re-enforcements and
fought a closely contested battle with the oppos-
ing forces. The next day, at Pleasant Hill, they
met with a strong re-enforcement and defeated
the enemy, who retreated back toward their gun-
boats, leaving the most of their dead and wounded
on the battleground. Doctors and sergeants were
left to care for the wounded, who were made as
comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
After a hard day's fighting Mr. Stewart and a
few others went to the place where they were
caring for the wounded, and offered to assist in
any way possible, for which offer they were
thanked very kindly. The doctors told the sol-
diers they were short of fuel and water, and these
they furnished to the best of their ability. The
night was very dark, and, as they went on their
errand of mercy, they stumbled over several dead
bodies. It has always been a source of pleasure
to Mr. Stewart that he had this opportunity to
assist the wounded of the enemy's forces, and
that he did all he could, just as willingly as he
would have done it for his comrades in arms.

After the cessation of hostilities Mr. Stewart
returned to his farm in Texas, and continued his
farming until 1869, when he began the long and
memorable journey across the plains to Califor-
nia. Himself and family were of a party of emi-
grants, about forty in number, and their means
of locomotion was by mule, horse and ox-teams
and covered wagons. Of the three kinds of ani-
mals represented, the mules and oxen best stood

876

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the trials of the journey. They were six months
on the way, and their course was beset with many
and increasing dangers, from fording rivers and
streams to scarcity of water and the fear of In-
dian attacks. To avoid the latter they traveled
a great part of the way during the night. At the
end of the journey the}- found themselves on the
ground upon which their ranch is now located.
That the conditions were very primitive was a
natural consequence, and Mr. Stewart at once set
to work to prepare the soil for the reception of
seed, and to set out trees that fruit might be the
result. In addition, he now raises walnuts and
oranges, citrus and deciduous fruits, and, in fact,
almost every kind of fruit that comes from the
soil in his adopted state is given an opportunity
to do its best upon his finely managed ranch.
He is the owner also of real estate at Long Beach
and Santa Monica.

Mr. Stewart is a member of the Democratic
party, and interested in all of its undertakings.
With his family he is a member of the Baptist
Church and a trustee in the same. Fraternally
he is a.ssociated with the Masonic order at Down-
ey. He is also a member of the Los Nietos and
Ranchito Walnut Growers' Association. His busy
and honorable life has contributed to the moral
and material growth of Downey and vicinity, and
he is esteemed for the traits of mind and charac-
ter that have brought him hosts of friends and
substantial prosperity.

AURICE KREMER. Prominent among
the energetic, far-seeing and successful
businessmenof Los Angeles is Mr. Kremer.
His life history most happily illustrates what
may be attained by faithful and continued effort
in carrying out an honest purpose. He was born
January 14, 1824, in Frauenberg, Lorraine, a son
of Mordecai and Rachel (Lazard) Kremer, both
natives of Lorraine, Germany. By occupation
the father was a merchant. The boyhood and
youth of our subject were passed in his native
town until he was twenty years of age, when
he emigrated to the United States, landing in
New Orleans on the 14th of December, 1844.

Before coming to Los Angeles he lived for some
time in New Orleans, St. Louis and Sacramento,
and was engaged in mercantile business in those

cities, and after leaving here continued in that
business till 1880, being in partnership at differ-
ent times with S. Lazard, H. Nevvmark and N.
Jacoby. At this writing he is senior member of
the insurance firm of Kremer, Campbell & Co.,
with offices in the Temple block.

In 1856 Mr. Kremer was united in marriage
with Miss Matilda Newraark, a daughter of
Joseph Newmark, a native of West Prussia, who
came to America at the age of twenty-five years,
arriving in New York in March, 1824. In 1851
Mr. Newmark came to California and made his
home in San Francisco until 1854, when he re-
moved with his family to Los Angeles, making
this city his home until his death, which occurred
October 19, 18S1. Here he was interested in the
grocery and provision trade, his place of business
being at the corner of Main and Requena streets,
where the United States hotel now stands. He
had five children, namely: Mrs. M. Kremer;
Myer J. Newmark; Mrs. H. Newmark; Mrs. S.
Lazard; and Mrs. Eugene Meyer, of New York.
The children born to our subject and his wife
are: Rachel, wife of P. Lazarus, who is engaged
in the wholesale stationery business; Emily, wife
of Ed Germain, a wine and liquor dealer; Eda,
wife of James Hellman, a hardware merchant;
Agnes, Fred and Abraham.

Mr. Kremer is a member of the Chamber of
Commerce and belongs to the Order of Bnai
Berith and Temple of Bnai Berith. Politically
he is a stanch Democrat, and he has taken quite
an active and prominent part in public affairs,
serving as a member of the board of supervisors
from 1865 to 1867. He was also a member of
the board of education from 1866 to 1875, was its
president one or two terms and served on various
committees, including the special committee to
build the first school house of any pretensions in
this city — the one which was built in 1872 on
Sand or California street. From i860 to 1865 he
served the people as county treasurer, being
elected by the Democratic party to that office,
and gave general satisfaction. After serving ac-
ceptably as supervisor he was elected to the office
of county tax collector, also served at the same
time as city tax collector, serving out an unex-
pired term. From 1869 to 1875 he served as
clerk of the city council. In all the twenty years
of holding office he rendered honorable and effi-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

877

cient service to the people, who valued him as an
honest official and a highly esteemed citizen. It
is a noteworthy fact that he has never been de-
feated for an office to which he was nominated.
As a progressive and public-spirited citizen he
takes a commendable interest in everything cal-
culated to advance the best interests of his city,
county or state. He is well known and is held
in high regard in the community where he has so
long made his home.

(T G. B. HAYNES. Of the thousands who
I have been drawn from their associations in
(*/, the more thickly settled east, by the luxu-
riant and inexhaustible resources of this far west-
ern clime, and have devoted their latter-day and
wisely directed energies to its development and
broadening, none is held in higher esteem than
J. G. B. Haynes. Coming to California from
Texas in 1857, his memory is prolific of varied
and startling changes, for much may be accom-
plished in forty-three years, even under less
promising circumstances. From the spring of
1857 until the fall of 1864 he became identified
with the pioneer days of El Monte, and then re-
moved to Downey, where he became interested
in general agriculture. In 1875 he took up his
permanent location in Rivera. His ranch is well
improved and a source of pride to the owner,
and a credit to the locality in which it is sit-
uated.

A somewhat eventful life preceded Mr. Haynes
determination to settle in the west. A native of
White county, 111., he was born September 19,
18 19, and is a son of John and Polly (Green)
Haynes, the latter a niece of General Green, of
Revolutionary fame. John Haynes was a re-
markable man from more than one standpoiiit,
and was a son of the Rev. James Haynes, of Ger-
man descent, and a minister in the Baptist
Church. He was born in Virginia, and had a
wonderful constitution and retained possession of
his faculties up to an unusual age. The week
before he died he rode thirty miles on horseback,
and at his death was one hundred and six
years old. His son, John, was commissioned
captain during the war of 181 2, and fought with
General Jackson at New Orleans. While Illinois
was still a territory he became identified with

the primitive conditions there, and attained to
considerable prominence in the scattered com-
munity. He .served as supervisor of White coun-
ty. During the Blackhawk war he raised his
own company and helped to capture a famous
Indian chieftain. The parents died in White
county, and of their eleven children all have be-
come the heads of families, one sister, Mrs.
Nancy G. Griffith, living in Los Angeles. The
second oldest sister married Charles Polk, a
brother of James K. Polk, at one time president
of the United States.

J. G. B. Haynes was reared to agricultural
pursuits in Illinois, and, after an education ac-
quired in the subscription schools, turned his ed-
ucation to practical account, and for some time
taught school near Bellville. He later removed
to Louisiana, where he learned the millwright's
trade, and afterward in Texas followed his former
occupation of school-teaching in Piano. He was
twice married, his first wife being Ortha A. Car-
roll, a native of Alabama, and a niece of old
General Carroll, who fought with such courage
and distinction at the battle of New Orleans.
She was a daughter of Parson Carroll, president
of the Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas confer-
ence and a man of prominence and wealth. Mrs.
Haynes later died in Texas, leaving three chil-
dren, who are since deceased. Mr. Haynes'
second marriage was with Mrs. Nancy King, nee
Murphy, and of her first union there were three
children: James, John and Eli, of whom John is
deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Haynes were born
three children, all of whom attained maturity,
but are now deceased, namely: Mary, who be-
came the wife of George Bullock, and left six
children; Nathan H. and Sarah Ellen.

In early life Mr. Haynes was a fluent speaker
and often exercised his powers in the cause of
right and justice. Much of his hfe has been
tinged with an element of romance and adven-
ture. In the fall and winter of 1839-40 he was
one of a party of sixteen prospectors who went
from Illinois to Oregon, or rather started out
with the intention of settling there. They ob-
tained their papers of permit from Thomas Ben-
ton, who at the time was governor of Missouri.
That they did not arrive at their destination was
owing to circumstances over which they had no
control. They started sixteen in number, each

878

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

with a saddle mule and pack mule. While on
the journey thej- met Kit Carson and Negro
George, who were trapping, and they ranched
six weeks together. After leaving their new-
found friends they were taken prisoners three
different times, the last to detain them compul-
sorily being a band of Chippewa Indians, under
whose care they were retained for sixteen days.
To the credit of the Indians be it said, that they
treated their captives in a very hospitable and
kindly manner, and that they suffered none of
the discomforts usually associated with adven-
tures of the kind. The chief offered to adopt
the whole sixteen, but they declined the honor,
having other plans for the future in view. The
travelers upon being released decided that they
had had enough of the west and returned to the
peaceful conditions in Illinois. Thus it will be
seen that Mr. Haynes is in a position to appre-
ciate more than many, the benign, though un-
eventful, life of the ranch dwellers in this sun-
glinted nook of the world. His early experi-
ences in the world were thrilling, and, could
they be compiled, would form an interesting
volume.

0RRAY W. LONGDEN. The public of Los
Angeles county well knew that in placing
its interests in the hands of O. W. Longden
no mistake was being made, for he has proved
himself to be thoroughly devoted to the welfare
of his county and state, and an earnest and sin-
cere believer in the great future unfolding before
us. He is the possessor of a liberal education
and wide business experience, and is gifted by
nature with a keenne.ss of mind which enables
him to quickly grasp the difficulties of any situa-
tion, and to solve such problems in a sensible
manner.

Mr. Longden, who, as is generally known, has
served as one of the supervisors of Los Angeles
county for the past year and a-half, acquitting
himself with honor, is of English extraction and
possesses the energy and aggressiveness of the
Anglo-Saxon race in a marked degree. He is the
only .son of Benjamin and Rhoda J. (Leonard)
Longden, who were natives of England and New
England (Connecticut) respectively. Mrs. Long-
den's father was a mere child when the war of
18 1 2 came on, but he was none the less patriotic,

and played his small part on behalf of the colo-
nies by acting as a "powder boy" to the soldiers.
His son, Moses G. Leonard, whose name is prom-
inent in the annals of California, built the first
frame structure in the city of San Francisco.
Benjamin Longden came to the United States in
1835, and for a number of years was actively and
successfully engaged in the manufacture of
boots and shoes and in other business enterprises
in New England. In his early manhood he was
well known as an educator, as he was connected
with various schools and academies as a teacher.

O. W. Longden, whose birth took place in
Windham county. Conn., in 1861, was deprived
by death of his loving mother when he was six
years of age and was but sixteen when his father
was summoned to the silent land. He was grad-
uated in the high school at Putnam when about
eighteen years of age, and, as his home ties were
broken, he quite naturally determined to see
something of the world before choosing his per-
manent home and business. Accordingly he went
to Venezuela, South America, where he accepted
a position with E. P. Cutler & Co., a Boston
firm, who were raising a man-of-war, The Boli-
ver, which had been sunk in the harbor of Puerto
Cabello. Upon his return to the states he made
his home in Mobile, Ala., for a year, and subse-
quently taught school in Mississippi for one year,
following this by a winter in Florida and a sum-
mer visit to New England friends. He then
started for San Francisco by the old Panama
route, arriving at his destination in November,
1882. Having learned telegraphy he spent the
ensuing four years as an operator on the Southern
Pacific Railroad at various points in California
and Arizona.

Fourteen years ago Mr. Longden located in
San- Gabriel, where for a number of years he was
actively engaged in a mercantile business, and
where he still has financial interests. His ster-
ling integrity of character and practical methods
of dealing with the peculiar obstacles which con-
front the people of Southern California have con-
duced to make his opinions of weight in their es-
timation. The confidence which is placed in
him has been manifested on many occasions and
he has been called upon to officiate in numerous
positions of responsibility in the different places
where he has dwelt for any length of time.

^a^ -^^^^^^^^^^^H

J^^^H

^^B^^^j^^^^^H

^_ C./f^^^^^K.

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Among these oflSces were those of postmaster,
justice of the peace and school trustee, in all of
which he won the commendation of everyone
concerned. He has been affiliated with the Re-
publican party since becoming a voter, and in
the autumn of 1898 he was nominated and elected
as a supervisor of Los Angeles county. He is in
favor of progressive measures along all lines
and contributes his full share towards the pro-
motion of the public welfare. Fraternally he is
a member of the Knights of Pythias, and has
passed all the chairs in his home lodge.

In 1884 Mr. Longden married Mercedes C.
Coronel, who died in June, 1890. Subsequently
he chose Miss Emma King, of San Bernardino,"
Cal., for a wife, and she presides with dignity
over their pleasant and attractive home at San
Gabriel. They have a host of friends and are
justly popular with all who have the pleasure of
their acquaintance.

G| UGUSTUS C. HAZZARD has been associ-
L_l ated with the highest moral, intellectual
/ I and material growth of several sections of
California. Coming out of the east in the dawn
of the recognized possibilities of his adopted
country, he has shared its vicissitudes and
smoothed the way for many who were less
courageous than himself.

Born in Detroit, Mich., April 20, 1825, he is
of English descent, and a son of William and
Casandra (Coan) Hazzard. William Hazzard,
who belonged to the old and influential Hazzard
family of Rhode Island, was born in that state,
but was reared in Vermont. He took up his
abode in Michigan in 181 7, and became one of
the earliest settlers of Detroit. His maternal
grandfather, Augustus Coan, was a soldier inthe
war of 1812, and served hiscountry with courage
and fidelity. When five years of age Augustus
Hazzard was taken by the family to St. Joseph
county, Mich., where, upon his father's farm, he
was surrounded with particularly refining and
elevating influences, and early taught the dignity
and usefulness of an agricultural life. And into
his expanding mind was instilled a love for bird
and beast, blossoming flower and waving grain,
and all that soil and sun and rain combine to
produce for man's use and delight. With an

intuitive desire to make the most of his opportu-
nities he studied diligently at the district schools,
and at Albion College, in Albion, Mich. Sub-
sequently, for seven years, he was engaged in
teaching in the schools of Michigan.

It is not strange that Mr. Hazzard should see
in the ministry an outlet for a fine and disinter-
ested enthusiasm. He consequentl}' applied him-
self with diligence and began to preach in 1854.
He was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal
church in 1857. During the following seven
years he was devoted to his duties in the church,
his labors in Michigan ending in 1864. Owing
to failing health he was obliged to consider the
matter of a change of climate and surroundings,
and the far west seemed to ofier a surcease from
physical disability. He accordingly journeyed
hence by way of Panama and San Francisco,
and upon arriving at his destination at once
assumed charge of the Santa Rosa station. After
a short time he went to St. Helena, in the Napa
vallej', where he continued his ministerial work.
He was for a time on the Sacramento circuit,
and at different times stationed at various points
throughout California, and now remains in the
Southern California Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

In 1883 Mr. Hazzard took up his permanent
residence with the early pioneers of Whittier, the
land at that time being covered with great
stretches of barren waste. And here, also, his
strong and ardent personality was a factor for
good, for he taught these early dwellers the
gospel of mercy and good-will and how to gently
judge. Interested to a large degree in farming
and horticulture, he at first took about one
thousand acres of the promising soil under his
protection, the majority of which he later dis-
posed of to other agriculturists who happened
late on the scene. At the present time his atten-
tion is entirely given to horticulture, and he
has one hundred and fifty acres under English
walnuts and twenty-five acres under citrus fruits.

While living in Michigan Mr. Hazzard mar-
ried Jane A. Lee, a native of New York state and
a daughter of Dennis and Polly (Leggett) Lee.
Of this union there are five children: Eva M.,
wife of William Brokaw; Hattie D., wife of Rev.
Theophilus Woodward, formerly pastor of Trini-
ty Methodist Church, San Francisco, but in 1900

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

transferred to Santa Monica, Cal.; George L.;
Fred A. ; and Alice, who is married to Dr. Rob-
ert Dundas, of Los Angeles.

In 1892 Mr. Hazzard was a delegate to the
National Prohibition convention in Cincinnati,
Ohio. His political affiliations are with the Re-
publican party, and are mingled with strong Pro-
hibition tendencies. Mr. Hazzard stands out
through the history of Whittier as a splendid
influence for the all-around betterment of the
community, and he is admired b}' all who know
him for his devotion to principle and to the
interests of friends and associates.

gEDFORD B. BROWN. During the years
of his residence in California Mr. Brown
has followed the occupation of horticulture.
Coming to this state in 1S86, he settled a short
distance north of Lordsburg and purchased ten
acres, which he has since developed from its
primitive condition into a fruit farm of value. He
has planted the land to oranges, having the very
best varieties of these trees, and giving his atten-
tion closely to the business, in order that the re-
sults may be the best obtainable.

Of southern birth and parentage, Mr. Brown
was born in Orange county, N. C, January 5,
1840, being a son of Peyton H. and Elizabeth
(Iseley) Brown, also natives of North Carolina,
the mother being of Holland-Dutch parentage.
He .spent the first eighteen years of his life in
the locality where he was born. After the death
of his father he accompanied his mother and the
other members of his family to White county,
Tenn., but spent only a short time there. In
i860 the family settled in Orange county, Ind.,
and he gave his attention to the clearing of a
farm there. In 1868 they went from Indiana to
Jasper county. Mo., where his mother died.

During the time he lived in Indiana the Civil
war occurred. In July, 1S62, he enlisted in Com-
pany E, Sixty-sixth Indiana Infantry, which was
attached to the Fifteenth Army Corps, army of the
Tennessee. Among the engagements in which
he participated were the battles of Corinth, Ken-
esaw Mountain, the siege of Atlanta, the march
to the sea, the battle of Bentonville, and others
of minor importance. When Johnston surren-
dered to Sherman Mr. Brown was in North Caro-

lina, just thirty miles from the farm where he
was reared. He was captured at Richmond , Ky . ,
but a few days later was released from imprison-
ment. Enlisting as a private, he was promoted
to the rank of sergeant, in recogniton of merito-
rious service. He was honorably discharged at
Washington, D. C, in June, 1865.

From 1868 until 1886 Mr. Brown made Mis-
souri his home and agriculture his occupation,
but in the latter year he came to the coast coun-
try and adopted horticulture as his calling.
He has since been prospered. While living in
Indiana he married Sarah J. Rinnick, of Orange
county. Their family consists of six sons and
two daughters.

The Republican party has received the con-
stant support of Mr. Brown. In Jasper county.
Mo., he held office as justice of the peace, and
since coming to Los Angeles county he has been
a school director in his district. He is a member
of the Ancient Order of United Workmen in Co-
vina, and in religious views is a Presbyterian,
being connected with the church of that denomi-
nation in Pomona. He is interested in Grand
Army affairs, and holds membership in Vicks-
bur? Post.

EHARLES E. GROESBECK, an enterpris-
ing horticulturist of Pasadena, was born in
Napa county, Cal., September 17, 1873, and
is a son of Dr. James R. and Elizabeth Groesbeck,
natives respectively of New York City and Illi-
nois. His father, who was a man of superior
ability and a talented physician, practiced for a
time in Chicago, 111., and on establishing his
home in California opened an office at St. Helena,
Napa county. Had he been spared to old age he
would nndoubtedlj- have attained more than or-
dinary success, but he died in 1876, while he was
still in the prime of manhood. His widow is now
making her home with her son Charles. They
have two other sons, James R. and D. Sayre.

At five years of age our subject was orphaned
by his father's death. When he was twelve
his mother took the three boys to San Diego,
Cal. , but they remained there only a short time,
coming to Pa.sadenain 1886. He has since made
his home in or near this citj-, and has given his
attention to horticulture. In 1897 he settled on
his orange and lemon ranch at North Pasadena,

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

where he owns twenty acres of land planted to
oranges and ten planted to lemons. He seems
peculiarly fitted by nature for the business in
which he engages, and hence it may safely be
predicted that he will in time become one of the
most successful fruit-growers of this region . He
is giving his time wholly to this work, although
he graduated as a civil engineer at Throop Poly-
technic Institute in Pasadena.

The marriage of Mr. Groesbeck took place Oc-
tober 28, 1898, and united him with Miss Cather-
ine Blocki, daughter of W. F. Blocki, who is a
member of the well-known drug manufacturing
firm of Gale & Blocki, in Chicago, 111.

While thus far in life Mr. Groesbeck has not
identified himself with politics, yet he is thor-
oughly informed concerning the problems our
nation must solve, and, as he favors protection of
our home industries and products, as well as the
expansion of our territorial interests and the re-
tention of a sound money standard, he finds his
political home in the Republican party.

3 AMES LEE BURTON, now ranked among
the leading architects of Los Angeles, is a
self-made man, in the truest sense of the
word. Beginning his career empty-handed, he
persisted in the undertakings he attempted, and
by hard and earnest struggling won a place for
himself in the business world and in the regard
of all who know him.

A native of Sussex county, Del., born May
26, 1844, he was reared upon a farm, and for
years, in the rigorous customs of that commun-
it}', was obliged to rise every morning at three
o'clock, and work until long after dark, every
day. He enlisted in the defense of the Union in
August, 1862, as a member of Company B, First
Delaware Cavalry, and served gallantly until the
close of the war, receiving an honorable dis-
charge June 7, 1865. Though he had partici-
pated in some of the hardest campaigns and
numerous engagements, he was never wounded,
but at one time was confined to the hospital for
about three months.

In 1866 Mr. Burton went to Philadelphia to
make a start toward independence and success.
Finding that he must, indeed, begin at the bot-
tom round of the ladder, and "not despising the

day of small things," he accepted a position as a
laborer with a bridge-building company, and for
two years worked at whatever was assigned him
to do. He was employed at various points in
Virginia and the south, and learned many prac-
tical lessons about the business. Returning to
the Quaker City he commenced serving an ap-
prenticeship to Frank Stewart, a prominent
architect and builder, and after a year's diligent
labor he went to Paterson, N. J., where he found
employment at his trade. He spent a year or
two in that state and in New York state, engaged
in business, after which he went to Galveston,
Tex., and for fifteen and a-half years carried on
a large and remunerative trade.

On the ist of January, 1888, J. L. Burton
came to California, and opened an office in Los
Angeles, where he remained for three arid one-
half years. During that time he erected such
buildings as the Los Angeles Theatre, which to-
day is a land mark in the city. In 1891 he re-
moved to Redlands, where he was engaged in
profitable business. He erected hundreds of the
substantial buildings in that city and vicinity,
where he was regarded as the leading architect.
Since September, 1894, he has been located at
his present place of business in the Stowell
block, on South Spring street, Los Angeles. He
occupies a justly won position among those of his
profession. In order to keep thoroughly in touch
with the latest ideas of his colleagues, he has
long been connected with the architects' as-
sociations of the several localities in which he
has dwelt. Many of the beautiful and expensive
residences and public buildings which have been
erected in this city of late years have been con-
structed according to his designs, and specimens
of his original and practical ideas are to be seen
in different parts of this city and vicinit}'.

For many years Mr. Burton has been a valued
member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and
in Los Angeles held the office of commander of
the John A. Logan Post up to the time of leav-
ing for Redlands. There he helped to organize
Bear Valley Post No. 162, and was its com-
mander for two years. He also served in a like
capacity in Hancock Post, at Galveston, Tex.
For a quarter of a century he has been a leading
Mason, and formerly belonged to Harmony
Lodge No. 6, F. & A. M., of Galveston, and

884

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

at present is identified with Redlands Chapter,
R. A. M., of Redlands, and Los Angeles Com-
mandery No. 9, K. T. Politicallj^ he has been
a stanch Republican during his entire mature
life and cast his first presidential vote for Abra-
ham Lincoln. Religiously he, with his family,
is an Episcopalian, and takes great interest in
the work of the church and various charitable
organizations. He is respected by everyone, and
is entitled to much credit for the noble manner
in which he has met the trials and obstacles in
his pathway.

He was married in Galveston, Tex., to Mrs.
Sarah Gray, a native of New York City, where
she was educated and grew to womanhood. They
have one daughter, Eva Gray Burton.

0R. JACOB L. LANTERMAN was one of
the earliest settlers in La Canada valley,
having come to this locality in 1875 and
settled at "Homewood," the ranch he still owns.
A native of Blairstown, Warren county, N. J.,
born April 8, 1827, he was a son of Peter and
Rachel (Diltz) Lanterman, natives of New Jer-
sey. He descends directly from Jacob Lanter-
man, who was born in Germany and founded the
Lanterman familj- in America, settling near
Blairstown, N. J.

On a farm owned by his father near Blairs-
town, the subject of this article passed the years
of youth. Meantime he attended the common
schools of Blairstown and also the Blairstown
Presbyterian Academy, a well-known educa-
tional institution of that day. On completing
his education he began to teach school, follow-
ing this occupation in the winter, and working
on the home farm during the summer. It was
in this way he secured a start. With the money
he saved he attended for a time the Baltimore
Dental College, where he acquired a thorough
knowledge of dental surgery. He then went to
Michigan and opened an office at Lansing. As
he became known his practice increased, and he
continued in that city for twenty years.

The marriage of Dr. Lanterman, in Romeo,
Mich., united him with Miss Amnioretta J.
Crisman, of that town. They became the par-
ents of four children, all but one of whom are
still living. The only daughter, Stella B., is

the wife of L. M. LeFetra, of Glendora, Cal.
Frank D., a civil engineer, is engaged in his
profession in Los Angeles. Roy Stanley grad-
uated from a medical school in Baltimore and is
now engaged in practicing the medical profes-
sion at La Canada.

In 1875 Dr. Lanterman closed his dental office
in Lansing and moved to California, settling in
this then undeveloped region, which he has seen
grow from a wilderness to aland of beauty. He
has been busily and contentedly carrying forward
the duties of his calling here, and at the same
time has gained and retained the esteem of those
with whom business or social duties have thrown
him in contact. He is an honorable, upright
man, and commands the respect to which his
high qualities entitle him. Dr. Lanterman has
one hundred acres of choice land, of which fiftj'
acres are planted to fruit trees. The homestead
is an ideal California home, embowered with shade
and fruit trees.

0IGMUND BROSSMER, a well-known busi-
?\ ness man of Los Angeles, is a native of
Cyy Germany, and was born at Baden, March
31, 1845. When about twenty-two years of age
he came to America. He was well fitted for the
battle of life, having served an apprenticeship at
a trade in Baden from 1861 until 1867, thus ac-
quiring the knowledge of an occupation so
necessary to success. Though the son of well-to-
do parents, he was not reared in idleness, but
was early taught to be industrious and energetic.
His father, Michael, was a shoe merchant at Et-
tenheim, Germany, but spent his last years in
retirement and died in 1898, when eighty-two
years of age.

Soon after completing his apprenticeship to
the carpenter's trade our subject came to the
United States, landing in New York City in
1867. Soon afterward he went to St. Louis,
where he spent three weeks, and then accom-
panied an expedition to Montana and engaged in
mining near Helena. However, he met with in-
different success in the mines and so began to
work at his trade, remaining in the territory for
a year. Journeying across the plains to Salt
Lake, he proceeded from there to California,
following the .southern route to San Bernardino
and Los Angeles, where he arrived November

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

885

28, 1868. In this citj' he commenced to work
at his trade, taking contracts for the erection of
houses and business blocks. With the excep-
tion of portions of the 5'ears of 1879 and 1880,
which time he spent in Tucson, Ariz., he has
continuously pursued the contracting business
in lyos Angeles, and in this work has met with
a success which he richly merits.

In this city Mr. Brossmer married Miss Caro-
line Biiche, a daughter of Ignace Biiche, and a
native of Baden, Germany. They have a com-
fortable home at No. 129 Wilmington street and
are held in high esteem by their circle of ac-
quaintances. In their family are six children,
Sophie, William F., Caroline A., Theresa E.,
Gustave A. and Adele B. Fraternally Mr.
Brossmer is connected with Pentalpha Lodge
No. 202, F. & A. M., of which he is an active
member.

gHARLES H. RICHARDSON. Amongthe
residents of Southern California Mr. Rich-
ardson is known for his excellent judgment
in all matters pertaining to horticulture. His
opinion is frequently sought by those fruit-
growers whose experience is less than his own
and who appeal to his decision in matters of
doubt. Indeed, it was for this very reason that
he was chosen to fill his present office as in-
spector of horticulture for the Pasadena district.
He owns and occupies a homestead at No. 435
South Moline avenue, in a locality of which he
was an early settler and to the improvement of
which he has been a constant contributor.

Mr. Richardson was born in Cambridgeport,
Mass., September 16, 1842, a son of Josiah and
Elizabeth (Stone) Richardson, natives of Maine.
When about eighteen years of age he went to
Boston, but soon afterward secured employment
at Waltham, Mass. For four years he was in
partnership with his brother, Edward M. Rich-
ardson, under the firm title of Richardson Broth-
ers, and during that time he was engaged in the
hardware business, and the sale of paints and
oils, doors, sash and blinds. At a time when
the business was prospering and he had every
prospect of attaining a fortune, ill health forced
him to retire from the firm. He then came to
California and embarked in the nursery busi-
ness in Los Angeles in the fall of 1875, being a

member of the firm of Fisher, Richardson &
Co. After having carried on a nursery business
in Los Angeles for some years, in 1880 he came
to Pasadena and purchased land on South Moline
avenue. Here he set out different varieties of
fruits and has since carried on a successful fruit
business. For eight years he has been serving
as fruit tree inspector of Los Angeles county.

In 187 1 Mr. Richardson married Miss Mary B.
Hilton, of Norridgewock, Me., a daughter of
James Hilton, who at one time owned the noted
Oxbow farm on the Kennebec river. Mr. and
Mrs. Richardson have three children living,
Walter L., Ethel M. and Charles H., Jr.

In the sense in which the word is commonly
used, Mr. Richardson has never been a politician.
Yet he has kept intelligently posted concerning
the great problems our nation has been called
upon to solve, and his opinions on these subjects
are formed only after careful thought and thor-
ough study of every phase of the problem. He
is a Republican, supporting the party in its views
concerning the tariff, currency and expansion.
While living in Waltham he became a Mason and
has since held his membership in the blue lodge at
that point. At one time he was a director in
the Pasadena National Bank. Besides his home-
stead in Pasadena he also owns the Richardson
building, which is rented for business purposes.

30HN S. WINE, one of the well known early
settlers and successful horticulturists of the
Covina valley, has lived here since 1885,
with the exception of two years spent in Idaho.
Born in the historic Shenandoah valley of Vir-
ginia, August 21, 1853, he was a son of Jacob
and Margaret (Niswander) Wine, natives of
Virginia. The paternal ancestors of the Wine
family were Germans, the great-grandfather of
John S. migrating to America in the early part of
the century.

John S. Wine spent his boyhood days on his
father's farm in his native state, industriously
qualifying himself for every department of farm
work. At the same time he availed himself of
the educational opportunities offered in the pub-
lic schools, and, recognizing their limitations,
directed his best efforts to acquiring additional
knowledge through the medium of books and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

periodicals. He also paid considerable attention
to the study of music in his native state, after-
wards attending the Baxter University of Music
at Friendship, Allegany county, N. Y. With
the idea of bettering his condition and broadening
his opportunities, he went to Greeley, Colo., in
1880, and for about three years engaged in agri-
culture and stock-raising. He was subsequently
employed by the government as an issue clerk on
the San Carlos reservation, Ariz., his duties be-
ing the issuing of rations to the Apache Indians.
In this capacity he worked for something over
one year. Later he spent a short time in Colo-
rado, and, in 1885, took up his permanent resi-
dence in Covina.

Mr. Wine married Hattie Deeter, a native of
Iowa, who for a time lived in Kansas, thence
went to Longmont, Colo., where she was mar-
ried December 24, 1S86. Of this union there is
one son. Homer Wellington, born January 7,
1888.

In political affiliations Mr. Wine is a Democrat,
although he has few aspirations as to political
office. He represents the home element to a
marked degree, particularly noticeable when, as
a lad of tender years, he lost his father, and as-
sumed the care of the farm, providing for his
mother until her death, in 1877.

Mr. Wine has made his influence felt in the
community in which he lives, and he enjoys, to a
marked degree, the good will and confidence of
his friends and associates.

(ILLIAM R. DODSON, the popular pro-
prietor of the El Monte hotel, has been
numbered among the leading citizens of
El Monte for more than a score of years, and has
used his means and influence in innumerable
ways for the advancement of this immediate lo-
cality during his long residence here. He is
looked up to as one of the pioneers of this region
and has borne an active and honorable part in its
upbuilding and phenomenal progress. Rarely
has he been appealed to in vain by anyone desir-
ing to .start a new local industry or laudable enter-
prise, while, upon the other hand, he has himself
originated many plans and organizations whereby
the entire community has been benefited.

In tracing the history of this truly public-

spirited citizen, it is learned that he hails from
the "old south" and that his ancestors were early
settlers of the Old Dominion. ■ His father. Gain-
aim M. Dodson, was a native of Halifa.x count3%
Va., and passed his boyhood and youth there.
In 1833 he removed to Kentucky, where he met
and married Nancy P. Thompson, who had spent
her life in that section of the south. The young
couple soon went to Crawford county. Ark.,
where their son, William R., was born in 1839.

The early years of our subject were passed in
the uneventful routine of farm life, but he learned
lessons of industry and thrift which have been
important factors in his subsequent career. The
clouds of Civil war were gathering and when the
great issue was fairly upon the people of the land
he waited only a short time ere he volunteered
his services to the Confederacy, in whose rights
he firmly believed. Though he entered the
ranks of a regiment of cavalry as a private soldier,
he was promoted for gallantry and courage to the
captaincy of his company and in 1S64 he sus-
tained severe wounds in the left arm at the battle
of Fayetteville, Ark.

At the close of the war Mr. Dodson went to
Nevara count}', Tex., where he embarked in
the business of stock-raising and general farm-
ing and met with the success which he deserved,
for he has always been systematic, persevering
and industrious in all of his business undertak-
ings. Much was being said of the beauties and
possibilities of the Pacific coast at that time, and
at last he decided to try his fortune in the far
west, where so many men were becoming wealthy.
Proceeding toward the setting sun by the tedious
old overland route, he reached Downey, Cal., in
October, 1868, and after prospecting considerably
in the southern part of this state he purchased sev-
enty-three acres of land situated south of thecoun-
ty road, near El Monte, and at once began the task
of improving the same. In addition to this he
built a blacksmith shop and for several years
had all that he could attend to in that line of
work.

In 1878 Mr. Dodson rented the El Monte hotel
and commenced his new enterprise as a hotel-
keeper. Like most of his ventures it was a suc-
cess and at the end of two years he became the
owner of the hotel, which has since been con-
ducted bv him. From time to time he has made

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

substantial improvements upon the house and
grounds and by due attention to the needs and
wishes of the public has made warm friends and
kept a fine class of guests. In 1882 he opened a
livery stable in connection with his hotel, and
from that time until the present has been able to
furnish good accommodations to the public in
this line as well. In 1887 he erected Dodson
hall, and many other enterprises here have re-
ceived his support. He has retained his old-time
interest in agriculture and the raising of fine cat-
tle, and upon his valuable farm there may be
found many excellent specimens of Jersey, Short-
horn and Durham breeds, as well as thorough-
bred horses.

January 2, 1866, Mr. Dodson married Miss
Clairmond Jones, a daughter of William L. and
Malvina F. Jones. The father was a native of
Tennessee; and the mother was from Georgia.
The death of William L. Jones took place in 1874,
and his wife departed this life in November,
1897. To the union of our subject and wife six
children were born, namely: J. W. B., who wed-
ded Nellie Wixon and now makes his home in
San Bernardino county; May, who is the wife of
B. B. Mings, and lives in Texas; Clay borne B.,
Elbert, William L. and Foster A. Dodson. C. B.
Dodson married Ana M. Mayes, and E. J. Dod-
son wedded Addie N. Newman. Both reside in
El Monte.

In his political faith Mr. Dodson is a Democrat
of the old school. Fraternally he is a member of
El Monte Lodge No. 188, A. O. U. W. He
always has had great faith in the future of
Southern California and has seen many of his
sanguine dreams in regard to this section of the
Union realized.

(lOHN H. HOMMELL. There are few of
I the fruit-growers of the Azusa valley whose
(2/ length of residence in this favored spot ex-
ceeds that of Mr. Hommell, the well-known
pioneer. When he came to this locality, in 1874,
it presented a singularly unattractive appearance.
No greater contrast could well be imagined to
its present cultivated and improved appearance,
crowned, as it is, with the green and yellow
of citrus fruitage, interspersed with the vivid
hues of the deciduous harvests. It is diflScult

to believe that when Mr. Hommell came here
he found only a broad tract, barren of all vegeta-
tion save the omnipresent cacti, some of them
low and stunted, and others rearing their slender
trunks aloft to be seen from afar. It was such a
tract as this that he homesteaded in 1874, and
the development from this land of his present
valuable ranch has occupied his attention ever
since. Of the one hundred and forty-two acres
comprising his ranch fift}' acres are in oranges
and the balance of the property is used for alfalfa.
In addition to the management of this property,
he has served as a director of the Covina Irriga-
tion Company and is now similarly connected
with the Contract Water Company.

In Monroe county, Ind., Mr. Hommell was
born April 12, 1842, a son of Henry and Eliza-
beth Hommell, natives respectively of Pennsyl-
vania and Indiana, the former of German descent
and the latter of English extraction. During
the war of 1812 Henry Hommell and two brothers
served in the American army, taking part in the
battle of New Orleans. Later he settled in Mon-
roe county, Ind., where he carried on farming
and also operated a grist mill that was run by
water power. He diedin 1857. When our sub-
ject was about eight years of age he accompanied
his parents to Jasper county. Mo., and there he
grew to manhood on a farm. He also resided in
Henry and Cooper counties, the same state, for a
short time. His education was received in the
pioneer subscription schools of Missouri. During
the Civil war he served in the Forty-fourth
Regiment of Missouri Home Guard, his duty
consisting principally in hunting bushwhackers
and acting as guard, and after a service of six
months he was honorably discharged and re-
turned to Jasper county.

Coming to California in 1874, Mr. Hommell,
after a short sojourn in Stockton, proceeded to
the Azusa valley and settled on the land he still
owns, the same being now one of the best fruit
farms in the neighborhood. Its high grade of
improvements are due to his tireless energy and
persistence, and he deserves great credit for
bringing the land to such a state of cultivation.
At the same time he has aided in local enter-
prises and has proved himself to be a public-
spirited citizen, interested in the welfare of his
community.

888

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

^OHN R. MOLES. Through his identifica-
I tion with various important interests Mr.
Q) Moles wields a large influence in his locality.
He is well known both in the southeastern part
of Los Angeles county and the southwestern part
of San Bernardino county, with whose horticul-
tural and business interests he is closely identi-
fied. Since he came to California in 1887 his
residence has been in the vicinity of his present
.home, and he has been associated with a number
of enterprises for the development of the horti-
cultural resources of his neighborhood. For a
number of years he resided in Pomona, where he
was a member of the firm of Sanders & Moles,
civil engineers and surveyors. After a period of
about two years he became interested in horti-
cultural pursuits in San Bernardino county, lo-
cating, in 189 1, on a ranch one and three-quar-
ter miles southeast of Claremont, where he still
makes his home and where he has an orchard of
ten acres under citrus and deciduous fruits. He
is also interested in another ten-acre orchard in
the same neighborhood. From 1896 to 1898 he
was manager of the Pomona Fruit Exchange,
and under his supervision the packing house at
Pomona was erected. Under his direct control,
in 1898 the Claremont Citrus Union was organ-
ized, and of this he has since acted as president
and manager. This organization has a large
packing house at Claremont, and in 1900 did a
business of $175,000; in 1901 its business will be
increased to $225,000. Besides his other inter-
ests he is a member of the mercantile firm of
Poston, Moles & Co., which own and conduct
stores at Pomona, Claremont and San Dimas.

In Marshall county, 111., Mr. Moles was born
April 12, 1859, a sonof William S. and Margaret
(Runnells) Moles, natives respectively of Eng-
land and Indiana. The first fifteen years of his
life were passed in Henry, 111., and during that
time his mother died. He then, with his father
and the other children, moved to Alexandria,
Minn., where he completed his education in the
high school. Afterward he turned his attention
to the study of civil engineering and surveying, in
the practice of which he spent almost ten years.
Four years he held a position as assistant post-
master at Alexandria under the Republican ad-
ministration, he being a stanch Republican in
political views. At the same time he was also

actively connected with the Knights of Honor in
his home town. While living in Minnesota he
was united in marriage with Miss Stella Stone-
man, who for some years was a teacher in the
Minneapolis schools and whose education and
culture have been recognized in every circle of
society.

QyRON LISK. Since the year 1888 Mr.
jC\ Lisk has made his home in Pasadena, where
L/ he is well known as a member of the Pasa-
dena Milling Company and vice-president of the
North Pasadena Land and Water Company. He
was born in Cass county, Mich., February 25,
1850, and is a son of Anson Lisk, a native of
New York state. When he was nine years of
age the family removed from Michigan to Illinois
and settled in Iroquois county, where he grew to
manhood, meantime attending the common
schools of that county. He was also privileged
to attend, for two years, the Illinois State Uni-
versity at Champaign. On finishing his educa-
tion he began to teach school, which work he
continued for five successive winters in Iroquois
county. From there he moved to Roberts, Ford
county, the same state, where he opened and car-
ried on a general mercantile store. He also
served as supervisor of Lyman township for two
terms. Although he had ceased to make his
home in Iroquois county, he still owned land and
carried on a farm there.

After he had established his home in Pasadena,
Mr. Lisk became interested in the dairy busi-
ness. He also set out fruit trees, of citrus and
deciduous varieties, and carried on a fruit-grow-
ing business. In July, 1889, he became inter-
ested in the milling business, which he conducted
for one year. Since 1S96 he has been in part-
nership with Allen G. Lisk, under the name
of the Pasadena Milling Company. Besides his
other enterprises he is a director in the Pasadena
Orange Growers' Association and in the Pasa-
dena Deciduous Fruit Growers' Association. For
several years he has been a director and oSicer of
the North Pasadena Laud and Water Company.
He is now president of the North Pasadena sani-
tary board.

The various enterprises with which Mr. Li.sk
i.s identified bespeak his activity as a business
man, as well as his keen insight in matters of

FRANK M CHAPMAN

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

891

commerce and his broad intelligence. His life
has been given to business pursuits, aside from
his early work as an educator. Having neither
the time nor the inclination for politics he
has never been active in such matters, although
he is well posted concerning the issues of
the age, and is a stanch Republican. He
married Miss Alice Henderson, of Iroquois
county. 111., and they are the parents of eight
children.

["RANK M. CHAPMAN, of Covina, is a na-
1^ tive of Illinois, having been born in Macomb,
I ^ McDonough county, of that state, on the
first day of the year 1 849. He is the eldest of a
large family of children born to Sidney S. and
Rebecca Jane Chapman. His father was born
in Ashtabula county, Ohio, in 1826, and was a
descendant of one of three brothers who came
from England to Massachusetts about 1650. He
came to Macomb when a young man and in 1846
was united in marriage with Rebecca Jane
Clarke, the eldest daughter of David and Eliza
(Russell) Clarke, natives of Kentucky and early
pioneers of central Illinois.

Mr. Chapman's boyhood was passed at Ma-
comb. Here he attended the common schools and
engaged in various occupations until he answered
the last call made by President Lincoln for sol-
diers. He enlisted in Company C, One Hundred
and Thirty-seventh Illinois Infantry. Though a
mere boy in years he was accepted, and with his
regiment went south, where he remained until
after the close of the war, when he was honor-
ably discharged.

Upon his return home our subject engaged at
clerking in a store until 1868, when he went to
the neighboring town of Vermont and engaged
in business for himself After the great fire at
Chicago in 1871, there being a great demand for
bricklayers in that city, and having learned that
trade with his father, who was a builder, he went
there, and for a while was foreman for a large
building firm. Then for a time he engaged in
building and contracting in that city, when he
again drifted into mercantile life. This he fol-
lowed with varying success until he began the
study of medicine. Entering the Bennett Medi-
cal College in Chicago, he was graduated with the
43

class of 1877, and immediately opening an ofiice
in that city he began the practice of the profes-
sion he expected to make his life work, but was
not destined to continue long in active practice
and to wear the cognomen conferred by his di-
ploma.

Though by nature well adapted for the medical
profession, yet a business life seemed more at-
tractive to Mr. Chapman; at least it offered a
better outlook for getting on in the world. We
therefore soon find him closing his Chicago office
and joining his brother Charles at Galesburg,
111., and engaging in the publishing business.
This enterprise proved successful, and with his
brother he was soon able to return to Chicago
and start a publishing house. Prosperity at-
tended this enterprise and the business grew
until Chapman Brothers (as the firm was known)
erected their own building and owned a large
printing plant. For a dozen years the firm of
Chapman Brothers did an extensive and prosper-
ous printing and publishing business, at the same
time erecting several large buildings in Chicago.
The firm invested heavily in hotel enterprises
during the World's Fair held in that city, and,
as is well known, the financial panic of 1893
crippled the great Fair and likewise every enter-
prise in any way dependent upon it.

On the 2d of December, 1894, Mr. Chapman
landed with his family in California, taking up
his residence in Los Angeles. Here he lived for
a year, when he came to the Palmetto ranch at
Covina. Since taking up his residence here he
has been identified with almost every local enter-
prise inaugurated by its people, and is regarded
as one of the substantial and highly respected
citizens of the community.

Mr. Chapman was united in marriage with
Miss Wilhelmina Zillen in 1886. To them have
been born four children: Frank M., Jr., born
July 17, 1888; Grant, June 11, 1891; Grace, Oc-
tober 18, 1895; and Clarke, February 21, 1898.
Mrs. Chapman was born in Friedrichstadt, Schles-
wig-Holstein, Germany, July 2, 1861. She is
the daughter of Wilhelm Ferdinand and Louise
(Fencke) Zillen, and came with her father to the
United States in 1866.

Politically Mr. Chapman has been a life-long
Republican, and has taken more or less active
part in politics. He has been sent as a delegate

892

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to various county and state conventions, and was
elected to represent the twenty-fifth ward in the
Chicago city council. Both Mr. and Mrs. Chap-
man are members of the Christian Church, and
not only take an active part in church work, but
are identified with every movement for the moral
and social advancement of the community.

(TABEZ BANBURY, whose name is insepara-
I bly associated with the pioneer days of Pasa-
Q) dena, is a member of an old English family,
concerning whom tradition says that it is de-
scended from General Banbury, who accompanied
Julius CcKsar, as an officer, during the celebrated
invasion of Briton. For generations people of
the name lived and died in England, and it was
not until comparatively recent times that the
family was established in America. The reason
of the emigration was the act of our subject's
grandfather, who owned a large landed estate
that was not entailed. This he willed to the
youngest of the three sons, thereby giving um-
brage to the other two, who, deeming their treat-
ment unjust, resolved to seek a home in the
United States. The elder brother carried out his
resolution at once and settled in Knox county,
Ohio, where a large number of his descendants
reside. The younger brother, Thomas, on ac-
count of the illness and death of his wife, did not
leave England until 1841. He was born in Corn-
wall and died in Iowa City, Iowa, when about
eighty-five years of age. His wife, who bore the
maiden name of Mary Lysle, died at Buttsbeer,
England, at the age of about fifty years.

The first eight years of our subject's life were
spent on a farm in Cornwall, England, where he
was born March 4, 1830. He attended school in
Launceston. When he was eleven years of age
he accompanied his father to the United States
and settled at Gambier, Ohio, where he attended
public schools during the winter months. At the
age of sixteen he began an apprenticeship to the
cabinetmaker's trade, in Mount Vernon, Ohio,
where he remained for four years. In the fall of
1 85 1 he came as far we.st as Iowa, where he
worked at carpentering in Iowa City. Three
years later he settled in Marshalltown, Iowa, and
for three years engaged in erecting buildings, af-

ter which he followed mercantile pursuits until
the outbreak of the rebellion. From the first he
was an enthusiastic supporter of the Union. He
assisted in raising a company of volunteers and
was mustered into the United States service
July 15, 1861, as first lieutenant of Company D,
Fifth Iowa Infantry. His company was assigned
to active service under Gen. John Pope, whose
operations consisted more in marching than in
fighting and extended over a large part of Mis-
souri. As a result of their movements, the Con-
federate commanders were driven out of the state
with their troops and New Madrid and Island
No. 10 were captured, together with five thou-
sand soldiers. December 26, 1861, he was pro-
moted from lieutenant to captain of his company,
after which his line of operations extended down
the Mississippi to Fort Randolph, thence to Cairo
and up the Ohio and Tennessee rivers to Pitts-
burg Landing, from there to Corinth, Miss., in
the siege of which he bore a part, as well as in
the battle of Farmington. Afterwards he was
commissioned major of the Fifth Iowa Infantry.
In the battle of luka, Miss., July 19, 1862, one-
half of his men were killed or wounded. On the
3d of October he was ordered to take command
of the Seventeenth Iowa Infantry, then in line of
battle for the engagement at Corinth, which lasted
two days. In this engagement the regiment
captured about fifty prisoners and the flags of an
Alabama regiment. He continued to command
the regiment until thereturn of Lieutenant-Colonel
Weaver, who had been absent in recruiting ser-
vice in Iowa. Later he was connected with the
Grant campaign down the Mississippi up to and
including the siege and capture of Vicksburg, and
his regiment was among the first to enter Vicks-
burg after the capitulation. He was given the
command of the post guard, which he held until
his regiment was sent to Helena, Ark. Meantime
he had been commissioned colonel of the Fifth
Iowa Infantry, April 23, 1863. From Helena he
and his men were transferred to Memphis, thence
to Chattanooga, where he took part in the battles
of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, No-
vember 24 and 25. At this battle the brigade
commander was severely wounded and Colonel
Banbury had charge of the brigade until his reg-
iment was mustered out at the expiration of their
service. Later, under General Thomas, he was

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

893

for two months inspector of dismounted cavalry in
the army of the Cumberland. September 28,
1864, he was honorably discharged at Camp
Crucks, Ga., near Atlanta.

Returning to Marshalltown, Iowa, Colonel
Banbury engaged in the mercantile business for
four years. He was also United States revenue
collector for that district during the same time
and treasurer of the Marshalltown schools.
However, his health was constantly failing, and
its precarious condition rendered it advisable for
him to seek a different climate. He sold out his
business with a view to coming to Southern Cali-
fornia, but was induced to change his plans. He
was elected auditor of Marshall County, in which
office he continued for three and one-half years.
On resigning the position he carried out his long-
cherished plan of settling in the west. October
13, 1873, he and his wife started for Los Angeles,
where they arrived December 20 of that year.
After having made a thorough examination of the
then noteworthy parts of Southern California, he
decided to locate where the beautiful city of Pas-
adena now stands. Accordingly he purchased an
interest in the San Gabriel Orange Grove Asso-
ciation, of which he was a director for eight
years. After a survey and division of the prop-
erty had been made, he built the first residence
on the colony grounds. Into this home he moved
his family March 10, 1874. For twelve years he
engaged in fruit ranching, in which he was deep-
ly interested. About 1883 he embarked in the
lumber business, but after four years sold out and
turned his attention to the buying and selling of
real estate and the transfer of property, in which
he continued for four years.

Since coming to California Colonel Banbury has
been interested in politics and, as in Iowa, an ac-
tive worker in the Republican party. For four
years he was city treasurer of Marshalltown and
for a similar period city treasurer of Pasadena,
also county treasurer of Los Angeles count3^
For two years he was a member of the legislature
of California, where he took a warm interest in
movements looking toward the public good. Fra-
ternally he is connected with the Masons and the
John F. Godfrey Post, G. A. R., of Pasadena.
In an active career extending over so wide a field
of public trust he has won many friends, and by
his integrity and sterling business qualities has

gained a high place in the citizenship of Pasa-
dena.

In November, 1854, Colonel Banbury married
Sarah Elmira Dunton, who was born in Worth-
ington, Ohio, in 1834, and was the eldest daugh-
ter of Rev. Solomon and Lucretia Smith (Janes)
Dunton. Her father, a native of Vermont, born
January 15, 1807, became a minister of the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church, and died at Pasadena,
Cal., February 19, 1891, at the age of eighty -four
years. He was a son of William Dunton, who
was born, of Scotch ancestry, in Vermont, July 6,
1776, and who was living at St. Albans at the
time of the battle on Lake Champlain, in which
he took part. His life occupation was that of
farming. In religion he was a Methodist. He
died in Williamsville, Ohio, August 27, 1848.
His wife, whose maiden name was Zerviah Mc-
Worthy, and who was of Scotch-Irish descent,
was born in Vermont, November 10, 1778, and
died October 31, 1859, at Worthington, Ohio.

The mother of Mrs. Banbury died in Marshall-
town, Iowa, September 5, i860, at the age ot
fifty-one. She was a daughter of Obadiah Janes
(this name having originally been Dijon) , who
was of French lineage, and was a man of great
physical strength, hopeful, genial, brave and gen-
erous to a fault. During the war of the Revolu-
tion he was one of the Green Mountain boys who
rendered such brave service in behalf of the
struggling colonies. He married Harmony
Bingham, who was of English descent.

Colonel and Mrs. Banbury had three children,
of whom two (twins) are living, namely: Mrs.
Jesse B. Crank, of Pomona, and Mrs. Jennie B.
Ford, of Pasadena.

QERRY M. green. Perhaps among the
l/^ citizens of Pasadena no one wields a wider
[S influence in financial circles than does Mr.
Green, who, in the capacity of president of the
First National Bank, stands at the head of the
banking interests of the city. Mr. Green was
born in Rush county, Ind., May 7, 1838, and
is a descendant of Revolutionary ancestry. His
father. Lot Green, was a native of Kentucky, a
state that has produced many men of distin-
guished character and progressive spirit. Born
in 1800, he grew to manhood in Kentucky and

894

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

became a leader iu the rural communitj' in which
he lived, a man of sterling character and enter-
prising disposition. During middle life he moved
to Rush county, Ind., where he soon attained
local prominence. His abilitj- was recognized bj^
his neighbors, whom he served as justice of the
peace, conveyancer and general counselor. He
died in Rush county July 12, 1845, while still in
the prime of life. His wife, who bore the maiden
name of Anna Cooper, was born in 1804 and died
October 3, 1S41. They lived useful lives and
died regretted by all who knew them. Their
son, Perry, was very young at the time of their
death. He was reared on the home farm, on
which he worked during the summer months, and
during the winter he attended the country
schools for three months. Having a leaning
toward mercantile pursuits, at the age of four-
teen he secured a position as clerk in a village
store, but the confinement was not congenial to
him, and he turned again to farming, this time
as a hired hand, for which he was paid $7 per
month. This was his first salaried position, and
the money thus earned formed the nucleus of his
present large holdings. ■ After a time he resumed
clerking, continuing in this line of occupation
until he was eighteen. He then took a two years'
course iu Richland Academy, in Rush county.
Afterward he studied law in Shelbyville, and at
the age of twenty-one was admitted to the bar. He
participated in the organization of the city of Shel-
by ville and was elected the first clerk of the board
of trustees. After serving two terms in that
office he was elected city attorney and public
prosecutor of pleas, which office he filled as long
as he remained iu the town.

October 30, i860, Mr. Green married Miss
Henrietta, daughter of John S. Campbell, the
postmaster of Shelbyville. Mr. Campbell was a
native of Delaware, but grew to manhood in
Philadelphia, Pa., and early in the history of
Shelbyville became identified with its interests,
holding numerous offices of trust, including re-
corder of deeds, mayor and postmaster, this last
being by appointment from President Lincoln.
Mr. and Mrs. Green are the parents of one child,
a daughter. Miss Mary Green.

In 1866 Mr. Green removed from Shelbyville
to Indianapolis, Ind., where he invested his cap-
ital in a wholesale and retail drug business.

Seven years of diligent application of correct
business principles brought to him satisfactorj'
accumulations of wealth. On account of the fail-
ing health of his wife he deemed a change of
climate advisable, and in 1873 disposed of his
business and came to Southern California. Being
a keen observer of conditions and possibilities of
climate, soil, etc., he at once saw the wonderful
opportunities offered by this region. With others
he laid hold of the region where now sits the
Crown of the Valley and transformed the desert
into a spot whose magnificent grandeur thrills
every appreciative soul. He became a charter
member of the San Gabriel Orange Grove Asso-
ciation (the Indiana colony as it was then called).
In 1874 he settled at the place where he now re-
sides. His dwelling is in the midst of a beautiful
orange grove which he planted and cultivated,
and which furnishes another evidence of the
hearty response of Southern California soil to the
invitation of diligence.

Before he had long lived in Pasadena Mr.
Green became identified with public affairs. In
1879 he was elected a member of the lower house
of the California legislature. He served through
the long term of 1880, the first session after the
adoption of the present constitution, which in-
volved a vast amount of labor in the adaptation
of the laws to the constitution. At this session
he introduced a bill to establish a state normal
school at Los Angeles. The bill failed to pa.ss at
the time, but became a law during the next ses-
sion. In politics he is a Republican, and has
voted for everj* Republican candidate for presi-
dent since casting his first ballot for Abraham
Lincoln in i860.

In 1885 Mr. Green organized the Pasadena
Bank, which was the first bank here to be incor-
porated under the laws of the state. From the
first the institution met with success, receiving a
large share of the accounts of the Pasadena citi-
zens. In 1886 it was merged into the national
system and became the First National Bank of
Pasadena, of which he was the first and is the
only president. The credit of the bank has, un-
der his able management, continued unimpaired
through all the depressions of business the coun-
trj' has known, and the institution now has a
standing among the most substantial in the state.

About the time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs.

(^ . ^7 ^/i<:3i^'i-'e-<-^:'iS«c-<-«-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

897

Green identified themselves with the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and in 1875 they transferred
their membership to the church of that denomi-
nation in Pasadena, of which Mr. Green has since
been a trustee.

There are indeed few organizations of a public
character that have been, or are now, in exist-
ence in Pasadena with which Mr. Green has not
been in some way connected. He was an earn-
est and active promoter of the great task of con-
verting the lower end of San Gabriel Valley from
a barren waste into a beautiful crown at the foot
of the Sierra Madre Mountains. How true that
in this wondrous development (whose marvelous
results awaken admiration from those who have
visited earth's most favored and beautiful spots)
Mr. Green has "all of this seen and part of it
been." In transforming the desert into a veri-
table paradise he has borne a part that entitles
him to the gratitude of all who love this spot;
and, indeed, not only has he seen all of this re-
markable development, but, like all agents who
bring harmony out of chaos and values out of
latency, he has been the thing itself. Justly,
therefore, his name occupies an honored position
in the record of Pasadena pioneers.

EHARLES C. CHAPMAN, of Los Angeles,
was born in Macomb, McDonough county,
111. , July 2, 1853. His father, Sidney Smith
Chapman, was a native of Ohio, having been
born in Ashtabula county in 1826. He was a
descendaut of one of three brothers who came
from England to Massachusetts about 1650.

Sidney S. Chapman went to Macomb when
about eighteen, and two years later was united in
marriage with Rebecca Jane Clarke, eldest
daughter of David and Eliza (Russell) Clarke,
both natives of Kentucky, where the daughter
was also born. To Mr. and Mrs. S. S. Chap-
man were born ten children, seven of whom grew
to maturity and six of whom are still living, as
follows: Frank M., of Covina; Charles C. ;
Christopher C; DoUa, wife of W. C. Harris,
of Los Angeles; Samuel James; and Luella, wife
of Charles J. Thamer, of Chicago. EmmaE.,
who became the wife of L. W. B. Johnson, died
in 1888, leaving two children. The mother of

Charles C. passed away at the family residence.
No. 263 Walnut street, Chicago, January 2,1874.
The father died in October, 1893. Hehadled^n
active business life and was highly esteemed
wherever known. Both were members of the
Christian Church and charter members of the
West Side Church of Chicago.

Charles C. Chapman received his education in
the common schools of his native town and early
began to make his way in the world. He
was messenger boy in 1865, and remembers well
carrying the message announcing the death of
President Lincoln. For a time he was employed
as clerk in a store. In 1868 the family moved to
the village of Vermont, 111., where Charles went
early the following year. Under the instruction
of his father, who was engaged in the building
business, he learned the bricklayers' trade. De-
cember 19, 1871, he went to Chicago, where for
a time he followed his trade. In that city, when
only twenty, he superintended the construction
of several buildings. In connection with his
father and brother, Frank M. , he followed mer-
cantile life for a time, and subsequently alone for
a year.

During the years 1876-77 Mr. Chapman en-
gaged in canvassing in the interest of a local his-
torical work in his native county, and in 1878
inaugurated this business for himself at Gales-
burg, 111. He was soon joined by his brother,
Frank M. , but for a few years the firm name re-
mained C. C. Chapman, when it was changed to
Chapman Brothers. They engaged extensively
in publishing local historical and biographical
works. The company was subsequently merged
into the Chapman Publishing Company.

In i88o Chapman Brothers moved their oflSce
to Chicago, where for a dozen years the firm en-
joyed prosperity, enlarging its business until it
had an extensive printing and publishing plant.
Several large buildings were also erected during
this period . Among them were those at Nos. 87-
93 South Jefferson street, 71-73 West Monroe
street, and 75-77 of the same street; the Kenmore
apartment building at Loomis and Plum streets;
and the Vendome hotel building at Oglesby ave-
nue and Sixty-second street, all in Chicago. Be-
sides, there were over twenty dwellings. During
the World's Fair, in 1893, Chapman Brothers en-
gaged quite extensively in the hotel business.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Owing, however, to the financial panic which
swept the country, crippling the attendance at the
great Fair, these enterprises caused heavy losses
to the firm.

Early in January, 1894, Mr. Chapman went to
Texas in order that his wife, who was suffering
from pulmonary trouble, might have the benefit
of the climate. In June of the same year he
landed in California, taking up his residence in
Los Angeles. Here, on the morning of Septem-
ber 19, 1894, while residing at the corner of
Figueroa and Adams streets, Mrs. Chapman
passed away. Her remains were laid at rest in
Rosedale cemetery. Mrs. Chapman, formerly
Miss Lizzie Pearson, daughter of Dr. C. S. and
Nancy (Wallace) Pearson, was born near Gales-
burg, 111., September 13, 1861. They were mar-
ried at Austin, Tex., October 23, 1884. To them
were born two children, Ethel Marguerite, born
June 10, 1886, and Charles Stanley, January 7,
1889. Mrs. Chapman was a member of the
Christian Church.

September 3, 1898, Mr. Chapman was united
in marriage with Miss Clara Irvin, daughter of
S. M. and Lucy A. Irvin, and a native of Iowa.
She is a member of the Christian Church.

Mr. Chapman has been a member of the Chris-
tian Church since he was seventeenth. He has
served as superintendent of the Sunday-school,
deacon and elder for many years. For years he
was a member of the Cook County Sunday-school
Board, a member of the general board of the Young
Men's Christian Association of Chicago, and the
board of managers of the West Side department.
He was one of the organizers of the board of city
missions of the Christian Churches of Chicago.
At present he "talks" to the church at Anaheim,
which has no regular pastor.

Mr. Chapman is glad to be identified with
many of the local movements in the interest of
the community, materially and morally. He is
president of the Anaheim Union Water Company.
Upon coming to California he engaged in the
fruit business, growing and shipping oranges and
walnuts. He has made of the Santa Isabel
rancho, in Orange county, one of the finest
orange properties in California, and the brand
under which the fruit is packed — the "Old Mis-
sion Brand" — has a reputation second to none in
the state. For four consecutive years a car of

this fruit has brought the highest price of any
car of oranges shipped from California.

HENRY DWIGHT BARROWS was born in
Mansfield, Conn., February 23, 1825, a son
of Joshua Palmer and Polly (Bingham)
Barrows. His paternal grandparents, Joshua
and Anna (Turner) Barrows, were, like his par-
ents, natives of Mansfield. The Barrows family
came to America from England and settled at
Plymouth, Mass. Thence, in the latter part of
the seventeenth century, two brothers moved to
Mansfield, Conn., where eventually their name
became more numerous than any other family
name in town. In 1845 the subject of this sketch
counted more than thirty families of the name in
that place.

The maternal grandfather of our subject, Oli-
ver Bingham, was known and venerated as
"Uncle Oliver Bingham, the miller of Mansfield
Hollow. ' ' He is remembered by his grandson as
a large, well-proportioned man, resembling in
appearance the pictures of George Washington.
He had a brother, a miller on the Willimantic
river, known widely as "Uncle Roger Bingham,
of the old town of Windham." Both died more
than sixty years ago, and their numerous de-
scendants, to the third, fourth and fifth gener-
ations, are now scattered through many states of
the Union.

Joshua Palmer Barrows was born in 1794 and
died in Mansfield in 1887; his wife was born in
1790 and died in 1864. They had three children,
viz.: Mrs. Franklin S. Hovey, who died at Bev-
erly, N. J., in 1890; Henry D. and James A.,
who for many years have been residents of Los
Angeles. The latter was a volunteer in one of
the Connecticut regiments during the Civil war.
He came to California with his family in 1868
and has since made Los Angeles his home.

The early years of the subject of this sketch
were spent on a farm. He received his educa-
tion, first, in the public school, and later in the
high school at South Coventry, Conn., where the
late Edward McLean, of Pasadena, was the as-
sistant principal and where Martin Kellogg, since
president of the University of California, wasone
of his classmates. Afterward he spent several

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

terms iu the academy at Ellington, Conn. Com-
mencing when he was seventeen, he taught
school for four winters. During this period he
devoted considerable time to music, joining the
local band, of which he became the leader, and
taking lessons on the organ under a skillful Eng-
lish teacher in Hartford. With his band teacher
he plaj'ed on the cornet with the Norwich band
that went on an excursion to Bo.ston, attending
the great railroad celebration of June 17, 1843,
where, in the navy yard, he heard the great ora-
tor, Edward Everett, who spoke before an im-
mense concourse of people.

In the village where Mr. Barrows was reared
(South Mansfield, or Mansfield Centre as it was
known) books were scarce, but he read all he
could get. "Dick's Christian Philosopher" de-
lighted him, and he still regards it as one of the
best works extant to widen one's ideas of the
world around him.

His first business experience was clerking in
New York in 1849. The next year he went to
Boston, where, as entry clerk and then as book-
keeper, he worked in the large dry-goods jobbing
house of J. W. Blodgett & Co. for over two years,
acquiring a business experience that was very
valuable to him in after years. He greatly en-
joyed the superior advantages in the way of
books, lectures, music, etc., which a great city
affords over a country town . He also heard with
delight the early operas of Verdi, as well as
those of Donizetti, Bellini, etc., as presented by
Benedetti, TrifB, and other artists of that period,
under the leadership of Max Maretzic. Among
the notable preachers whom he heard were Dr.
Bushnell, of Hartford; Mr. Beecher, of New
York; and Theodore Parker and Thomas Starr
King, of Boston.

April 26, 1852, Mr. Barrows sailed from New
York on the steamer Illinois for California. The
transition from a northern, blustering April to
the genial warmth of the Caribbean sea afforded
a most agreeable change. The passage of the
isthmus at that time was full of hardships, al-
though later, on the completion of the railroad,
it became a pleasure trip, especially if taken in
the night, as he had occasion to know a few years
afterward. The connecting steamer on this side
was the Golden Gate. Among the passengers
were the family of Hiland Hall, one of the Cali-

fornia land commissioners, including Trenor
W. Park, his son-in-law, Sam Brannan, Thomas
O. Larkin, etc.

Soon after arrival in San Francisco, and after re-
covering from a mild attack of the Panama fever,
in June Mr. Barrows went to the northern mines,
going as far as Shasta; but, as the dry season
had set in, he returned down the valley, working
at haying at $100 a month on Thomes' creek,
near Tehama. He reached San Francisco July
31 full of chills and fever, which the cold, harsh
summer climate of that city, in contrast with the
extreme heat of the Sacramento valley, only ag-
gravated. He then went to San Jos6, where he
found two Mansfield men, a Mr. Dunham and
Capt. Julian Hanks. The latter had come out to
California many years before and had married at
San Jose, Lower California, and later had settled
in San Jos(5, Alta Cahfornia, where he became a
prominent citizen and where he was elected one
of the delegates to the first constitutional con-
vention, etc. In 1852 Captain Hanks was living
in town. He owned a bearing vineyard and a
flour mill on Guadalupe creek, and a grain ranch
about four miles from San Jose. Mr. Barrows
went to this ranch and raised a crop of wheat and
barley. At that time (1852-53) flour was very
high, retailing at twenty-five cents a pound.
James Lick was then building a fine flour mill on
Alviso creek below San ]os6.

In the fall of 1853 Mr. Barrows went to the
southern mines, working at placer gold mining
near Jamestown. Later he obtained an engage-
ment as teacher of music in the Collegiate Insti-
tute in Benicia, remaining there until October,
1854, when the late William Wolfskill, the pio-
neer, engaged him to teach a private school in
his family at Los Angeles. He taught in this
school from December, 1854, until the latter part
of 1858. Among his pupils, besides the sons and
daughters of Mr. Wolfskill, were John and Joseph
C. Wolfskill, sons of his brother Mathew; Will-
iam R. and Robert Rowland; the children of
Lemuel Carpenter, J. E. Pleasants, etc. In
1859-60 he cultivated a vineyard on the east side
of the river. He was appointed United States
marshal for the southern district of California by
President Lincoln in 1861, holding the ofiBce four
years. In 1864 he engaged in the mercantile busi-
ness, in which he continued about fifteen years.

900

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Mr. Barrows was married November 14, i860,
to Juanita Wolfskill, who was born NQvember
14, 1841, and died January 31, 1863, leaving a
daughter, Alice Wolfskill Barrows, who was born
Jul}' 16, 1862, and who became the wife of Henry
Guenther Weyse October 2, 1888. Mrs. Juanita
Barrows was a daughter of William and Magda-
lena (Lugo) Wolfskill. Mr. Wolfskill was born
in Kentucky in 1798, of German and Irish par-
entage, and was one of the very earliest Ameri-
can pioneers of Los Angeles, having arrived
here in February, 1831. He died in this city
October 3, 1866. His wife was born in Santa
Barbara, Cal., the daughter of Jos6 Ygnacio
Lugo, and Dona Rafaela Romero de Lugo, Don
Jos6 Ygnacio Lugo being a brother of Antonio
Maria Lugo and of Dona Maria Antonia Lugo
de Vallejo, who was the wife of Sergeant Vallejo
and the mother of Gen. M. G. Vallejo. Mr. and
Mrs. Wolfskill were married at Santa Barbara in
January, 1841; she died July 6, 1862. There
were born to them six children, viz.: Juanita;
Francisca, who was born in 1843 and became the
wife of Charles J. Shepherd; Joseph W., who
was born in 1844 and married Elena Pedrorena;
Magdalena, who was born in 1846 and married
Frank Sabichi; Lewis, born in 1848, and who
married Louisa Dalton, daughter of Henry Dal-
ton, the pioneer; and Rafaelita, who died in
childhood.

August 14, 1864, Mr. Barrows married Mary
Alice Workman, daughter of John D. Wood-
worth, and the widow of Thomas H. Workman,
who was killed by the explosion of the steamer
Ada Hancock in the bay of San Pedro April 23,
1863. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and
died in Los Angeles March 9, 1868, leaving two
daughters: Ada Frances, who was born May 21,
1865, and was married October 25, 1890, to Ru-
dolph G. Weyse (by whom she has three chil-
dren); and Mary Washington, who was born
February 22, 1868, and died in infancy. The
present wife of Mr. Barrows was Bessie A.
Greene, a native of Utica, N. Y. They were
married November 28, 1868, and have one son,
Harry Prosper Barrows; the latter was born
December 14, 1869, and was married August 19,
1893, to Bessie D. Bell, a native of Michigan.
They have three children.

Until the formation of the Republican party Mr.

Barrows was a Whig. He voted for Fremont in
1856, and has voted for every Republican candi-
date for president since till 1900, when he voted
for William J. Bryan. He believes that that
great party, in its earlier years, made a glorious
record as a champion of the rights of man and of
constitutional liberty. But he has found occa-
sion, in common, as he believes, with many
other original and sincere Republicans, to lament
the departure of the party from its earlier sim-
plicity and singleness of purpose in behalf of
universal freedom, being dedicated wholly, as it
was, "to the happiness of free and equal men."
For many years prior to the '80s he took an ac-
tive part in public education. For much of the
time during fifteen years he served as a member
of the school board of this city. In 1867 he was
elected city superintendent, and in i868ascounty
superintendent. He has written much on many
subjects for the local press, and especially on
financial questions, including resumption of
specie payment, bimetallism, etc. He contrib-
uted one of the thirty-nine essays to the com-
petitive contest invited in 1889 by M. Henri Cer-
nuschi on International Bimetallism. From 1856,
for nearly ten years he was the regular paid Los
Angeles correspondent of the San Francisco Bul-
letin, then one of the most influential newspapers
of the Pacific coast.

Mr. Barrows has administered a number of
large estates, including those of William Wolfs-
kill, Capt. Alexander Bell, Thomas C. Rhodes,
and others. He was appointed by the United
States district court one of the commissioners to
run the boundary line between the Providencia
Rancho and that of the ex-Mission of San Fer-
nando. Also, by appointment of the superior
court, he was one of the commissioners who par-
titioned the San Pedro Rancho, which contained
about twenty-five thousand acres. In 1868 he
was president of the Historical Society of South-
ern California, of which he was one of the found-
ers, and to the records of which he has contributed
many valuable papers of reminiscences. He is
also one of the charter members or founders of
the Society of Los Angeles Pioneers. He wrote
about one hundred sketches of early pioneers of
Los Angeles, most of whom he knew personally,
for the Illustrated History of Los Angeles Coun-
ty, issued in 1889 by the Lewis Publishing Co.,

CHRISTOPHER C. CHAPMAN

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

903

of Chicago. He also wrote the text of the Illus-
trated History of Central California, published
by the same company in 1893. Copies of both
these works may be found in the Los Angeles
public library.

Mr. Barrows has a strong conviction that every
man and every woman should be a fully-devel-
oped citizen; and that while all men and women
should be guaranteed their natural equal rights
aud equal privileges in order that they may be
enabled, as nearly as may be, to fight the battle
of life on an equal footing so far, at least, as the
state can guarantee such natural rights and priv-
ileges to all its citizens. He holds that every
citizen also owes manifold obligations to the state
and to the community in which he lives — obliga-
tions which, though they cannot be legally en-
forced, he is, morally at least, not entitled to
shirk. "Who," says Mr. Barrows, "can im-
agine the beauty of that state in which every
person, however humble his lot, enjoys, not only
theoretically, but practically, all the natural
rights and privileges that every other person en-
joys, and in which at the same time every person
voluntarily and freely renders, proportionately to
his ability and opportunity, to the state and to
the community, all the varied obligations per-
taining to his personal and particular sphere that
the best citizens perform. There are myriad
waysof doing good in the world open to every
person, and there are myriad obligations which
every person owes the community which, if every
person freely and faithfully performed according
to his or her several abilities, this world would
speedily become what it was intended to be, an
earthly paradise." Loyalty to these principles
and loyalty to the moral government of the uni-
verse and to the Great Being who upholds and
rules that universe, Mr. Barrows adds, constitute
his creed, his religion. In his opinion they are
broad enough aud true enough to serve as the
basis of a universal religion, of a creed which all
men can subscribe to, and live by, and, eke,
die bv!

EHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS CHAPMAN
came to California in 1895 and for four
years resided on a ranch at Fullerton,
since which time he has been a resident of Los
Angeles. He was born in McDonough countj'.

111., August 23, 1858, and at the age of ten years
removed to the village of Vermont, in Fulton
county. 111., with his parents, Sidney S. and Re-
becca Jane (Clarke) Chapman. In 1872 they
went to Chicago, and this was his home until his
removal to California. During his residence in
Chicago he was connected with various enter-
prises. He was for some years the head of the
lithographing department in the publishing house
of Chapman Brothers.

November 9, 1887, Mr. Chapman married Miss
Anna J. Clough, a resident of Chicago. Her
father was a native of England and her mother
of Providence, R. I. Both died in Chicago in
1866. They were the parents of three children;
Athelia M., Anna J. and Robert W., the latter
of whom is now living in Indiana.

Mr. and Mrs. Chapman are the parents of two
children: Llewellyn Sidney, born in Chicago
May 22, 1891; and Columbus Clough, born in
Fullerton, Cal., February 11, 1899. In politics
Mr. Chapman is a Republican.

Gl ARON M. OZMUN. Not a few of the men
LJ now prominent in commercial and financial
I I circles in Los Angeles are those who had
previously won success in various business ac-
tivities in the east. Such is the record of Aaron
M. Ozmun, president of the Columbia Savings
Bank of Los Angeles, and one of the represen-
tative men of the city. Prior to his settlement in
California he was for years intimately identified
with the business interests of Minnesota, and
especially the cities of Rochester and St. Paul,
where he won an honorable and influential
position by reason of his business activity.

The ancestors of Mr. Ozmun were closely con-
nected with the early development of New York
state. On his father's side he is a descendant, in
the third generation , of a Welshman who, with
his eldest son, not long after his settlement in
America, enlisted in the defense of the colonies.
During the war of the Revolution father and son
were captured by the British army and confined
in the old sugarhouse prison in New York City,
where they died of starvation. Abraham Ozmun,
father of the subject of this article, was born in
Tompkins county, N. Y.; in 1814, and engaged
in farming from early manhood until 1863. In

904

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1856 he removed to Minnesota. A few ^-ears
later he was elected to the state legislature, in
which bodj' he served for several terms, mean-
while doing much to promote the welfare of the
state. He was a man of intelligence and ability
and stood high in his community. Twice mar-
ried, by his first wife, who was Electa J. Hedden,
he had two sons, one of whom died in Colorado
in 1883, and the other forms the subject of this nar-
rative. To his second marriage was born a son,
Edward H., who was appointed consul at Stutt-
gart, Germany, by President McKinley.

On the farm where his father's birth had oc-
curred, our subject was born in 1838. He re-
moved with the family to Minnesota in 1856. In
1859 he left the home farm and secured employ-
ment in the hardware store of Taggart Brothers,
at Ripou, Wis., where he remained for four
years. On his return to Minnesota in 1863,
with his father he established the hardware firm
of A. Ozmun & Son, at Rochester, where he con-
tinued in business for twenty years. Finally,
impelled by the need of a more central location,
he removed to St. Paul, and became a partner in
the house of Farwell, Ozmun & Jackson. In
1887 the business was incorporated under the
title of Farwell, Ozmun, Kirk & Co., which
name is still retained. A trade was built up by
the house that was not limited to Minnesota,
but extended through all the west and even to
the Pacific coast. Mr. Ozmun was president of
the corporation and one of its principal stock-
holders.

In 1893 Mr. Ozmun retired from business and
sought the more genial climate of California. It
was not his intention to engage actively in busi-
ness,but he was prevailed upon to accept the presi-
dency of the Columbia Savings Bank on South
Broadway, and he has since stood at the head of
this well-known banking house, the success of
which is largely due to his conservative policy
and wise judgment.

During his residence in Minnesota Mr. Ozmun
married M. Cecelia, daughter of John V. Daniels,
who was for years a member of the Minnesota
state senate, and whose son, Hon. M. J. Daniels,
his successor in the senate, is now president of
the Orange Growers' Bank of Riverside, Cal.
The only son of Mr. and Mrs. Ozmun is R. W.,
cashier of the Columbia Savings Bank. He is

married and has a son who bears his grandfather's
name.

The first presidential vote cast by Mr. Ozmun
was in support of Abraham Lincoln. From that
time to the present he has been stanch in his al-
legiance to the men and measures of the Re-
publican party. The pressure of his business
duties while in Minnesota prevented him from
active participation in public affairs, but he has
kept himself well informed regarding topics of
current interest and has aided movements for the
progress of the people. His business relations
have been such as to demonstrate the activity of
his mind and the honesty of his purpose, main-
tained under all circumstances and at all times
with an earnestness that is one of the noticeable
traits of his character.

AJOR WILLIAM G. WEDEMEYER.

was born near Walsrode, in the kingdom of
Hanover, February 15, 1836. His father,
Carl Heinrich Theodor Wedemeyer, born in
Oldenburg, Germany, July 21, 1S03, died at
Watertown, Wis., July i, 1888, and the mother,
whose maiden name was Josephine Wilhelmine
Pfingsthorn, was born at Steuerwald, near Hil-
desheim, February 5, iSii, and died in Water-
town, Wis., March 27, 1889.

The records of the paternal ancestors of Major
Wedemeyer date back to the fifteenth century,
when the family was numbered among the citi-
zens of Eldagsen, in the duchy of Calenberg
(now province of Hanover). In the beginning
of the sixteenth century the chief bailifi", Conrad
Wedemeyer, was in possession of a fief granted
by the Duke of Calenberg, consisting of exten-
sive estates, which he subsequently divided be-
tween his grandsons, Dietrich and Werner.
The former was the ancestor of our subject, and
the old estates are still in the possession of the
respective family lines. The Wedemeyers, being
among the prominent people of their country,
were generally in the service of their sovereign,
principally in the judicial and administrative
branches of the government. Judge Gustav
Friedrich Georg Wedemeyer, grandfather of our
subject, and superior judge at Bissendorf, Han-
over, died in 1S45, at the ripe age of eighty
years, and his wife, Caroline Juliane (von Pape)

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

905

Wedemeyer, died in 1843, when in her seventy-
fourth year.

The maternal grandparents of Major Wede-
meyer, Wilhelm Joseph and Josephine (Schnur-
busch) Pfingsthorn, resided upon the estate of
Steuerwald, near Hildesheim, for years prior to
death. The former was born in Cologne, Ger-
many, in 1780, and died in 1845, and his wife
departed this life in 1834, at the age of forty-five
years. He came from one of the old and honored
families of Cologne, his father being the gover-
nor of the city of Cologne in the middle of the
eighteenth century, under the prince bishop and
elector of Cologne, and his ancestors having
been prominent in that locality from the fifteenth
century onward. Wilhelm Joseph Pfingsthorn
was young when his father died and he was
reared under the supervision of his guardians and
relatives, among whom was the Bishop of Hilde-
sheim, who took special interest in the lad's
education.

Major William G. Wedemeyer spent_his early
years in his native country, where he obtained a
good school education. In 1850 he accompanied
his parents to the United States, and located in
Dodge county, Wis., where he was employed as
clerk in a country store for two years. He then
took up surveying and civil engineering, and
during the four years which preceded the out-
break of the Civil war he studied law, being ad-
mitted to the bar in 1861.

The long and arduous service of Major Wede-
meyer in the regular army of his adopted country
began November 15, 1861, when he enlisted as a
private soldier in the Sixteenth Regiment of
United States Infantry. The next month he was
appointed sergeant, and in May, 1862, with his
Company, H, he participated in the siege and oc-
cupation of Corinth, Miss., after which he went
on the long and trying march with General Buell
through Alabama and Tennessee to Na.shville.
There, on the 7th of September, 1862, he received
his appointment as second lieutenant of the Six-
teenth Regiment, and at the battle of Stone River
he was in command of Company C, and was
wounded while gallantly discharging his duties.
Later he took part in the engagement at Chatta-
nooga, and was brevetted captain for bravery at
Chickamauga. October:, 1863, he was relieved
from the command of the provost guard and as-

signed to mustering duty as assistant to the chief
commissary of musters of the Department of the
Cumberland on the staff of General Thomas.
While his station was Chattanooga, his duties
took him along the lines of the army from Nash-
ville to Atlanta. On the ist of October, 1864, he
was assigned as commissary of musters to Gen-
eral Kilpatrick's cavalry division of Sherman's
army, and^with it made the campaign through
Georgia, South and North Carolina. After the sur-
render of the Confederate armies he mustered out
his cavalry command and joined his regiment at
Fort Ontario, N. Y., August i, 1865. He was
promoted to the captaincy of Company D, Third
Battalion, Sixteenth Infantry, on the 15th of No-
vember, 1865, and was ordered to Nashville, Tenn.
In May, 1867, his regiment was sent to Missis-
sippi, and for the ensuing three years he was sta-
tioned at Grenada, Greensboro and Vicksburg.
From June, 1870, until August, 1876, he was
located in Nashville, then was stationed in Mount
Vernon Barracks, Ala., until November of the
Centennial year, after which he discharged his
military duties in New Orleans until June, 1877.
During all of these years subsequent to the close
of the Civil war his services had chiefly to do
with the reconstruction, and his duties called him
to all parts of the south on detached service.

In June, 1877, Major Wedemeyer's regiment
was ordered west, and his company was stationed
at Fort Wallace, Kans. During the following
July he, with other companies of his regiment,
were on duty in St. Louis, Mo., owing to the
great railroad strike there; and in September,
1878, when the northern Cheyenne Indians
broke away from the Indian territory, and were
making their way through Kansas and Nebraska,
the troops of Fort Wallace were called into requi-
sition, and in December the Major's company
were mounted and ordered to patrol the country
to prevent further depredations from the red-
skins. In May, 1879, he was sen{ to Baxter
Springs, Kans., to drive out unauthorized per-
sons from the Indian reservations, and just a
year later he was ordered to Middle Park, Colo.,
to prevent the incursions of the Ute Indians. In
November, 1880, the Sixteenth was sent to Fort
Concho, Tex., and in October, 1881, Major Wede-
meyer was detached from his company and ordered
on recruiting service to Columbus Barracks, Ohio,

9o6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

where he reiuaiued until October, 1883. He re-
joined his companj^ in December, it being sta-
tioned at Fort Stockton, Tex., and in June, 1885,
returned to Fort Concho. In Maj', 1886, he was
granted a sick-leave of one year, and spent this
period at Hot Springs, Ark., and at his home in
Watertown, Wis. Then, rejoining his command
at Fort Concho, in June, 1887, in October of the
same year he was ordered to San Antonio, Tex.,
where he remained until June, 1888. His regi-
ment was then ordered to Utah, while his com-
pany was sent to Fort Duquesne. There he re-
mained until March, 1891, when he was promoted
to the rank of major and was retired on account
of disability.

In January, 1891, when it became certain that
he would have to retire from the army perma-
nently, Major Wedemeyer traveled extensively
on the Pacific coast, and after making a thorough
canvass of the matter decided to make his home
in Los Angeles. During his whole service in the
army his wife and children were always with him at
permanent stations. His marriage to Miss Adol-
phine Albertine Adele Becker, daughter of Dr.
Johann Christian Becker, was solemnized at Pitts-
ton, Pa., September 20, 1866. She was born in
Wunsdorf, Germany, and her father, a distin-
guished surgeon in the army of the kingdom of
Hanover, came to the United States in 1850. He
was born in Hildesheim, Germany, in 1808, and
died in Pittston, Pa., in 1878. His ancestors had
been citizens of Hildesheim for many generations.
His wife, whose maiden name was Mathilde von
Lode, was born in Hildesheim in 1810, and died
in Pittston, Pa., in 1891. Her ancestors also
were wealthy and influential personages in Hilde-
sheim for hundreds of years. Two children
blessed the union of our subject and wife: Adele
Josephine, born October 14, 1869, at Vicksburg,
Miss., and Otto Theodor, born at Nashville,
Tenn., December 21, 1875. The daughter mar-
ried John T. Griffith, and has a child, William
Howard, born August 11, 1896. The son is a
.student in the University of California. The
family attends St. Paul's Episcopal Church of
Los Angeles.

In July, 1891, Major Wedemeyer, with his
family, came to this city, and soon took up their
abode in the pleasant home which he had built
for them on Alvarado street. Since then he has

not engaged in business activities, though he has
made a few local investments, and has a walnut
ranch in the vicinity of Rivera. Politically he has
been an earnest Republican since the organization
of the party, and not only worked hard for the
nomination and election of John C. Fremont in
1856, but when Lincoln was a candidate for the
presidency he carried the torch and wore the cap
and cape of a "wide-awake," and cast his last
vote before entering the army for the Illinois
"wood-chopper." His first vote after leaving
the army service was cast in Los Angeles, in
1892, for Harrison. In 1896 he was honored by
being chosen a delegate to the county and city
conventions of Los Angeles.

Fraternally the Major is a member of the
Masonic order, belonging to Pentalpha Lodge
No. 202, F. & A. M. He takes great in-
terest in local affairs, is connected with the cham-
ber of commerce, the League for Better City Gov-
ernment, and was the president of the humane
society in 1896-97. He also belongs to the mili-
tary order of the Loyal Legion and to the Grand
Army of the Republic.

Gl RTHUR L. WELLINGTON, who has been
LA identified with the horticultural interests of
/ I Covina since 1891, is a well-known and
popular citizen, whose intelligence and worth
are recognized among associates. In November,
1896, he was appointed postnia.ster, and filled
the office for three and one-half years, winning
good words not only from those of his own party,
the Democratic, but from Republicans as well.
At this writing, in addition to the management
of his ten-acre orange orchard, he acts as vice-
president and a director of the Covina Orange
Growers' Association.

In Aroostook county, Me., Mr. Wellington
was born May 6, 1857, a son of Albion P. and
Myra G. (Foster) Wellington, natives of Maine.
He was educated in common schools and the
high school of Fort Fairfield, Me., after which
he engaged in teaching school in his native
county, and was also, for two and one-half years,
a student in the University of Maine at Orono.
On leaving the university he resumed teaching.
For a short time he had charge of a mercantile
business at Fort Fairfield. On coming further

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

907

west he spent a short time in Minneapolis, Minn.,
and then went to Detroit, Mich., becoming a
clerk for Pingree & Smith, shoe manufacturers,
with whom he remained for ten years.

The first home of Mr. Wellington in California
was at Pasadena, where he settled in 1890. The
following year found him in Covina, which is
still his home. He has witnessed the develop-
ment of this valley and has himself been a factor
in the promotion of its reputation as a centre for
orange culture. The progress of his town has
ever been a matter of importance to him. He
assisted in the organization of the Covina Coun-
try Club, of which he has since been an active
member. He was also a prime mover in estab-
lishing the Covina free reading room and library
association, and at this writing holds office as
president and a director of the same. Fraternally
he is connected with the following orders at
Covina: Independent Order of Odd Fellows, An-
cient Order of United Workmen, Masons and In-
dependent Order of Foresters.

[gj RIFFITH D. COMPTON. It has been said
I— that men's lives are practicallj' alike: that
\^ "born, married, died," is the summing up
of the majority of careers, and, superficially con-
sidered, this often appears to be truth. But,
after all, the filling in of these meager skeleton
of mountain-peak events in the life of the average
man is what constitutes his individuality, and the
one thing which truly counts, both in this life and
the one to come, is character. And often has it
been pointed out to us by the preacher, poet and
philosopher, aye, by the lessons and experience of
our own lives, that strong, rugged characters are
formed only in the storm — that "flowery beds of
ease" are not conducive to the nobility of soul
and strength of mind which we admire and covet.
The paternal grandparents of our subject came
from England to Virginia at an early day, and
his parents, John J. and Susan (Chumlej')
Compton, were born and passed their entire lives
in the old dominion. Griffith D. Compton was
born in Pennsylvania county, Va., August 22,
1820, and, as he was reared upon a large planta-
tion remote from schools, he had very meager op-
portunities for obtaining an education. Indeed,
his schooling was limited to attendance for six

months in the sixth year of his age. The school
was held in an old log cabin, the cracks between
the logs' furnishing all the light in the building.
When a mere child he was obliged to work on
the plantation, of which his father was the over-
seer, and from the time he was seven until he was
sixteen he was kept at hard labor early and late.
Small wonder that his spirit at last rebelled, for
he was paid but little more than his board and a
few poor clothes. One day he left home, without
a cent of money and nothing of any value. He
walked along the highway all day and that night
stopped at the home of a friend of his family.
Colonel Claybourn. Hungry and tired he told
his story and resisted his friend's earnest admo-
nitions to return home, saying that he would
rather die. At last the colonel gave the young
man a letter to a Mr. Stone, a rich man and
mutual friend of the Comptons and Claybourns.
The colonel then gave him I5, which he ac-
cepted as a loan, after protesting against taking
it as a gift. Mr. Stone also treated him with
kindness and tried to persuade him to return
home, but, finding that he would not do .so, he
carried the unwilling' prodigal back in his car-
riage. After a long talk with our subject's
parents Mr. Stone took him to his own home and
placed him in charge of his son's small farm,
with eight slaves to supervise. Calling them to-
gether Mr. Stone informed them that they were
to obey Mr. Compton, and, though the worthy
man perhaps had some misgivings as to the ulti-
mate fate of his tobacco crop, he risked it, and by
trusting the young man gave him a sense of
dignity and responsibility that he never had had
before. At the end of three months Mr. Stone
expressed his satisfaction as to the manner in
which things had been managed on the plantation
by paying our subject $100 and offering to hire
him at a salary of $Soo for the ensuing year. It
finally was settled that he was to receive a pro-
portion of the amount realized from the sale of the
crops raised. At the end of the 3'ear he thus
found himself in the possession of over fr, 000
clear.

In the meantime Mr. Compton had earnestly
endeavored to atone for some of the deficiencies
of his education, and, by the kind assistance of
his employer's daughter, learned to read, write
and figure ver}- well. He remained with Mr.

9o8

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD.

Stone until he was nearly twentj-, working
diligently and carefully saving his funds and
striving to improve himself in every way. At last
he decided to try his fortune in the west, and,
after giving his mother $3,000 which he had so
long and arduously worked for (retaining onlj'
«;50 for himself) , he, in company with two others,
started for Missouri. While passing through
Kentucky he cast his first presidential ballot for
Gen. W. H. Harrison. He changed his mind
about going to Missouri and left the party to go
to Illinois.

Arriving in Hamilton, 111., he engaged in
farming, and later was similarly engaged in
Iowa. He was married in Illinois in 1840. In
1847 he went to Marion county, Iowa, and there,
in company with a Mr. Jordan, laid out the town
of Pleasantville. In 1849 he sold out to his
partner and started for California by the overland
route.

Arriving in Sacramento he engaged in mining,
his first business being to repaj' the man with
whom the made the journey and with whom he
had contracted to work for a year and a half in
return for the money which the other had ad-
vanced for provisions and the expenses of the trip.
Two other men had entered into the same agree-
ment with the head of the train, but they lost no
time in leaving him when they had reached their
destination. Needless to say Mr. Compton did
not follow their example, for he always has been
a man of integrity and principle. His employer
was grateful to him and did not hold him to the
letter of their contract, instead paying him $500
for three months' work. At length, when he
was ready to return home and to the wife and
child, whom he had left in Iowa, he had $6,000 in
gold to carry back. He returned by way of the
Isthmus of Panama, and was one of about a thou-
sand passengers on the old .ship Constitution,
bound for New Orleans. They were provided
with such meager and obnoxious food that a
small mutiny arose and fifty men were detailed to
demand better fare, as they had paid for and been
promised. After visiting the captain and stating
their case in no mild terms, they threw overboard
fifty barrels of poor bread, meat and other sup-
plies, and during the remainder of the voyage
fared much better. Mr. Compton went from the
Crescent City to Keokuk, Iowa, on a Mississippi

river steamboat and soon was at home. In 1852
he started with his wife and child for California,
but the former died of the cholera in Nevada.
There he continued to dwell for thirteen years,
since which time he has been a resident of Los
Angeles and has been practically retired. By
judicious investments in real estate here he made
his wealth, and at various times thousands of
acres have passed through his hands. Honesty
and justice have characterized all of his dealings
with his fellow-men, and everyone who knows
him respects and admires him. After settling in
California he was married, inSan Joaquin county,
July 4, 1853. He is the father of four children
now living: Mrs. George Flood; Eda, wife of
Samuel Prince, of Riverside, Cal. ; Charles Grant
Compton, of Los Angeles; and Emma C, who
married Frank B. Harbert, deputy sheriff of
Los Angeles county.

Realizing to the full the value of a good edu-
cation, for he often has felt himself sorely handi-
capped for the lack of it, he has warmly seconded
the building of institutions of learning and better
facilities for the rising generation. He was one
of the first trustees of the University of Southern
California, and worked hard for the establishing
of the university in Los Angeles. For the past
sixteen years he has favored the Prohibition
party, prior to which he gave his allegiance to the
Republicans. For sixty years he has been an
active and valued worker in the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and has been a liberal con-
tributor to the buildiug and maintenance of
churches, having assisted in the erection of no
less than forty-four churches in this conference
district. During nearly the entire time of his
connection with the denomination — three-score
years — he has occupied oflScial positions in the
different churches with which he has held mem-
bership.

fi> 6JILLIAM B. SCARBOROUGH, member of
\ A / the Los Angeles board of police coramis-
YY sioners, and prominently connected with
the real-estate interests of this place, descends
from an old English family after whom the town
of Scarborough in England was named. From
that city in a very early day two brothers came
to America, one settling in Louisiana, the other
in the northern states. William B. was born in

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

909

the parish of Jackson, La., April 4, 1853, a son of
J. W. and N. S. (Rutland) Scarborough. The
father was captain of a cavalr3' companj' in the
Confederate army during the Civil war. The
mother was a member of a prominent eastern
family in whose honor the town of Rutland, Vt.,
was named; one of her brothers was for years a
judge of the superior court of Louisiana.

When our subject was three years of age his
parents moved to Natchitoches, on the Red river,
and there his early life was passed. In 1868 they
again moved, this time settling in Waco, Tex.,
where he became a student in the university, tak-
ing the regular course and graduating in 1874.
During the same year he started out in life for
himself and has since been self-supporting. His
mother had died when he was small, and his
father now lives with him. His first position was
that of assistant bookkeeper and cashier in a
wholesale mercantile institution, but after six
months he embarked in business for himself.
Although he had prepared himself for the law,
his tastes were in the line of business. In 1875
he opened a wholesale and retail grocery in Waco,
Tex., and this enterprise he conducted until
March, 1882, meantime gaining an excellent rep-
utation for reliability and intelligence.

Since February, 1885, Mr. Scarborough has re-
sided in Los Angeles, his home being at No. 1020
West Twenty-second street. He has carried on
a large conveyancing business and is said to have
drawn more legal papers, deeds, mortgages, etc.,
than any other gentleman in the city. He has
also laid out, or assisted in laying out, a number
of valuable additions to the city. In other ways
he has been closely identified with the progress
and development of his home town, to whose wel-
fare he is ardently devoted and of whose future
he has the most glorious hopes, believing that
the city by the sunset sea will in time stand far
ahead of any other city west of the Mississippi
Valley. The Democratic party, in which faith
he was reared, has always received his support,
and he has never swerved in his allegiance to its
principles. While living in Waco, Tex. , he served
efiiciently as a member of its city council. He
now holds the ofEce of police commissioner.
Fraternally a Mason, he had filled all the chairs
in his lodge, chapter and commandery before he
was thirty years of age and he is now an officer

of the grand council. Royal and Select Masters,
of the state of California.

The remarkable clerical ability of Mr. Scar-
borough has been demonstrated in many ways,
and he is by nature peculiarly fitted for this work.
His memory of names and addresses of the mem-
bers of large bodies has become proverbial. For
the past seven years he has been secretary of two
of the higher bodies of Masonry, viz. : Signet
Chapter and Los Angeles Commandery, and he
can give, without a moment's hesitation, the
name and address of every member of both or-
ganizations.

In 1878 he married Miss Maggie Daniel, who
was born in Selma, Ala., reared in Marion,
that state, and graduated from the Judson Female
Institute. Of the seven children born to their
union, only three are living, Margie, Robert Rut-
land and Ruth.

QROF. CHARLES MELVILLE PARKER,
LX president of the board of directors of the
\S Pasadena Lake Vineyard Land and Water
Company, has made his home in Pasadena since
September, 1885, and is one of the well-known
horticulturists of this vicinity. Those who meet
him in California, find him so thoroughly in-
formed concerning the resources of the state, so
enthusiastic concerning its possibilities and so
progressive in his citizenship, that it is difficult
to believe he has ever resided elsewhere. How-
ever, like so many of California's best known
men, he has spent much of his life in the east and
is a descendant of colonial ancestry. His great-
grandfather, Capt. Richard Parker, commanded
the Boston tea party and had charge of the throw-
ing of the British tea into Bostop harbor. He
had a relative. Captain Parker, of Acton, Mass.,
who was among the first patriots to fall in battle
during the Revolutionary war. Another member
of the same family, in later generations, was the
illustrious Theodore Parker. Scarborough Park-
er, the professor's grandfather, was a soldier in
the war of 1812.

In Franklin county. Me., Charles M. Parker
was born- November 17, 1843, a son of Cyrus and
Harriet (Norton) Parker, natives of Maine. He
prepared for college in the Maine Wesleyan Sem-
inary, at Kent's Hill, Me. In 1868 he graduated

gio

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

from Weslej'an University at Middletown, Conn.,
receiving the degree of A. B. then, and that of
A. M. later. Subsequently he taught in prepar-
atory schools and also filled the chair of mathe-
matics in the Wesleyan Female College at Cin-
cinnati, Ohio. His entire work as an educator
covered a period of seventeen j'ears. In the work
of teaching he was more than ordinarily success-
ful. He had the faculty of imparting knowledge
in an interesting manner, and almost invariablj-
was able to arouse the enthusiasm of the student
concerning the study in hand.

On coming to Pasadena , Professor Parker became
interested in the raising of fruit, in which he has
since continued with success. Since 1891 he has
been president of the Pasadena Lake Vineyard
Land and Water Company, in the management
of which he has been the principal factor. With
all of his business cares he yet finds time for relig-
ious work. He was the first president of the
Pasadena Y. M. C. A. and served in that capacity
for several years. He is connected with the First
Methodist Episcopal Church of Pasadena and at
this writing is president of the board of trustees.
The high esteem in which he is held is shown by
his appointment as executor of several estates,
both in the east and in California. The confi-
dence of the people is his. He is a public-spir-
ited man and gives his encouragement to enter-
prises for the benefit of his city and count3-. Po-
litically he has ever been in sympath}^ with Re-
publican principles. He cast his first presiden-
tial vote for Gen. U. S. Grant in November, 1S68,
walking fourteen miles in the face of a north-
east snow storm, to vote for the man of his choice.

August 17, 1 87 1, Professor Parker married Miss
Mary E. Hatch, of Sanford, Me., daughter of the
late Stephen Hatch, of that place. They are the
parents of four children, namely: Emma E., a
graduate of Pomona College at Claremont, Cal.:
Mary M., also a graduate of this institution;
Edith B., a student in Pomona College; and
Carl H., who is attending the Pasadena high
school.

I E GRAND PARKER. Standing at the
It head of several important local enterprises,
LJ and actively identified with the welfare of
Los Angeles, LeGrand Parker is entitled to rep-
resentation among our citizens and progre.ssive

business men. He is one of that large class of
men that America especially delights to honor —
one who has carved out his own way, and from a
poor boy has risen to a position of wealth and in-
fluence entirely on his individual merits.

His father, D. L. Parker, was a successful law-
yer, but he was called to the silent land when our
subject was a mere child, and in consequence the
latter was early thrown upon his own resources.
His mother, a native of Lorain county, Ohio, was
a Miss Rood in her girlhood. The birth of Le
Grand Parker took place in Washington county,
Iowa, in May, 1844, and for several years he at-
tended the public schools. When he was sixteen
J'ears of age he left the quiet routine of home life,
and entered upon the more serious duties opening
before him.

At that time he took charge of an ox-team and
joined a company which started from the Mis-
souri river and proceeded over the plains to Den-
ver. Though the trip was an exceedingly long
and dangerous one, it was not his last, for he
made several journeys of the kind, sometimes
when the Indians were on the warpath and the
little cavalcade was particularly menaced, as a
number of times during the progress of the Civil
war, when the redskins in the west took advan-
tage of the necessary withdrawal of army troops.
In 1863 and 1S64 young Parker engaged in mining
and prospecting to some extent in Montana, and
there he witnessed some of the extreme meas-
ures to which the "vigilance committees" were
forced to resort in order to preserve even a sem-
blance of order. The climax of his experiences
in this direction took place one night, when
sixteen men were hanged for various deeds of
violence and outlawry.

Eventually returning to his native state, Mr.
Parker obtained a position with the United States
Express Company, and in time became thorough-
ly trusted and relied upon by all with whom he
had business dealings. He remained in the em-
ploy of that company until he had completed a
quarter of a century of service, fifteen years of
that period being spent in Milwaukee.

Having accumulated considerable capital by
judicious investments, Mr. Parker determined to
try his fortunes on the Pacific coast, and in 1S92
came to Los Angeles county. Buying several
ranches, he proceeded to improve and develop

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

them, but of late j^ears he has been especially san-
guine over the oil business, and has made some
excellent investments. He now stands at the
head of the Milwaukee Oil Company, which was
organized three years or less ago, and has already
assumed flattering proportions. The company
owns a large and well-equipped plant, and the
trade which it controls is especially desirable and
remunerative. Mr. Parker's ability and good
judgment in business matters are beyond ques-
tion, and to his energy much of the prosperity
which his company enjoys must be attributed.
His career reilects great credit upon him, for he
has been animated by lofty principles from his
youth, and his sterling traits of character com-
mand the admiration and respect of all who know
him.

Mr. Parker is married and has two children.
In his political convictions he is a Democrat.
Though he has frequently been urged to accept
public offices of more or less responsibility and
honor, he has declined such distinction until re-
cently, when, to please his political friends, he
became a city police commissioner of Los Angeles.
Needless to say, he is as conscientious and faith-
ful to the interests of the public as he has ever
endeavored to be when in the private walks of
life.

(1 W. WOOD, M. D. In tracing the career
I of the successful physician it is usually
C2/, found that he possesses certain marked
characteristics, in addition to a thorough knowl-
edge of medicine, and good financial ability.
There must be a readiness to sympathize and a
power of entering into the feelings of others,
united to that self-poise and conscious strength
which naturally emanate from a strong, self-
reliant soul. Dr. Wood is fortunate in being
gifted with many of the qualities of the successful
physician, and his cheery, helpful optimism is a
source of hope and comfort in many a home shad-
owed by sickness and suffering.

Dr. Wood was born forty-four years ago in
Geneva, N. Y., and continued to dwell there
until he was twenty years of age. He received
the best educational advantages that the public
schools and academies of that locality afforded
ambitious students of his day. As he early

manifested a special liking for medical work, he
decided to devote his talents to the alleviation of
the sufferings of disea.sed humanity, and in 1879
took up the study of medicine in Geneva.

When he was in his twenty- fourth year Dr.
Wood became a resident of South Bend, Ind.,
where he continued the study of medicine in the
office of his preceptor, Dr. S. L- Kilmer, and
thence he went to Chicago, where he studied in
Rush Medical College for two years. He gradu-
ated from the College of Physicians and Sur-
geons, of the same city, in 1883, and opened an
office in Palestine, Tex. After spending about a
year there he went to Juniata, Neb. , where he con-
tinued to practice until 1887, since which year he
has been located in Long Beach. Here he soon
built up a large and representative practice, and
from that has gone on to yet higher things in the
line of his chosen work. He takes a patriotic in-
terest in whatever effects the progress of this
thriving town, and served as health officer about
eight years, also as a member of the council for
two years. Educational matters have always
claimed a share of his attention, and for seven
years he was an active worker on the school
board of Long Beach. In his political faith he is
an ardent Republican, and at various times has
been sent as a delegate to county and state con-
ventions of his party. During the eight years of
his service as health officer here he succeeded in
getting many needed sanitary measures through,
and the general condition of the town has been
noticeably improved. Fraternally he is a Knight
of the Maccabees, and is head physician of the
local lodge of Foresters. He is also the local
surgeon for the Southern Pacific Railway Com-
pany and surgeon for the Long Beach division of
the Terminal Railroad Company, and has won an
enviable reputation for skill and sound common
sense in his practice. He is the president of the
large and successful Chuckawalla Mining, Mill-
ing and Water Company, and is a director and
stockholder in the Bank of Long Beach.

The parents of Dr. Wood are John M. and
Rebecca (Rupert) Wood, natives of New York
state. A brother of our subject. Dr. G. A.
Wood, who died in Los Angeles some seven
years ago, was the proprietor and founder of the
oldest and largest drug store established in Long
Beach, where he was well and favorably known.

912

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

In 1884 Dr. J. VV. Wood was married, in
Nebraska, to Miss May McDonald, a native of
South Bend, Ind., and their two children are
named respective! j- Edith M. and Donald. The
family reside in a very attractive home, which is
the scene of many a gathering of friends.

EOL. JOHN ABRAM HENDRICKS. The
following sketch, with a portrait of Colonel
Hendricks, appeared in the Madison Cou-
rier, of Madison, Ind., under date of September
18, 1891:

The Courier here presents the features of a
noble sou of Jefferson county, a brave soldier and
a martyr to the cause of the Union. It is well
for the younger generations to know something
of the worth of the men who fought, suffered and
died that this government and free institutions
might live.

Col. John Abram Hendricks was born in the
old Hendricks home, on High street, in the city
of Madison, Ind., on Friday morning, March 7,
1823, and was killed at the battle of Pea Ridge,
Ark., on Friday morning, March 7, 1S62. His
birth and death occurred at very nearly the same
hour of the day. He had just completed the full
and even tale of years allotted to him, making
him thirty-nine years old.

He was the third child and second son of Gov.
William Hendricks, one of the earliest residents
of this city, who was the first representative of
the state of Indiana in congress, the second gov-
ernor of the state, and for twelve years repre-
sented Indiana in the senate chamber of the
United States.

Colonel Hendricks was brought up in this
place, and was educated at the private schools of
Mr. Beaumont Parks, Mr. Tute and others.
There were no public schools at that day, such
as we have now. He finished his classical edu-
cation at the Indiana University in Bloomington,
from which he graduated in the fall of 1843. He
spent three years of his college life in Blooming-
ton and one year (the sophomore, perhaps) at
Hanover College.

While at Bloomington Colonel Hendricks ob-
tained a good military education as to the tactics
of the drill, etc., of infantry. Prof. Jacob Am-
meu, formerly in the chair of mathematics in

West Point Military Academy, was the professor
of mathematics in Bloomington. He was a mili-
tary man in his instinct, as well as by education
and long training as a military educator. He
established a company from the college students
and taught them in tactics, for some time acting
as captain and instructor himself. After a time
he chose Mr. Hendricks, on account of his apt-
ness and proficiency in the drill, as the captain;
and from that time until the end of his college
course Mr. Hendricks retained the position of
captain of the college guards.

This taste for military life took deep hold of
him and when the war with Mexico commenced
he sought and obtained a position from President
Polk's administration, as a captain in one of the
ten additional regiments, under the "Ten Regi-
ment' ' bill. He raised his company in this coun-
ty and proceeded to join his regiment in Mexico,
but on his way to the south he was attacked by
that malady so fatal to many of our northern
soldiers during that war — gulf fever, and was so
prostrated by it that he was forced to leave the
army and return home in order to recover his
health. He was an invalid for a great while,
not recovering his health for some years.

The military feeling again showed itself at the
breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, when
he went to the front as lieutenant-colonel, com-
manding the Twenty-second Regiment Indiana
Volunteers, at the head of which he met his
death. Previously he had been made colonel of
the Ninth Regiment of the Indiana Legion by
Gov. O. P. Morton.

Upon his return home from college he entered
the law office of Hendricks & Bright (Gov. Will-
iam Hendricks, his father, and Hon. Jesse D.
Bright comprising the firm), and here he re-
mained for about three j'ears, as a student of
law, under the tutelage of his father. When he
was admitted to the bar he commenced the prac-
tice of law at Madison. Afterward he located at
Evansville, Ind., where he remained but a short
time, coming back to Madison on account of the
failing health of his father, who needed his aid
in business affairs. He remained in Madison,
engaged in the practice of his profession, until
the time of his death, except for three years,
when he was in partnership with Charles Pugh
and others in a planing mill.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

913

In politics he was at first an old-time Demo-
crat, but at the breaking up of the old parties, of
Democrat and Whig, when the Whig party went
to pieces and the Democratic party became the
pro-slavery party, he became one of the founders
and leaders of the Republican part)-, to the prin-
ciples of which he remained attached until his
death. He was a member of, and an advocate
for, the principles of the "Native American"
party. He was an anti-slavery man in principle
all of the time. He ran on the Democratic ticket
for the legislature in this county and also on the
Republican ticket for congress in the old district
of Jefferson, Floyd, Clark, Jennings and Switzer
land counties. He was defeated both times. He
was city attorney at the time of the suits against
the city of Madison by Isom Ross and others,
for damages caused by water, at the time of the
great cloudburst which occurred to the north-
west of the city, about 1848-49. He was a good
lawyer and one of the best advocates that ever
belonged to the bar of Jefferson county.
He was a man of an affectionate disposition
and great kindness of heart. Gentle and pleasant
in manner, he won many warm friends. He al-
ways contended for the truth, right and justice.

He was of a fine personal appearance and very
handsome countenance; about five feet eleven
inches in height, erect and dignified in bearing,
of easy and graceful manner, energetic in speech,
with a pleasant, clear voice; he was one of the
finest orators that ever appeared before an audi-
ence in this county, either on the rostrum or at
the bar. He was a rapid and attractive speaker,
and seemed to say as much with his fine face
and keen blue eyes as with his fluent tongue.
His voice was soft and pleasant in sound, but
full, round and strong in volume, and quite dis-
tinct in articulation, and had the property of
being plainly heard in any auditorium, and at a
great distance in the open air.

On the 20th of January, 1848, he was married
to Miss Frances E. Norwood, eldest daughter of
Dr. Joseph G. Norwood, a former resident of
Madison, Ind., but now living in Columbia, Mo.
The result of this union was six children: Lilly,
who died an infant; IdaM. and William N., liv-
ing in California; Loulie N. and Mildred D., liv-
ing in Abilene, Kans. ; and John, who died an
infant.

The memory of this gallant and talented gen-
tleman is cherished by a large circle of friends,
among whom his comrades here to-day are pre-
eminent in their devotion. Hence this sketch
and portrait are presented on this occasion of
the triple reunion of the Eighth, Twenty-second
and Eighty-second Regiments of Indiana Volun-
teers.

IILLIAM N. HENDRICKS, who has been
station agent for the Southern California
Railroad at Claremont since i89i,andwho
is also interested in horticulture, was born in
Madison, Ind., October 16, 1852, a son of Col.
John A. and Fannie (Norwood) Hendricks, na-
tives respectively of Indiana and Lexington, Ky.
The family is one whose name is recorded in the
annals of our country's history. His father was
a first cousin of Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks.
His grandfather, Hon. William Hendricks, was
one of the most influential statesmen Indiana has
ever had. In positions of power and prominence
he proved himself a man of extraordinary ability
and keen foresight. He was the first congress-
man elected from Indiana, and was also honored
by his state with election to the oflSce of gover-
nor, after which he was for twelve years a mem-
ber of the United States senate.

Nor were the maternal ancestors of Mr. Hen-
dricks less talented than the paternal, although
their ability wasalong the line of literature rather
than public affairs and politics. His maternal
grandfather. Prof. Joseph G. Norwood, was a
man of brilliant attainments. By education and
natural talents he was fitted for positions of honor
in the educational world. For a number of years
he acted as dean of the faculty in the University
of Missouri at Columbia, in which office he dis-
tinguished himself by his combination of literal y
talents and executive ability. For years he was
a professor of the sciences, geology and chemistrj'
being his specialties.

Educated in Madison's public schools, William
N. Hendricks at the age of seventeen began to
learn telegraphy at Dupont, Ind., and at the
same time he familiarized himself with the duties
of railroad agent. Afterward, for four years, he
was agent at Dupont. Leaving Indiana he went
to Kfesas. For two years he was agent at Og-
den. He was then transferred to Lawrence,

914

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

where lie was first a clerk in the freight office of
F. C. Gay. His next appointment was at Abi-
lene in the employ of the Kansas Pacific Railroad,
where he remained for fourteen years. Coming
to California in 1S91 he has since been agent at
Clareniont for the Southern California Railroad,
aline of the Santa Fe system. He is also the
owner of a fruit ranch of twenty acres, ten of
which he has put under cultivation, principally
to oranges. He is deeply interested in the wel-
fare of his community, and has shown his enter-
prise by working in behalf of first-class roads.
Coming from a state noted for its excellent roads,
it is not strange that he can be satisfied only with
the best. Politically he is a Democrat. For
four years he held office as postmaster at Clare-
niont. As a rule, however, he limits his atten-
tion to his business duties, having neither the
time nor the inclination to seek political offices.
He is married and has four children. His wife
was formerly Miss L,ota Person, of Erie, 111.

HON. GEORGE JESS. The life which this
narrative sketches began in Nova Scotia,
October 15, 1819, in the homeof JohnL. P.
and Unity (Parker) Jess; the latter was a daugh-
ter of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Lord) Parker.
Both the Jess and Parker families were descended
from Englishmen, who, many generations ago,
crossed the ocean, landing on Nova Scotia's
rugged shores and identifying themselves with
the sturdy pioneers of that peninsula. Grand-
father Jess was a native of Rhode Island and mar-
ried a French lady, Sarah Payzant, who was
taken by the Indians when three years old, but
ransomed by her parents soon afterward. When
he was a boy, George Jess had few school ad-
vantages, but he supplemented his schooling
by careful reading and practical business experi-
ence, in which way he became a man of broad in-
formation. His boyhood years were spent on the
home farm, for his father, though by occupation
a contracting builder, also engaged in farming
and owned a tract of land in Cornwallis town-
ship, Kings county.

During 1842 Mr. Jess came to the States. His
first home was in Walworth county, Wis., But in
1845 he removed to Dodge county, the same

state, where for many subsequent years (with the
exception of a short time in California) he con-
tinued to reside. His first trip to California was
in 1850, at the time of the great excitement
caused by the discovery of gold. His first loca-
tion was at Placerville. He became interested in
buying cattle and selling beef. While making
his headquarters at Sacramento he carried on
three meat markets in as man}' different towns.
In 1853 he returned to his Dodge county home.
During the same j'ear, on the 5th of November,
he was married at Fox Lake, Wis. , to Miss Maria
Theresa Judd, a native of Dutchess county,
N. Y., and a daughter of Dr. Stoddard Judd.
The latter, a well-known and successful pln-si-
cian, engaged in practice in Dutchess county,
N. Y. , and later at Fox Lake, Wis., where he
died March 2, 1873.

For years Mr. Jess was interested in the real-
estate and banking business in Wisconsin. As a
financier he has always exhibited ability. He is
conservative, never investing rashly or recklessly;
yet at the same time he has broad views and a
progressive spirit. He was instrumental in the
establishment of the banking house of George
Je.ss & Co., in Waupun, Wis., of which he was
president and a director. After coming to Cali-
fornia he was for some years a director in the
First National Bank of Pomona.

Not only with the business affairs of Dodge
county, but with its public history, Mr. Jess was
closely connected. He was a potent factor in
local Republican ranks. Among the offices
which he held were those of county supervisor
and a member of the state legislature. These po-
sitions he filled creditably to himself and with
satisfaction to his constituents. However, the
cares of public life and the anxieties of business
at last told upon his physical condition. His
health failed to such an extent that a change of
climate was declared imperative. Hoping that
California might prove as healthful for him as it
had for so many other eastern people, he decided
to remove to this state, and in 1885 established
his home in the city where he still resides, Po-
mona. Since then his health has greatlj' im-
proved and he has been able to enjoy the delights
of California life to the utmost. Both he and his
wife are Unitarians in religious views. They are
respected and honored for their worth of charac-

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

915

ter and kind hearts. Almost a half century of
married life has been granted them, and in the
twilight of earth's day they retain the esteem and
regard which have always been theirs. Their
only child, Stoddard Jess, who was formerly
cashier of the First National Bank of Pomona
and is one of this city's influential men, married
Miss Carrie H. Chenoweth, of Monroe, Wis.,
and has one son, George B. Jess.

EHARLES C. REYNOLDS is a member of
the firm of Reynolds & Van Nuys, under-
takers and funeral directors of Pasadena.
He was born in Richmond, Ind., September 4,
1856, a son of Milton and Nancy (Harris) Rey-
nolds, natives of Indiana. On both sides he is
descended from Quaker ancestry and is himself
an adherent of that society, to which he belongs
by birthright. His maternal grandfather. Dr.
John Harris, was a pioneer physician of Rich-
mond, and had a practice extending for many
miles around that city. Milton Reynolds was a
railroad contractor and also a supply agent in
Richmond for the Pennsylvania Railroad sys-
tem at that point. During the Civil war he
enlisted in the Union army, going to the front
with the Seventh Indiana Cavalry. During
a part of his service he was in the commissary
department, while the remainder of the time he
fought with the soldiers. He died in 1875.

The education of Charles C. Reynolds was be-
gun in common schools and completed in Earl-
ham College, Richmond, Ind. The year 1886
found him a resident of Pasadena, which was
then gaining a name throughout the United
States for beauty of location and great promise
for the future. The year after his arrival lie en-
gaged in the undertaking business as a member
of the firm of Reynolds Brothers. This, in turn,
was succeeded by the firm of Reynolds & Van
Nuys in 1890, and under these two names the
business has been carried forward uninterruptedly
to the present. In April, 1900, Mr. Reynolds
was elected a trustee of the city of Pasadena, on
the Republican ticket. As a private citizen
he has been known for broad views, keen fore-
sight and great energy, and these qualities will
aid him in the work of a trustee; so that it may

be safely predicted that the term upon which he
has recently entered will be creditable to himself
and satisfactory to the people. Fraternally he
is connected with the Masons, the Knights of
the Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen, all of
Pasadena.

In 1898 the Long Beach, Alaska, Trading and
Mining Company was organized and incorpo-
rated under the laws of Arizona. He was elected
its first president and is still a stockholder. In
company with nineteen others he set sail April 6,
1898, on the sailing vessel, Penelope, from San
Pedro, Cal. , for Alaska, where they arrived after
a voyage of fifty-eight days. The object of the
expedition was to search for gold prospects in
the recently discovered mines of the northwest.
The company spent the winter of 1898-99 in the
far north. During that winter Mr. Reynolds,
with six others, traveled by sleds to Cape Nome.
In July the others followed them to the same
point, taking their ship through the straits as far
as the Cape. The party spent the summer of
1899 in and near Cape Nome, where they pros-
pected for gold and located several claims. The
majority of the company, including Mr. Reynolds,
returned with the vessel, arriving at San Pedro
in November, 1899.

Mr. Reynolds married Miss Mary E. McCrack-
en, of Richmond, Ind., and by her he has two
sons, Delmar M. and Charles H.

pCJALTER SHAFER has resided on San
\ A / Antonio avenue, Pomona, since February,
YV 1888. Among the raisers of citrus fruits
in this valley he is well known. He is a director
in the Claremont Citrus Union and an enterpris-
ing horticulturist who, while promoting his per-
sonal interests, has also given an impetus to the
fruit industry in Southern California. His hold-
ings of fruit lands aggregate, altogether, fourteen
and one-half acres, divided into two orchards,
and planted almost wholly in oranges and prunes.
Some years ago he assisted in the organization of
the Claremont Citrus Union, which has since
been effective as an agency for advancing the in-
terests of local horticulturists.

The Shafer family descends from Hollanders.
The first of the name to settle in America was
Hendrickus Shafer, a pioneer of the Mohawk and

9i6

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Schoharie vallej'S in New York. Subsequent
generations were identified with the same regions.
Walter Shafer was born in Schoharie county, N.
Y., January 3, 1855, a son of Jacob L. and Chris-
tina Shafer, natives of New York state. His
mother died some years ago, but his father is
still living (at eighty-six years), and for years
has made his home on a farm in Schoharie coun-
ty. It was on this homestead farm that our sub-
ject grew to man's estate. He was given com-
mon-school advantages in boyhood, and also for
two terms attended the State Normal School in
Albany, N. Y. On completing his education he
began to teach school, and for two winters taught
in his native count)'. While living there he mar-
ried Rebecca B. Nelson, of the same county. In
the fall of 1887 he came to Pomona, since
which time he has given his attention to the
fruit business. He has witnessed the gradual
development of this region as a fruit-growing
center, which sends to the markets of the world
each year immense shipments of citrus and de-
ciduous fruits. He is connected with a number
of organizations in Pomona, among them being
the Presbyterian Church. His second wife was
Miss Mary A. Northrop, of Mason, Mich., a
daughter of the late Enos Northrop, of that city.
Two children bless their union, Winifred M. and
Mildred J.

30HN S. BILLHEIMER has been closely
identified with the fortunes of Pasadena since
his residence here in 1887. As agent for
the Electric Express & Storage Company, he has
been associated with the best business enterprises
of the city, and has gained prominence because
of fine business tact, geniality and conscientious
application of honest principles.

Born April 10, 1864, he is a son of Isaac and
Saloma (Sherfey) Billheimer, natives of Virginia,
and of Pennsylvania-Dutch extraction. Isaac
Billheimer was in his younger days a contractor
and builder, but since 1872, when he moved from
Washington county, Tenn., to Tippecanoe coun-
ty, Ind., he has devoted his time and energies to
the ministry of the German Baptist Brethren
Church. He is now located at Edna Mills, Clin-
ton county, Ind. His wife died in 1879.

John S. Billheimer was educated in the Mount

Morris College at Mount Morris, 111., and subse-
quently utilized his excellent training by teach-
ing school for some time in Douglas county,
Kans. , to which state he had moved in 1886. In
the following year he came to Pasadena, and was
employed by J. S. Baldwin in the hay, grain and
feed biisiness in the capacity of clerk for several
years. He was later in the employ of the Willa-
mette Lumber Company at Pasadena, next en-
gaging in the express and transfer business be-
tween Pasadena and Los Angeles. This latter
business was conducted on hisown responsibilit).
He then became identified with the Electric Ex-
press & Storage Company, and has since been
connected with the same company.

Mr. Billheimer married Anna L. Overholtzer,
a daughter of the late Samuel A. Overholtzer, of
Covina, Cal. Of this union there are two chil-
dren. Glen E. and Vera M.

In politics Mr. Billheimer is a Republican.
Himself and wife are members of the Christian
Church at Pasadena, of which he is now serving
as deacon and treasurer. He is a self-made man,
and has risen to prominence because of his many
sterling traits of mind and character.

(S HERMAN WASHBURN. In reviewing the
?\ history of any community there are always
V2/ a few names that stand out pre-eminently,
because those who bear them are men of superior
ability, wise judgment and progressive spirit.
Such names and such men add to the prosperity
of a place and increase its commercial impor-
tance. In the history of Pasadena the name of
Sherman Washburn, a pioneer, stands out con-
spicuous. This is not due wholly to the fact that
he was a pioneer, but also to his keen intelli-
gence, public spirit, shrewd discrimination, tact
and enterprise. His influence was helpful in the
development of many worthy enterprises in this
region. He was treasurer of the San Gabriel
Vallej' Railroad Company, whose road has since
been absorbed by the Santa Fe system. For
years he was treasurer of the Pasadena Land and
Water Company, with which he is still identified
as a stockholder. As vice-president and a direc-
tor of the San Gabriel Valley Bank he has ex-
hibited rare business qualities, and has been a
factor in the establishment of the institution upon

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a sound financial basis as a leading bank of
Southern California. Since 1886 lie has been a
member of the Pasadena public library board, of
which he is now the president, and his active en-
couragement has done much for the upbuilding
of the librar)'.

Mr. Washburn was born at Reading Centre,
Schuyler county, N. Y., June 28, 1830, a son of
Daniel and Temperance (Gustin) Washburn,
natives respectively of Vermont and New York.
His father was a farmer in what is now Schuyler
county, and Sherman grew to manhood there.
His education was such as the district schools of
the neighborhood afforded, but was afterward
supplemented by a practical business experience.
When twenty-four years of age he left New York
and settled in Rockford, 111. At the time of the
gold excitement in Colorado he made his first
trip west, but did not stop at the Rocky moun-
tains. It was in i860, and he crossed the plains
with three companions in a wagon, with a camp-
ing outfit and four mules. They traveled through
Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and Nevada, and first
located at Carson City, where he spent two years
in the lumbering business. At the expiration of
that time he returned to Illinois with four com-
panions, riding on horseback and spending
seventy-six days on the road. On his return to
Rockford he was engaged in business for a short
time, but soon settled in Marshalltown, Iowa,
where he carried on a grocery for ten years.

The year 1874 found Mr. Washburn in Pasa-
dena. He purchased fifteen acres in the Berry
&Elliott tract. At first he carried on a grocery,
but afterward turned his attention to the develop-
ment and sale of real estate, in which he was
associated with Charles Watts. His interest in
educational matters led him to accept a position
on the school board, and he served efficiently for
ten years. For four years he was a member of
the Pasadena city council. He was one of three
who originated, planned and built the San Gabriel
Valley Railroad, which proved so helpful to this
locality. Other measures of great value have
received his aid and financial contributions. He
has never cared for political prominence nor for
oSice, but takes an intelligent interest in such
matters and votes the Republican ticket. He is
connected with various degrees of Masonry. He
has been twice married, his first wife having

been Susan Jackson, of Schuyler county, N. Y.,
and his second, Susie E. Stone, of Gardner,
Mass.

The fine property which Mr. Washburn owns
and his high standing as a citizen are a creditable
showing for one who began in business without
capital or influence. They indicate the forceful
nature of the man to whose determination and
energy they are due.

I OUIS KLOESS, who resides near Clare-
jiL mont, is the owner of a neat ranch of four-
L« teen acres, cultivated to citrus and deciduous
fruits. Upon this place he established his home
in 189 1, having previously been a manufacturer
in his native county of St. Clair, 111. He gives his
attention to the cultivation of his orchard and is
actively and successfully identified with the fruit
interests of Southern California.

Born January 15, 1856, Mr. Kloess is the son
of John and Catherine Kloess, both natives of
Germany. His father emigrated to America in
1849 and his mother three years later, both set-
tling in St. Clair county. The former, for a
period of forty years, engaged in the manufacture
of brick and the mining of coal. At the age of
seventy years, he is still living in the locality
where for so long he was actively engaged in
business. His wife died in 1897.

Until he was thirty-two years of age Louis
Kloess assisted his father in various business en-
terprises. He then formed a partnership with his
older brother, John Kloess, under the firm name
of Kloess Brothers, and was engaged in the man-
ufacture of brick at Belleville, Illinois, until he
removed to California in 1891. During his resi-
dence in Belleville he was affiliated with the
Knights of Honor, and since coming to California
he has been connected with the Knights of
Pythias at Pomona. In politics he is a Demo-
crat. He may be j ustly regarded as a representa-
tive man of the county and a typical horticul-
turist, enterprising, honorable and industrious.

Mr. Kloess married Mary Gintz, who was born
in St. Clair county. 111., and is a daughter of
Peter and Catherine (Funck) Gintz, natives of
Germany, but for many years residents of Belle-
ville, where her father was proprietor of a
brewery. She was reared in her native town and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

received a fair education in its schools. Seven of
the eight children of Mr. and Mrs. Kloess are
now living, namelj-: Ellenora K., William J.,
Walter L., Armin J., Roland R., Alfred O. and
Helen A. The adult members of the family are
identified with the Pomona Presbyterian Church.

/gEORGE VARCOE, who had efficiently
l_ served in positions of trust in Los Angeles,
[^ is a typical Californian, alert, enterprising,
persevering and companionable. The success
he has attained is due to his unaided efforts, as
he had the misfortune to lose his mother when he
was only three years of age, and his father,
Henry Varcoe, also died in middle life. The
latter was a native of England, who came to
America to try his fortune in the new world.
After living for a time in Michigan the year 1861
found him in California, where he settled in a
mining town in the upper country. Later he en-
gaged in the mercantile business. He died in
this state in 1883, when forty-nine years of age.

The subject of this sketch was born in Quincy,
Mich., in 1857, ^^'^ ^^^ four years of age when
the family settled in California. On completing
the studies of the public schools he assisted his
father in the mercantile business, and later taught
school, at the same time devoting his leisure
hours to the study of law and the improvement
of his education. In 1882, after ten years of
teaching, he was admitted to practice law before
the supreme court. In 188 1 he married Miss
Lou Winn, an estimable lady and a member of
the Christian Church.

After having practiced his profession in north-
ern California for some years, in 1887 Mr. Varcoe
came to Los Angeles, and engaged in the busi-
ness of searching records until 1890, when he
entered the public service. In politics he has al-
ways been an ardent Republican, devoted to the
principles of the party. He has served with
recognized ability as chief deputy tax collector
and chief deputy county clerk. Fraternally he
is connected with Pentalpha Lodge No. 202, F.
& A. M., Occidental Consi.story, A. & A. S. R.,
has attained the thirty-second degree and belongs
to the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of
Los Angeles Tent No. 2, Knights of the
Maccabees.

3 AMES CLARKE. There are few enter-
prises of greater importance to Pasadena
than that with which Mr. Clarke is clo.sely
connected, and of which he was an organizer.
The Pasadena Manufacturing Company is a con-
cern that has rapidly forged its way to the front
and gained a reputation for its substantial char-
acter and the progressive spirit of its officers.
In the incorporation of this company' Mr. Clarke
assisted and of it he has served as a director, be-
sides taking an active part in its management as
foreman of the plant. In May, 1900, he was ap-
pointed a trustee of the State Reform School at
Whittier, which very responsible position he is
now filling.

Of English birth and ancestry, Mr. Clarke
was born in Devonshire November 11, 1850, a
son of Thomas and Mary Clarke, of" that .shire.
When a boy he attended the schools near his
home and also worked on the home farm. In
1869 he sailed from Liverpool for New York
and after a voyage of fourteen days landed in
this country. His parents had come here some
years before. He joined them in Saratoga
county, N. Y., and for a time attended school in
Schuylerville. He began to learn the black-
smith's trade in the village of Pavilion, N. Y.,
where he remained for two years. Next he re-
turned to Schuylerville, where he found employ-
ment at his trade. Going thence to Albany,
N. Y., he was employed as foreman for the pack-
ing house of R. Wilson & Co. It was in 1881
that he left New York and sought a home on the
other side of the Rockies, settling in Pasadena,
where he hopes to spend the remainder of his
life. Like most of the citizens here, he is interest-
ed in the fruit business, Near this city he owns
a fine ranch of twenty acres, under cultivation.

Having lived in America for so many years
Mr. Clarke has become thoroughly imbued with
the American spirit; and, although he is proud
to claim as his native laud the country on whose
empire the sun never sets, he is still prouder to
have his citizenship in the United States, the
land of freedom and of opportunity. Fraternally
he is a Mason. He is interested in the progress
of Pasadena and for four years served as a mem-
ber of the board of trustees. Prior to coming to
California he married Miss Emma Prpper, of
Greenbush, N. Y.

HISTORICAI. AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

HUGH M. HAMILTON. Not a few of the
well-kuown citizens of Pasadena are those
who have occupied responsible positions
elsewhere and, after accumulating large hold-
ings, have come to this favored spot with the in-
tention of passing their remaining years here.
Such, in brief, has been the history of Mr.
Hamilton, long one of the most honored bankers
and business men of Ottawa, 111. He was born
in Pittsburg, Pa. , being a son of John and Mar-
garet Hamilton, natives of the north of Ireland
and of Scotch extraction. During the years of
boyhood he attended school in Pittsburg. He
continued to live there until 1854, when he de-
cided to seek his fortune in the great "west," as
the Mississippi Valley was then called. Select-
ing Ottawa as a good business location, he em-
barked for himself in that town, where, as a
member of the iirm of King & Hamilton, he en-
gaged in the manufacture of agricultural imple-
ments. This firm was organized in 1859 and
continues in business to the present time.
Through his foresight, judgment and business
intelligence, the company was placed on a sound
financial basis and its stock increased in value.
The management of that business, however, was
not the limit of his energies. His talent as a
financier led to his selection as president of the
First National Bank of Ottawa, in which capacity
he continued for fifteen years. He gave very
close attention to building up a sound financial
policy for the institution of which he was the
head. Through his conservatism the rocks and
shoals of speculation were avoided. The funds
of the bank were invested wisely and judicious-
ly, and the returns were gratifying to oificers
and stockholders.

After years of commercial activity Mr. Hamil-
ton placed his business interests in the hands of
others, and in February, 1892, settled perma-
nently in Pasadena, where he has since been a
director in the First National Bank, and for four
years a member of the city council. In politics
he is a Republican and always votes the party
ticket. He is a member of the First Congrega-
tional Church of Pasadena and an active worker
in its behalf, contributing generously to its
maintenance. During his residence in Ottawa,
111., in 1853, ^^ w^s united in marriage with
Miss Kate A. White. They became the parents

of six children, but only three of these are now
living. The daughter is the wife of Lorenzo
Leland, an attorney and president of the First
National Bank of Ottawa, 111. The sons are
Charles H., of Pasadena, and Frank A., of Cuca-
monga, San Bernardino county, this state.

WILLIAM O. McCLINTOCK, more than
any other man in his section of the coun-
try, has been identified with the rise and
rapid development of the horticultural interests
of Lemon. Arriving there in 1892, before any
other resident, he was the first to buy land on
the old Earl tract, and the first to set out an
orange grove.

A native of Pike county. 111., he was born De-
cember 14, 1862, and is a son of John J. Mc-
Clintock, now living in Illinois, and Nancy
(Cline) McClintock, deceased. His paternal an-
cestors were Scotch- Irish, and those on the ma-
ternal side were German. He was reared in his
native county in Illinois, assisting his father in
his farm duties, and taking advantage of the op-
portunities afforded in the district schools. At
the age of twenty he started for California, where
he arrived in December of 1882. He lived for a
time in Los Angeles, and was subsequently em-
ployed in various capacities on the different
ranches in the vicinity, and also around Stock-
ton.

In 1886 he leased about three hundred acres
of land which constituted a part of the "Lucky
Baldwin" estate, and remained there for some
time, afterwards leasing a ranch near Covina, on
which he remained for several years. In 1892
began his permanent residence in Lemon, Cal.,
which has been attended by .such pronounced
success.

Mr. McClintock married Allie Mullendore, a
native of Wisconsin, and of this union there are
three children, John N. , Lawrence O. and Lloyd
A. Since the organization of the Lemon school
district in 1892, Mr. McClintock has served as a
trustee, and is now president of the board of
trustees. He is prominent in all that pertains to
the advancement of the town of his adoption,
and is held in high esteem by his friends, as-
sociates and the community at large.

920

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

(lACKSON GALA WAY, a prominent horti-

I culturist of the Azusa valley, is a native of
(2/ Hancock count}-, Incl. , where he was born
Januarj- 31, 1841. His parents were William
and Tabitha (George) Galawa}-, who came from
Kentuckj- and Virginia respectively. Jackson
Galaway lived on his father's farm during his
boyhood, and was surrounded by the usual in-
fluences incident to a country life. He greatly as-
sisted his father in performing his duties, at the
same time availing himself of the advantages of
the district schools, which, in his neighborhood,
were above the average. At the age of eighteen
years he began to prepare himself for independ-
ence in the future, and learned the trade of car-
penter and joiner, serving three years as an ap-
prentice.

Afterward he followed his trade in various
capacities, chiefly as journeyman builder and
contractor, with headquarters at Fort Worth,
Tex. At this time he was very successful and
having more work than he could personally at-
tend to, was obliged to employ from three to
thirty men as assistants. The scene of his efforts
was next located in Albuquerque, N. M., where
he employed on an average twenty workmen.
While in Mexico he varied his occupation, and
increased his finances by engaging in the cattle-
raising business on the Gila river. His ranch
was known as the old Coronado ranch, and was
in extent forty miles square, he himself being
third part owner and superintendent. The work
incident to this large amount of land necessitated
the employment of sixteen men.

In 1885 Mr. Galaway went to Los Angeles,
Cal., and for a number of years was a builder
and contractor. In 1890 he took up his resi-
dence on his present ranch which he has come to
regard as his permanent home. He married
Elsie A. Siddall, of Hancock county, Iowa, and
they have two children: Mrs. John E. Siddall;
living in Iowa, and Charles S., at home.

Mr. Galaway's political affiliations are with
the Democratic party. He is an active member
of the Holiness Church, and has served as an
elder in the same for several years. He is a
large stockholder in the Azusa Irrigating Com-
pany. He has a highly interesting war record.
Enlisting in 1864 in Company A, Thirty-eighth
Indiana Infantry, he was with Sherman's army

of the west, and fought in the battles of Nash-
ville and Decatur, and was with Sherman in his
famous march to the sea.

Among those who are privileged to know him,
Mr. Galaway is recognized as a public-spirited,
enterprising citizen, a reliable friend and a man
whom it is a pleasure to know.

HAMES STANDEES. Of the many who
I have added the lustre of their ability and
\Z) usefulness to the development of the re-
sources of California, and who live in the mem-
ory of an appreciative and grateful people, may
be mentioned the name of James Standlee. At
the time of his arrival from the east in 1869 the
locality which was to be the scene of his future
life and work bore not the faintest resemblance to
its present opulence and prosperity; in fact, had
it been predicted by a visionary it would have
been considered the wandering of an erratic
mind.

The Standlee family is of French and Welsh
extraction, the earliest members to migrate to
America having settled in Virginia during the
last century. James Standlee was born in Vir-
ginia February 22, 1819, and was a son of Abra-
ham Standlee, a native of the south. His family
moved to Tennessee when he was quite young,
and there he was reared on a farm and studied as
occasion offered at the district schools. When
nineteen years of age he was taken to Howard
county. Ark., where he undertook to learn the
blacksmith and wagon-maker's trade, which he
subsequently followed until his removal to Cali-
fornia.

In 1869, with an ox- team and wagon, he
joined a train of emigrants that slowly and labo-
riously made their waj- over the plains, his little
family walking or riding as their strength per-
mitted. The journey dragged itself over six
weary months, and the faithful baud were filled
with delight when the journey was completed.
They halted at El Monte, and the Standlee con-
tingent at once went to the place near Downey
where James Standlee lived for the remainder of
his useful life. In addition to his interest in hor-
ticulture he had time and inclination to devote
to the interests of the various institutions erected
for the improvement of his locality, and one of

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

921

his ambitions was to perfect the water develop-
ment of the district.

Mr. Standlee married Sarah M. Briscoe, a na-
tive of Alabama. Of this union six children
were born who are living: David W., Daniel
W., Joel W., Emily (who is the wife of L- D.
Tweedy), Oliver and Edward J. Mrs. Standlee
died in 1894. In political faith Mr. Standlee was
a Democrat, but never had political a.spirations.
Fraternally he was associated with the Masonic
order. He had a strong and rugged personality
and forcefully impressed his influence and opin-
ions upon the community in which he dwelt. He
died September 27, 1900.

Edward J. , one of the sons of James Standlee,
is a native of Howard county. Ark., where he
was born July i, 1861. With his parents and
family he crossed the plains for California, where
he has since lived. He was twice married, his
first wife being Sarah A. Shirley, and of this
union there were five children: Claude E.,
Emily M., Elbert C, Elmer F. and Lela. Mr.
Standlee's present wife was Gussie Gentry, who
is the mother of two children, Gladys and Mar-
guerite. Mr. Standlee served as a member of
the board of trustees of the Gallatin school dis-
trict for six years, elected to the office by his
constituents in the Democratic partj\ He is also
a member of the Masonic order and of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Downey. In
religious faith he is affiliated with the Baptist
Church.

David W. Standlee, the eldest brother of Ed-
ward J., is a member of the Democratic party,
and fraternally is associated with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.

0 LIVER STANDLEE. The first impression
of his future home in the vicinity of Dow-
ney was gained through the wonder of
childish eyes, for Oliver Standlee was but eleven
years old when his father moved his little family
over the plains in search of a home and prosper-
ous living. At this early day the possibilities of
California were but vaguely defined, and the
work of developing her resources meant incessant
toil for the settlers who cast their lot within her
borders. Young Oliver learned from his father
the best way to conduct a farm, and early evinced

a liking for agricultural pursuits. In the district
schools he acquired a fair education, and in dif-
ferent ways had occasion to become proficient
from a business standpoint.

A native of Howard county. Ark., Oliver
Standlee was born in 185&. His father, James
Standlee, receives more extended mention in an-
other part of this work. He was an industrious
and enterprising agriculturist during his resi-
dence in the east, and became identified with the
best interests of his adopted home in the west.
At the present time Oliver Standlee is the pos-
sessor of a highly improved ranch of thirty
acres near Downey, where he raises walnuts and
oranges. He is public spirited and is a member
of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers'
Association. He married Rhoda Ragsdale, a
daughter ofRix Ragsdale, a native of Texas, and
at present residing with his daughter. To Mr.
and Mrs. Standlee have been born three children:
Effie L., Ollie P. and Flora J.

In national politics Mr. Standlee is a Demo-
crat and interested in all the undertakings of his
party. He has no political aspirations. Himself
and family are active members of the Baptist
Church at Rivera. Fraternally he is associated
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at
Downey. As one of the oldest pioneers of the
county he is naturally affiliated with the Pioneer
Association. At present he is serving his sec-
ond term as trustee of the Gallatin school di.strict.

0R. HIRAM M. BATEMAN, a well-known
horticulturist of Pomona, who has been a
resident of this city since 1893, was born in
Orleans county, N. Y., September 21, 1829.
His father. Dr. Stephen Bateman, was a native
of Vermont, and his mother (n6e Lydia Shafer)
was born in Genesee county, N. Y. The former
practiced his profession at Lyndonville, N. Y. ,
and at Rockford and Aurora, 111., dying at the
city last named. His father, also Stephen Bate-
man, was of English ancestry and served in the
war of 1812.

When he was sixteen years of age Hiram Bate-
man removed with the family to Rockford, 111.,
and continued his education at the seminary in
that cit}'. Four years later he commenced the
study of medicine with his father, whom he sub-

922

IIISTORICAI, AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

sequeutly assisted in his professional work both
at Rockford and Aurora. Afterward, for many
years, he was identified with the hotel business
of Alton and Blootnington, 111., being thus en-
gaged in the latter city for a decade.

As stated, the doctor settled in Pomona in
1893. He is now the owner of a fine tract of
ten acres, chiefly grown to oranges. He was
formerly a director in the Pomona Fruit Ex-
change, now known as the Pomona Fruit Grow-
ers' Exchange, and is still a member of that or-
ganization.

The wife of Dr. Bateman was formerly Miss
Mary Warner and is a native of Ohio. Their
family of six children consists of Frank M.,
Charles W., and George G., all of whom are resi-
dents of Illinois; Ida M. , the wife of Charles
Barry, of Evanston, 111.; Catherine living at
home; and Fannie, wife of John Bowles, of Al-
ton, 111.

ILTON J. BROOKS. Although compara-
tively a new comer to the Los Nietos re-
gion, having settled here in 1897, Mr.
Brooks has become thoroughly identified with
the spirit and undertakings of the locality, and
has established himself as one of its respected
and necessary citizens.

Previous to coming to California in 1S84, Mr.
Brooks led an uneventful life in the main. He
was born in Maury county, Tenn., July 31, 1859,
and is a son of John S. and Lucy A. (Jordan)
Brooks, natives respectively of Tennessee and
Virginia. His maternal grandfather, John F.
Jordan, was a prominent agriculturist, and a
valiant soldier in the war of 181 2. Milton
Brooks was reared on his father's farm in his na-
tive county and educated in the district schools.
He early showed an aptitude for agricultural pur-
.suits, and diligently assisted his father in his
duties around the farm. In 1880 he went to
Lamar county, Tex., and while there was occu-
pied for several years with various pursuits. In
1884 he came to Southern California, and was
for several years employed by A. H. Dunlap,
who lived in the vicinity of Whittier, and sub-
sequently leased land in the neighborhood and
engaged in general farming and walnut growing.
In keeping with his interest in all that pertains
to the advancement of his locality, Mr. Brooks

lakes a vital interest in the institutions that are
the outgrowth of the special requirements inci-
dent to the peculiar conditions of the soil and
climate. He is at present serving as president of
the Los Nietos Irrigating Company, and as such
has given general satisfaction. He is a member
of the Los Nietos school district and was elected
for a term of three years. He is also a member
of the Los Nietos and Ranchito Walnut Growers'
Association, incorporated, and of the Los Nietos
Pioneer Club. In politics he is a Democrat, but
entertains liberal views regarding the politics of
the administration.

Mr. Brooks was married to Laura Downing, a
native of Iowa, and to this couple has been born
one daughter, Laura Edna. His ranch consists
of twenty-three acres, mostl}- under walnuts, and
is under a high state of cultivation.

EHARLES F. HARPER. As an honorable,
straight- forward citizen, Mr. Harper holds
a high position in the commercial circles
of Los Angeles; and in devotion to the moral and
monetary interests of his home town he has al-
ways been in the front ranks. Such qualities
shape the highest welfare of intelligent com-
munities, and while the man must in time pass
from out of his associations, his good works fol-
low on and enweave themselves into other be-
ings who can and will use them for still more ex-
tensive enterprises. By right and honorable
dealing, a strict adherence to right and justice in
business transactions, and bj- following a con-
servative policy in all enterprises, he graduallj-
built up for himself a name as a keen, far-seeing
and judicious business man.

The descendant of a long line of southern
ancestry, Mr. Harper was born in Greene countj-,
N. C, July 14, 1832, and is the only survivor of
the two children of John S. and Nancy (Gibbons)
Harper, natives also of Greene county. In the
war between the States his father was among the
missing and the place of his death is therefore
unknown. The mother came to Los Angeles a
long time after that and died here when sixty-
one years of age. She was a daughter of John
N. and Polly Gibbons, and a niece of a former
United States .senator from Mississippi. Mr.
Gibbons was a native of North Carolina and an

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

923

old-time Methodist preacher, as well as a tiller of
the soil. The paternal grandfather of our sub-
ject was Charles Harper, who was a lifelong resi-
dent of North Carolina.

In 1839 Charles F. Harper was taken by an
uncle to Columbus, Miss., where he later learned
the tinner's trade, serving an apprenticeship of
three years and then entering business with a
partner. In i860 he was employed by the Con-
federate government in detached service. He
remained at the front until the close of the war,
when he resumed business in Columbus, Miss.
In 1868 he went to New York, and there took a
steamer for San Francisco, coming from the latter
city to Los Angeles, and opening a hardware
store on the corner of Spring and Temple streets,
as a member of the firm of Bryden & Harper.
After a few months he purchased his partner's
interest in the business, which he conducted
alone for some time. In 1883 the Harper &
Reynolds Company was organized, with Mr.
Harper as president, a position that he has since
held. However, he is practically retired from
business pursuits, as his son, Arthur C, has his
interests in charge. The company is one of the
largest dealers in hardware on the coast and oc-
cupies a store at Nos. 152-154 North Main
street, which is equipped with a complete assort-
ment of everything in this special line.

Politically Mr. Harper is a Democrat and cast
his first vote for James Buchanan in 1856. He
has been identified with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows since 1854. He and his wife are
charter members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South, of Los Angeles. He took the
first steps on the part of the laymen to secure a
foundation for that church here, and his business
tact and liberality have been large factors in
securing for the congregation their fine property.

The marriage of Mr. Harper took place No-
vember 5, 1857, and united him with Martha
Wheeler Mullen, a descendant of the Wheeler
family, of whom Gen. Joe Wheeler is the pres-
ent famous representative. Mrs. Harper was
born in Columbus, Miss., a daughter of George
M. and Mary (Cross) Mullen, natives respect-
ively of New York and North Carolina. Her
father, who was a merchant by occupation, died
in Alabama when eighty years of age; and her
mother was thirty-seven at the time of her death

in Columbus, Miss. Mr. and Mrs. Harper are
the parents often children, five of whom are now
living, namely: Edward J., who is a prominent
minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church
South; Arthur C, who is connected with the
company of which his father is president; Albert
G., Augustus D. and Benjamin W. There are
also five grandchildren.

NR. WARNER, the genial and business-like
proprietor of Hotel Redondo, situated at
, Redondo Beach, is the third Warner in
the direct line of descent actively associated with
the management of hotels, and doubtless he in-
herited much of the special ability which is nec-
essary to the successful control of an enterprise
of the kind. Certain it is that he is considered
one of the best hotel men upon the Pacific coast,
and his long experience renders him just the
right one for so important a hostelry as the hotel
with which he is now connected.

The Warner family settled in Vermont in 18 12
and our subject's grandfather kept a hotel for
many years. The father of H. R. Warner early
became familiar with the business in which his
senior was engaged, and when he embarked in
an independent career he decided to give his at-
tention to the same calling.

The birth of H. R. Warner occurred in his
father's hotel in Danville Green, Vt., and in that
town he obtained his education and earlj^ busi-
ness training. He was graduated in the high
school at Newbury, Vt., when he was about
twenty years of age, and thence went to Boston,
where he obtained a position on the state engi-
neering corps. Later he was sent to New Mex-
ico with a party of government surveyors, with
whom he spent six years —a period replete with
incident, hardships and, withal, much of interest
and profit.

In 1885 Mr. Warner resumed the occupation
with which he always had been familiar, and lo-
cating on Coronado Beach, then but sparsely set-
tled, he took charge of the Josephine hotel, which
he managed with fair success. Later he went to
San Gabriel and there was engaged in the hotel
business for some five years, after which he was
the proprietor of the leading hostelry at Bartlett
Springs for a similar period. During all of these

924

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

j-ears he had made a special study of the wishes
and demands of the traveling public, and had
given such general satisfaction that it was deemed
a very wise move on the part of those having the
interests of Redondo at heart, that he was re-
quested to assume the management of the hotel,
which, in itself, is one of the great attractions of
this beautiful sea-side resort. The building,
which is a handsome modern structure, thor-
oughly equipped with every comfort and con-
venience, stands upon a sightly eminence over-
looking the broad Pacific. The grounds are
beautiful and well kept, and broad cement walks
lead in various directions. Everything calculated
to conduce to the pleasure and well-being of the
guests of the hotel is provided, and its reputa-
tion is becoming more and more favorable as the
seasons come and go.

The marriage of Mr. Warner and Miss Emma
Noddin, of Independence, Minn., occurred in
1883. She was born in New York state, but
was reared chiefly in Minnesota. To Mr. and
Mrs. Warner one child was born, Alice, now
eight years of age.

Mr. Warner, naturally, is a very busy man
and has little time for politics or outside inter-
ests, yet he attends to his duties as a citizen and
uses his franchise in behalf of the nominees of
the Republican party. He keeps posted upon
the leading issues of the day and is a gentleman
of wide reading and observation. In all of life's
relations he is sincere and upright, deserving the
re.spect of all.

HARRY B. AINSWORTH. The march of
improvement and progress is accelerated
day by day and each moment seems to de-
mand of men a broader intelligence and greater
di.scernment than did the preceding. Successful
men must be live men in this age, bristling with
activity, prompt in seizing every opportunity in
the "nick of time," fertile in expedient and not
easily discouraged. Fortunes are not often ac-
quired in a day or year, as .sometimes happened
a few decades ago; on the contrary, it seems that
every step towards prosperity must be fought
with all the vigor and strength of purpose that
can be mustered, but in the end the victory is all
the more desirable.

In some respects Harry B. Ainsworth, of
Redondo, has been more blessed by fortune than
was his father before him, and certainly he owes
a great deal to the worthy example which his
senior set, but, on the other hand, he has had to
bring to bear upon his business qualities of con-
centration and diligence which were not as vitally
necessary when his father was a young man.
The latter, J. C. Ainsworth, was one of the best
known citizens on the Pacific slope, and for years
was actively associated with some of the leading
enterprises of the coast. More than thirty years
he was president of the Oregon Steamship Navi-
gation Company, which he assisted to found, and
which, under his splendid management, became
one of the foremost factors in the development of
this coast. He was actively interested with
many other business enterprises, in which he
had as a partner R. R. Thompson, a San Fran-
cisco gentleman of wealth and high standing.
Long before Redondo, as it appears to-day, was
dreamed of, they purchased land here and com-
menced making great improvements, building
docks for large steamers, erecting one of the
finest hotels along the Southern Pacific Railway,
and investing in every direction. Among the
many things which they originated was the
famous carnation farm, where the finest and
most varied kinds of the flower are grown in
enormous quantities, and shipped to important
towns and cities. In 1880, after just three dec-
ades spent in active labors on the Pacific coast,
the senior Ainsworth retired from business, and,
taking up his residence in Oakland, there passed
the rest of his life. He was a Mason of the
thirty-third degree, and his friends in commercial
and social circles are legion.

The birth of Harry B. Ainsworth occurred in
Portland, Ore., in 1870, and in that city he was
reared and educated. After his father's death
the brother, J. C. Ainsworth, Jr. , a Portland
banker, became the head of the various business
concerns above referred to, including the Los
Angeles & Redondo Railroad, the Redondo
Hotel Company and the Redondo Improvement
Company, while our subject became the secre-
tary and treasurer of the same. The main share
of the actual management of these large and
thriving organizations falls upon Harry B. Ains-
worth, as he makes his home at Redondo, and

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

925

thus is ill a position to attend to the business in
person, while the elder brother lives in the north.
Though he has been identified with those com-
panies only five years he has given abundant evi-
dence of his executive ability, and judging by
what he has accomplished prior to reaching
thirty years of age, it is safe to predict for him a
brilliant future. Personally he is extremely
popular with business men and with everyone
with whom he has dealings, and in society he is
a general favorite.

CJEORGE S. BECKWITH. Among his cir-
|_ cle of acquaintances Mr. Beckwith is known
Vj as a public-spirited citizen and successful
walnut-grower, whose success is due not to luck
but to a steady persistence and energetic deter-
mination that have been his leading characteris-
tics. Since he came to Los Angeles county, in
1887, he has been identified with the ranching
interests of this locality, and has been particu-
larly interested in the nursery business and in the
raising of walnuts aud oranges for the eastern
markets. He is a member of the LosNietosand
Ranchito Walnut Growers' Association, incorpo-
rated, an organization that has proved most help-
ful to the fruit and nut-growers of this commu-
nity.

In New Britain, Conn., Mr. Beckwith was born
October 25, 1830, the son of Chauncey and Abi-
gail (Smith) Beckwith, natives respectively of
Hartford and New Britain, Conn. He comes of
patriotic lineage. His grandfather, Samuel Beck-
with, served the country in the war of 1812, and
the latter's father enlisted in the American army
at the opening of the Revolutionary war, and con-
tinued in the service until he was killed by a can-
non ball.

The childhood years of Mr. Beckwith' s life
were passed quite uneventfully. Going to school
during the winter months and working on the
home farm in the summer, the months and years
quickly passed, until he reached man's estate.
When he was a young man, in 1857, he went to
Kansas, desiring to identify himself with the
forces that were settling there, to hold the state
for the Union. He secured a claim in Wabaunsee
county and began to break the sod, clear the
land and begin the task of improvement and cul-

tivation. For many years he engaged in stock-
raising and general farming, which occupations
he found more to his liking than the jeweler's
trade he had followed in the east. During the
Civil war and for years afterward he continued to
make Kansas his home, but finally continued dis-
appointments in crops led him to decide to change
his location. He then came to California and set-
tled near Rivera, where he has ten acres under
walnuts and oranges.

Before leaving Connecticut Mr. Beckwith mar-
ried Miss Hannah W. Sharpe, of New Britain,
an estimable lady, whose death in 1876 was a
deep bereavement to her husband. They had no
children of their own, but adopted and reared a
boy, Weldon E. Beckwith, who is now living in
Wabaunsee county, Kans.

No one who knows Mr. Beckwith well is in
doubt as to his political views. He is a stanch
Republican, and has never failed to cast his vote
for the presidential candidates of his party since
the time he supported John C. Fremont for the
highest ofBce within the gift of the people. His
interest in public affairs is deep and constant, and
in Los Angeles county, as in Kansas, he has
proved himself a true and model citizen. De-
servedly he enjoys the confidence of his associates
and the esteem of his nearer circle of friends.

pCJlLLIAM R. ROWLAND. The past few
lAl 3'ears have witnessed a remarkable devel-
VV opment of the oil industry in California.
Hundreds of new companies have been formed,
new wells have been bored, and new regions
opened up. Nor has the progress of this industry
been helpful alone to such as are directly con-
nected with it. Almost every line of business
has been promoted indirectly, for the possibility
of securing cheap fuel has stimulated all indus-
tries and has inaugurated a wave of prosperity
highly appreciated by business men of all classes.
Among the names intimately associated with
the growth of this industry, mention belongs to
William R. Rowland, of Los Angeles and Puente,
president of the Puente Oil Company. He is a
native son of the golden west, and was born at
La Puente Rancho, Los Angeles county, Novem-
ber ID, 1848, a son of John and Dona Incarnation
(Martinez) Rowland. He was educated in the

926

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

private school of William Wolfskill and in Santa
Clara College, where he spent the years of 1858,
1859 and i860. From 1871 to 1876 he acceptably
filled the office of sheriff of Los Angeles county.
In 1871 he married a daughter of Col. Isaac
Williams, of El Rancho de Chino, and Dona
Jesus Villaneuva de Williams. Three children
are theirs.

Believing that the Puente hills near his home
contained petroleum oil, in 1884, in connection
with Burdette Chandler, Mr. Rowland began
prospecting. The shallow wells yielded crude
oil. After a time Mr. Chandler sold his interest
to Mr. Lacy, and the new firm employed expe-
rienced borers from the Pennsylvania oil districts.
The business has been made financially profitable.
Pipe-lines have been laid to the Chino sugar
factory, and that great manufacturing industry
is now supplied with fuel oil from the Puente
hills. This discovery awakened interest in the
oil-bearing strata, and now the Puente hills are
not only supplying this trade, but the hill regions
of Los Angeles are pouring out millions of bar-
rels of oil which is used in manufactures and in
transportation services, the main railroads using
great quantities of the oil in their locomotives.
In thus being a pioneer in the cheap fuel indus-
try, Mr. Rowland has earned the gratitude of his
fellow-citizens.

Possessing a genial nature and practical com-
mon sense, with honesty and enterprise, Mr.
Rowland could not be otherwise than esteemed
by those who admire these qualities. At his
home on the Puente ranch all of the elements of
happiness and comfort are to be found, and here
much of his time is spent with his family and in
looking after his stock and oil interests. In poli-
tics he is a Democrat. He was appointed by
Governor Budd a member of the board of trustees
of the Whittier school, and this position he is now
filling. He has done much to bring that institu-
tion to a higher place, and is ever ready to assist
the boys in any effort toward a better, more use-
ful life. His work in this connection has brought
him much deserved praise.

/gEORGE NADEAU. During the half cen-
l_ tury which marks the span of George Na-
\ji dean's life he has experienced many of the
vicissitudes common to the pioneer and has been

influential in the upbuilding and development of
Florence, where he has dwelt for the greater part
of three decades.

Remi Nadeau, who is a well-remembered early
settler of Los Angeles county, was born near
Quebec, Canada, in 1820, a son of Joseph Nadeau,
who likewise was born in Canada. In i860
Remi Nadeau began his career as a frontiersman
by crossing the plains on his way to distant Cali-
fornia. He was plucky, but his ambition was
greater than his wealth or his good fortune, for
one of his yoke of oxen was lost before he reached
Omaha and he then sold his wagon and outfit,
perceiving that the better way for him to do was
to obtain a position as a driver of a team in one
ot the numerous large and well-protected trains
which were constantly setting out for the west
from Omaha. He had no difficulty in getting
such a place, and sending all of his money home
to his family he proceeded on his journey , and was
considered one of the best men of the company.

Arriving in Sacramento in the spring of 1862
he followed his trade, that of a millwright, there,
as he had done the winter before in Salt Lake
City. Then he bought and sold produce in the
mining regions of Northern California, and in
the autumn of the same year came to this part of
the state. Here he kept five or six ox-teams
busy, transporting goods and supplies from the
sea-board. Later he employed mules for the con-
veying of the freight which he distributed at va-
rious points, as desired; and at one time he had'
eight hundred mules in the different departments
of his business. For fifteen years he continued
to devote his energy to his chosen field of enter-
prise, but at the end of that period the new rail-
roads rendered useless much of theheavy freight-
ing \i'hich had hitherto been necessary. As
stated above, he came to Los Angeles in 1862
and in 1864 took up his permanent residence
there, his family joining him in 1868. He be-
came wealthy and was enabled to retire many
years prior to his death, which event took place
January 11, 1887. A strong Republican and a
man who had the courage of his convictions, he
took an active part in elections, but for himself
never desired public office. Of his seven chil-
dren, three sons and four daughters, only two
sons and a daughter survive.

George Nadeau, .son of the worthy pioneer

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

927

whose history has just been outlined, was born
near Quebec, Canada, March 27, 1850. For sev-
eral years in his boyhood he lived in Faribault,
Minn., and was educated in the common schools.
In his youth he worked for twenty- five cents a
day and gradually was promoted for his real ability
and merit. When he was eighteen years old he
came to this section and here found employment
along the same lines as his father had done. At
the end of seven yaars, when his father sold out,
he went to Neveda, where he turned his atten-
tion to the raising of live stock. In 1880 he re-
turned to Florence, where he has .since dwelt.
He bears an enviable reputation as a citizen and
is accounted one of the truly successful and pro-
gressive agriculturists of this county. Politi-
cally he votes for the candidates of the Republi-
can party.

Mr. Nadeau married Miss Nellie Tyler, a
daughter of Jerry Tyler, who crossed the plains
from Iowa to California in 1857 and about three
years ago died in Nevada.

|AJOR GEORGE H. BONEBRAKE was
born in Eaton, Preble county, Ohio. His
early years were spent upon the ancestral
farm, and he attended the village school two or
three months each winter. When seventeen he
entered the Otterbein University at Westerville.
After six years of hard study he was graduated,
and so proficient was he in Latin and Greek,
German and French, that he was immediately
elected professor of languages in an academy in
a neighboring town.

A man not possessed of great ambition would
have found enough in the duties of this position
to absorb all his energies. Prof. Bonebrake
found time simultaneously to study law. In
1862 he volunteered as a private in an Indiana
infantry regiment. By the close of the war the
private had won his way to be major of his regi-
ment, with the brevet of lieutenant-colonel.

Major Bonebrake returned to Indianapolis and
formed a law partnership with his former in-
structor under the style of Brown & Bonebrake.
About the same time he married a former school-
mate. Miss Emma Locke. In 1S69 he was made
cashier of the Citizens' Bank at Noblesville, Ind.

He held this position until 1878, when consump-
tion attacking the health of Mrs. Bonebrake, the
family came to California, hoping the climate
might restore her. The hope was vain. The
insidious disease had obtained too firm a hold;
she dechned little by little, finally dying. In ac-
cordance with her request she was laid to rest
beneath California's sunny skies.

Too energetic of mind to be idle long. Major
Bonebrake soon went into business with all the
intensity of his nature, and for nearly twenty
years he has stood in the foremost ranks of the
little army of courageous and enterprising men
who have so marvelously developed the resources
of this section and built up the city of Los An-
geles. Away back in the early '80s he was in-
strumental in tearing away the old shanties at
the corner of Spring and First streets and replac-
ing them with the handsome bank building.
Directly afterward he was the main spirit in re-
placing the old Spring street brick school with
the magnificent Bryson-Bonebrake block. Dur-
ing all this time he was one of the active finan-
ciers of this section. His masterlj^ hand has
been busy in organizing bank after bank in the
towns as they have grown and multiplied, until
he is a director in half a score of these institutions,
being vice-president of most of them, as well as
president of the Los Angeles National. Every
bank which has had the advantage of his wise
direction has proven a gratifying success.

Meantime Major Bonebrake has established
carriage repositories all the way from here to
Puget Sound. He is a successful patron of hor-
ticulture, planting, owning and supervising nu-
merous groves of walnuts, olives, lemons and
oransres.

3 AMES ARNOLD BARROWS was born Feb-
ruary 25, 183,0, in Mansfield, Tolland coun-
ty. Conn. His younger days were spent
upon a farm. After he became of age he went to
Massachusetts and spent several years in a shoe
manufactory. In 1855 he married Abby Bar-
rows, and in 1858 returned to his old home in
Mansfield, Conn., where his wife died. In July,
i860, he married Cornelia Storrs Swift, and in
1S62 he enlisted in the Twent}'-second Connecti-
cut Volunteers and served for ten months, till

928

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

discharged on account of expiration of time. He
again returned to the old farm and remained
till iS6S, when his father sold his farm, and in
April he and wife and two children left New
York on the steamer Ocean Queen for Califor-
nia. He came by the isthmus. On his way he
stopped at Manzinillo and Acapulco. At Pan-
ama he took the steamer Golden Age for San
Francisco.

In just a month from the time of starting he

arrived in Los Angeles — May i6, iS68. He
clerked for his brother (then J. D. Hicks & Co.)
the first year. After that he and his brother
bought the dairy (one hundred head ) of L. J.
Ross, and he had charge of that for seven years,
when they sold out. After his brother went out
of the hardware business he took it up, and with
his brother's assistance followed that for ten
years, since which time he has been in no
business.

INDEX

HISTORICAL

CHAPTER I
Spanish Discoveries on the Pacieic Coast of North America 15

Spanish Enterprise and Adventure— Scurvy, the Scourge of the Seas— Herman Cortes— Fortuno
Ximenez discovers Baja California— Origin of the name California— Discovery of the Rio
Colorado— Ulloa's Voyage— Mendoza sends CabriUo on a Voyage of Discovery to the North-
west Coast.

J« ^ ^

CHAPTER II
The Discovery of Nueva or Alta California IS

Cabrillo's Voyage— Discovery of the Bay of San Diego— Islands of San Clemente and Santa
Catalina — San Pedro Bay— Santa Barbara Islands- Death of Cabrillo— Return of his ships —
Drake's Voyage through the Straits of Magellan— Plunders Spanish Settlements on the South
Pacific Coast — Search for the Straits of Anian — Refits his ship at Point Reyes — Names Cali-
fornia New Albion— Returns to England— Sebastian Viscaino's Voyage — Changes the names of
bays and islands discovered by Cabrillo — First Boom Literature — Failure of a California Coloni-
zation Scheme— Death of Viscaino.

^ Jt ^

CHAPTER III

Mission Colonization. Founding of San Gabriel 22

Spain's System of Colonizing — Fear of English and Russian Aggression— Two Sea and Land
Expeditions sent to San Diego— Founding of San Diego Mission by Father Junipero Serra —
Portola's Expedition sets out for Monterey Bay — Discovers the Rio Porciuncula, now the Los
Angeles River — Founding of San Gabriel Mission— Description of the buildings at the Mission
Vieja (Old Mission)— A Lost Landmark — Padre Zalvadea's Rule at the mission San Gabriel.

^ Jt ^

CHAPTER IV

The Indians of the Eos* Angeles Valley 26

Inferiority of the California Indians— Indian town of Yang-na — Indians of Los Angeles — Govern-
ment—Religion— Marriage— Burials— Feuds — Song Fights — Utensils — Mylhology— Myths.

J* ^ ^

CHAPTER V
Founding of the Pueblo de Los Angeles 30

Pueblo plan of Colonization— Governor de Neve selects two pueblo sites — Regulations and
Supplies for the Colonists— Recruiting pobladores in Sonora and Sinaloa — .\rrival of the
Colonists at San Gabriel— Founding of the Pueblo de Los Angeles— Names of the eleven heads
of families — Derivation of the name of the town and the river— The Indian town Vang na.

930 INDEX— HISTORICAL.

CHAPTER VI
L,os Angeles in the Spanish Era 34

Subdivisions of Pueblo Lands — Location of tbe old plaza— Final distribxition of the lands in 17.SG
— Government of the Pueblo — The "pirate Buchar" — End of Spain's donnnation in California.

Jt jt jt
CHAPTER VII

The Pueblo Under Mexican Rule.

Transition — From Monarchy to Republic — Population and Resources— Arrival of Foreign
Life in California in 1S29— Slow Growth.

CHAPTER VIII
Mission Secularization and the Passing of the Neophyte 40

Spain's purpose in Founding the Missions — Decrees of Secularizatiou — Regulations governing
Secularization — Slaughter of Cattle — Ruin of the Missions— Fall of the Neophyte — The
Pueblito — Indian Slaves — Mortality among the Neophytes.

CHAPTER IX
A Decade of Revolutions

Expulsion of Governor Victoria — Death of Avila and Pacheco — Pio Pico, Governor — Rival Gov-
ernors, Echeandia and Zamorauo — Governor Figueroa appointed — The Hijar Colony — Death of
Figueroa— Jose Castro, Governor — Los Angeles made a City by the Mexican Congress.

CHAPTER X
El Estado Libre Y Soberano de Alta California

(The Free and Sovereign State of Alta California)
Causes that led to Revolution — Revolt against Governor Gutierrez— Declaration of Indepen-
dence—Alvarado Governor of the Free State— Monterey Plan— Los Angeles Opposes it— War
between the North and the South— Los Angeles Subjugated— Carlos Carrillo appointed Gov-
ernor—Los Angeles the Capital of the South — Defeat of Carrillo's Army— Recognition of Alvarado
as Governor.

J* ^ V*

CHAPTER XI
The Closing Years of Mexican Rule

The Government in the hands of Native Sons— Arrival of trappers— The Graham Affair— Arrival
of Governor Micheltorena— Capture of Monterey by Connnodore Jones— Micheltorcna and Jones
meet at Los Angeles— Revolt against Micheltorena-Sutter and Graham join forces with Mich-
eltorena -The Picos unite with Castro and Alvarado— Americans favor Pico -Battle of Cahu-
eiiga— Defeat and Abdication of Micheltorena— Pio Pico, Governor.

INDEX— HISTORICAL.

CHAPTER XII
Pueblo Government — Muy Ilustre Ayuntamiento

But Little Crime under Spanish and Mexican rule— The Ayuntamiento— When the office sought
the Man— The Public Alarm— Blue Laws of Old Los Angeles— Hygienic rules — The Pueblito —
Municipal revenues — Salaries — Elections— Judges of the Plains.

CHAPTER XIII
Homes and Home Life of Los Angeles in its Adobe Age

The Indian Brickmaker— An Architecture without Freaks or Fads — Tiled Roofs— A Roof Fac-
tory— The Adobe Age not Aesthetic — Leonardo Cota's Plea for Urban Beauty —Style of Dress in
1829— No Chimneys for Santa Claus— Filial Respect — Economical Government— Dog Days —
No Fire Department in the Pueblo.

CHAPTER XIV

Historic Houses of Los Angeles

Disappearance of the Historic Houses — The Curate's House — The Carrillo House— El Palacio de
Don Abel— The Hall of the Amigos del Pais— The Government House— The Round House— The
Garden of Paradise.

^* .* Jt

CHAPTER XV

Pioneer Foreigners

Joseph Chapman, the first American Resident of Los Angeles— Captain Jedediah S. Smith— The
Patties, Father and Son — Pryor— Laughlin — Jesse Furguson — John Temple — J. D. Leandry —
Don Abel Stearns — Samuel Prentiss— Michael White — Juan Domingo— Louis Bouchette— Jean
Louis Vignes — William Wolfskill— Santiago aicKinley— Jonathan Trumbull Warner— Julian
Isaac Williams— Lemuel Carpenter — Santiago Johnson — Hugo Reid — Henry Melius — Leon I.
Prudhomme — John Marsh — John Forster — John Reed — Henry Melius — John Rowland — William
Workman — Benjamin D. Wilson — David W. Alexander — Frances P. F. Temple — Alexander
Bell— Richard S. Den, M. D— Henry Dalton.

jt ^* jt

CHAPTER XVI
Acquisition of California by the LTnited States — Capture of Los Angeles....

Territorial Expansion — Fremont and Castro — The Bear Flag Revolt — Commodore Sloat takes
possession of California — Castro's Retreat Southward — Review of Affairs at Los Angeles — The
Old Feud between the Uppers and the Lowers— Pico's Humane Proclamation— Stockton at San
Pedro and Fremont at San Diego— Their United Forces enter Los Angeles— Historical Myths.

CHAPTER XVII
Siege of Los Angeles 84

Stockton and Fremont Leave Los Angeles— Captain Gillespie in Command of the Southern
Department — Revolt of the Californians— Gillespie's Men Besieged on Fort Hill— Juan Flaco's
Ride — Battle of Chino — Americans Evacuate the City — Retreat to San Pedro — Cannon thrown
into the Bay.

932 INDEX-HISTORICAL.

CHAPTER XVIII
Battle of Dominguez Ranch — Flores, Governor

Authentic account of the Battle by Lieutenant Duvall— Arrival of the Savannah at San Pedro,
Capt. William Mervine, Commanding— Landing of the Troops— Gillespie's Men join Mervine —
March to Dominguez Ranch— Battle— Retreat of Jlervine's Force— Names of the Killed and
Wounded — Dead Buried on Deadman's Island— Names of the Officers in Command— The Old
Woman's Gun — Flores made Governor and Coniandante-General — Jealousy of the Hijos del
Pais— Arrest of Flores — He is Released and Pico Imprisoned.

' CHAPTER XIX
The Second Conquest of California 91

Stockton Arrives at San Pedro — Carrillo's Ruse— A Remarkable Battle — Freniont Recruits a
Battalion — Californians Capture Santa Barbara and San Diego — Recapture of San Diego —
Building of a Fort — The Flag Episode — .Arrival of General Kearny- at Warner's Pass— Battle of
San Pasqual — Commodore Stockton Sends a Force to Relieve General Kearnj- — Preparations
for an Attack upon Los Angeles — The March— Battle of Paso de Bartolo, or San Gabriel River —
Battle of La Mesa — Small Losses.

,< jt jt

CHAPTER XX
Occupation of Los Angeles — Building of Fort Moore 96

Burial of the Dead — Surrender of Los Angeles — The Americans Occup)- the Citj' — Unwelcome
Visitors— A Famous Scold — How Stockton Obtained Headquarters— Building of Fort Moore —
Two Forts— Fears of an Invasion— The Mormon Battalion— Colonel Stevenson takes Com-
mand -A Flagstaff for the Fort — The First Fourth of July— Historical Fictions— Fremont's
Headquarters.

CHAPTER XXI
Treaty of Cahuenga — Transition 100

Fremont's Battalion Arrives at San Fernando— Negotiations— Treaty Signed — Fremont's
Battalion enters Los Angeles — Colonel Fremont appointed Governor — Quarrel between Stockton
and Kearny — Colonel Mason succeeds General Kearny — Colonel Stevenson in Command of the
Southern Department— Ayuntamiento Elected— Civil and Military Authorities Clash — Stephen
C. Foster, Alcalde— The Guard House blown up — Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo— Pio Pico
RetiiFns to California— The Second Ayuntamiento.

CHAPTER XXII
A City Without a Plan— Ord'.s Survey— Historic Streets 105

No Written Titles -Possession Ten Parts of the Law— Old Spanish Street Ordinance— Narrow-
Streets for Warm Countries — Wide for Cold Countries — Squaring the Plaza — Ord's Proposition —
Survey Made— Names of the Streets on Ord's Map— The Calle de Los Negros— Plaza de Los
Toros— Adjusting Property Lines to the Street Lines.

INDEX— HISTORICAL. 9;,:,

CHAPTER XXIII

Mines and Mining Booms 109

The First Discovery of Gold in California — Col. J. J. Warner's Account — Disputed date —
Incomplete Expediento— The Kern River Gold Rush— Lively Times in Los Angeles— The San
Gabriel Placers— The Secret Diggings— Flush Times on the San Gabriel— Rich Yield of
the San Fernando Mines — Mining Boom on Santa Catalina Island — Militarism — The Soledad
Canon Mines — Yield of the Los Angeles Gold Placers.

jt ^ ^

CHAPTER XXIV
Educational — Schools and School- Teachers 114

The First Public School in California opened in 1794 — Indifference of the People to Education —
The First School in Los Angeles — Cruel Schoolmasters — Low Wages — Governor Micheltorena's
Efforts to Establish a Public School System— Lieutenant Medina and his Lancastrian School —
Books and School Supplies — Schools After the Conquest — First School Ordinance— The Mayor,
School Superintendent — The First School House— List of School Superintendents— Prejudice
Against Public Schools— Census Reports, 1855 to 1900, both Inclusive.

^ ^ jt

CHAPTER XXV

Postal Service — Postmasters and Postoffice Sites 120

California Postal Service in the Closing Years of the Last Century— The Franking Privilege—
A Long Ride— Mail Once a Month— Mail Service After the Conquest— The Postofiice Tub— Los
Angeles Office Established April fl, 1850— List of Postmasters and Dates of their Appointment —
Where the Postoffice has been— The Soap Box Office— The Butterfield Stage Route— The
Los Angeles Office in 1869— Receipts in 1887— In 1 900.

CHAPTER XXVI
Earthquakes, Floods and Droughts : 124

"A Glorious Climate"— An Epidemic of Earthquakes— El Ano de Los Tembl<3res (The Year
of Earthquakes) — The Earthquake of 1855— The Shake of 1857 — The Owen's Valley
Earthquake of 1872- The San Jacinto Tembldr of 1899- The Flood of 181.5— Changes Made
by the Floods of 1825 and 1832- The Deluge of 1850— The Great Flood of 18(il— A New
River— Droughts in the Early Part of the Present Century— Novenas to San Antonio of
Padua— Slaughter of Horses-Starving Cattle— Destruction of the Sheep Industry— Three
Dry Years— Rain Fall from 1877 to 1900— Days of Sunshine.

CHAPTER XXVII
Crime, Criminals and Vigilance Committees 131

But Little Crime in the Spanish and Mexican Eras of California History— The First Vigilance
Committee in California— The United Defenders of Public Safetj — Execution of Alispaz and
Maria del Rosario Villa— Gold and Crime— Native Californian Desperados— Los Angeles a
City of Refuge— The First City Police— Murder of McCoy and Ludwig— Of General Bean-
Execution of Alvitre and Brown— Murder of Sheriff James R. Barton and Part of His
Posse— Hanging of Pancho Daniel — Murder of Sheriff Getman — Lynching of Cota, Cerradel,
Boston, Daimwood, Chase, Wood, Ybarra and Olivas— The Chinese Massacre— Lynching of
Michael Lachenias— Tiburcio \'asqnez and His Gang.

934 INDEX— IHSTORICAL.

CHAPTER XXVIII
The Great Reai< Estate Boom of 1887 138

Definition of "Boom" — Money Making Epidemics — A Rip Van Winkle Sleep — Railroad
Competition Brings Many Visitors— Causes that Precipitated the Boom— Creation of New
Towns— Buyers Line Up— The City of Gladstone — Phantom Cities — Paper Cities — Magnitude
of the Boom— Booms of Former Times— Devious Devices — Collapse — Reaction,

CHAPTER XXIX
CoMMERCiAi, Corporations 144

Organization of the First Chamber of Commerce — Incorporation — Officers — Bank Failures
and Dry Years Kill It.

BOARD OF TRADE

Organization — Names of First Directors — Purposes for Which it was Formed — Some Things
It has Done — Presidents — Secretaries.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

W. E. Hughes Inaugurates the ^Movement — The First Meeting — Resolutions — Charter
Members — First Officers — Exhibitions — Presidents and Secretaries.

MERCHANTS AND MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION

Its Objects — Presidents and Secretaries.

CHAPTER XXX
Churches of Los Angeles

CATHOLIC

Church of Our Lady of the Angels — A Miscellaneous Building Fund — Slow Progress in
Building— The Primitive Neuva Iglesia (New Church) — Changes in the Building — The
Cathedral of St. Vibiana— Laying of the Corner Stone October S, 18(Ul— Other Catholic
Churches.

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES

The First Protestant Sermon — Names of Early Preachers — Building of the First Church —
Other Methodist Churches— Methodist Episcopal Churches (South).

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES

Early Organization— The First Protestant Society— Building of the First Church— Its Sale-
Factional Contest — Other Churches — Date of their Organization.

PROTEST.\NT EPISCOP.^r, CHURCHES

First Service — Episcopalians Secure the Building of the First Protestant Society — Other
Churches of the Denomination.

CONC.RKr..\TIONAI, CHURCHES

Organization of a Church — Erection of a Building — Location and Organization of Other
Churches of the Denomination.

BAPTIST CHURCHES

Pioneer Preacher — First Church Building — Other Churches of the Denomination and their
Location — Christian Churches — Lutheran — Holiness — Unitarian — Synagogues — Latter Day
Saints— New Church— Seventh Day Adventist-I'riends— Church of the Nazarene.

INDEX— HISTORICAL. 935

CHAPTER XXXI

Los Angeles Water Systems— Litigation and Arbitration 155

The old Pueblo Water System, a Dam and a Ditch— Dn'deu's Water System— The City Water
Works — Municipal Ownership a Failure— The Alexander Lease— Transferred to Sansevain —
Griffin, Beaudry and Lazard Acquire Sansevain's Lease — Sale of the City's Water Works
Vetoed by the Mayor — Griffin, Bsaudry and Lazard Obtain Thirty-year Lease — Organization
of the Los Angeles City WateT Company — The Beaudry Water Works- The Citizens' Water
Company — The Canal and Reservoir Company — A Century of Litigation — Legal Contests over
the Waters of the River under the Rule of Spain, Mexico and the United States — Arbitration
> Bonds.

^ .^ Jt

CHAPTER XXXII
Los Angeles City Officials — Past and Present 161

Mayors — City Marshals — Chiefs of Police — City Clerks — City Attorneys — City Tax and License
CjIIectors — Treasurers— Auditors— City Engineers— Street Superintendents — Members of the
Common Council.

^ jt Jt

CHAPTER XXXIII
The Press of Los Angeles 165

The Californian— La Estralla— Southern Californian— El Clamor Publico— Los Angeles Daily
and Weekly News— Los Angeles Evening Express— Las Dos Republicas— Daily and Weekly
Herald— Sud California Post— Rural Californian — Los Angeles Weekly Mirror— Los Angeles
Daily Times — The Western Graphic — The Capital — L'Union Nouvelle — Le Francais — Land of
Sunshine— Los Angeles Journal— The Tidings— Los Angeles Mining Review— California
Cultivator— Los Angeles Record— The Oil Era— The Saturday Post.

^ jt ^

CHAPTER XXXIV

Educational Institutions — Colleges 172

Early Grants Made to Educational Institutions— St. Vincent's College— University of Southern
California— Los Angeles State Normal School— Pomona College— Occidental College— Throop
Polytechnic Institute.

Jt .jt J*

CHAPTER XXXV

Trade and Transportation

A Town without Trade— The First Warehouse at San Pedro— The Ox Cart Train and the
Caballada— Rivalry Between Banning and Tomlinson— The First Steamers— Wilmington
Founded— The Salt Lake Trade— Camel Trains— Railroads.

CHAPTER XXXVI

Miscellany— Mainly Statistical 181

Population of Los Angeles City from 1781 to 1900— Population of Los Angeles County— County
School Reports— Wealth of the County— The First Assessment Roll— County Assessments-City
Assessments— Vote of Los Angeles County at Presidential Election— Literary Corporations— Los
Angeles Public Library— Historical Society of Southern California— Southern California
Academy of Science— Pioneers of Los Angeles County.

936 INDEX—HISTORICAL.

CHAPTER XXXVII
Pasadena — The Crown of the Valley 1S6

Origin of the Name of the Rancho San Pasqual— The First Private Owner— The San Pasqual
Plantation — The California Colony — The San Gabriel Orange Grove Association — Indiana
Colony — Origin of the Name Pasadena — East Siders and West Siders — Beginnings of the Boom
—Inflation of Real Estate Values— The Bubble Bursts— Growth and Prosperity— Annals of
Pasadena.

^ ^ ^

CHAPTER XXXVIII

Other Citie.s and Towns — Pomona 191

Why so Named — The San Josfe Rancho — The Los Angeles Immigration and Land Co-operative
Association— Founding of the Town — Progress and Disaster — Growth and Prosperity — Churches
— Library — Schools — Spadra — Claremont — Lordsburg — San Dimas — Glendora — Azusa City —
Covina— Irwinsdale — Duarte — Monrovia — El Monte — San Gabriel — Alhambra — South Pasadena
— Tropico — Glendale — Burbank — San Fernando — Newhall — Hollywood — Sherman — The
Soldiers' Home— San Pedro and Wilmington— Santa Monica— Ocean Park— Redondo— Long
Beach— Compton—Whittier—Norwalk— Downey— Rivera— .^rtesia—Sante Fe Springs— A valon.

INDEX

BIOGRAPHICAL

Abbott, Tracy Co2

Adams, Frauk E ■ 606

Adams, Frederick K r.9:l

Aerick, John 093

Ainsworth, H. B 924

AUeu, Milo ..- 865

AUin, John 344

Almind, KiIdorf....„ 591

Androus, Hon. S. M 254

Arbuthnot, Daniel 58S

Arbuthnot, Samuel W 571'.

Arnold, Jesse H 597

Austin, Judge H. C 406

Bacon, C. E., M. D 314

Bacon, Edmund W 841

Baker, Hon. Fred L 267

Baker, Johns 653

Bailey, Jonathan 661

Bailey, Mrs. Jonathan 661

Baldwin, Undley M 725

Banbury, Jabez .S92

Banning, Gen. Phineas .S02

Barclay, H. A 278

Barker, William T 651

Barlow, James 470

Barmore. Edmond H 439

Barnes, Thomas F 646

Barnum, Mrs. Julia S 051

Barrows, Henry D .. 898

Barrows, James A 927

Bartlett, William S 256

Barton, Sylvester W 471

Bateman, H. M., M. D 921

Bayless, H. G., M. D 304

Baynham, Joseph J 508

Beardslee, E. A 4.30

Becket, James 447

Beckett, W. W., M. D 440

Beckwith, G. S 925

Bell, Charles W ,583

Bemis, Charles E 4.^4

Bender, John 514

Berry, Truman Oil

Bicknell, F. T., M. D 339

Billheimer, J, S 910

Bingham, Henry T 429

Bixby, Jotham 229

Blake, George D 818

Blanchard, Everett L 612

Blinn, I,ewis W .534

Bonebrake, Major G. H 927

Bouton, Gen. Edward 827

Boyle, Andrew A 817

Brainerd, H. G., M. D .357

Brearley, David R 632

Bresee Bros 499

Brigg.s, Henry D 362

Broadbent, James 769

Brode, Charles 617

Brooks. Milton J 470

Brossmer, August 403

Brossmer, Sigmund ,S84

Brown, Rev. A. P 720

Brown, Bedford B 882

Brown, Charles C 678

Bryson, Hon. John, Sr 325

Bryson, Samuel A 539

Buckmasler, Thomas H 7.55

Buell, Edwin C, M. D 315

Bulla, Hon. Robert N 445

BuUard, F. D., M. D 295

Bullard, W. B., M. D 303

Bullock, George M 574

Burbank, William F 404

Burdick, Cyrus 370

Burke, Allen W 581

Burke. Joseph H 664

Burnett, Frank W 792

Burton, J. I,ee 883

Bush, Charles H 61B

Bush, Hon. C. W., M. D 865

Butterfield, Charles H 617

Campbell, Mel 612

Campbell, William D 3.38

Carpenter, William H 618

Carson, Edward A 790

Carson, J. K., M. D 296

Caruthers, William 055

Casey, Charles C 364

Caswell, Samuel B 733

Caswell, William M 747

Cate, Dallas M 463

Cate, Daniel W 460

Cathcart, Robert 634

Chambers, Edward 304

Chapman, Charles C 897

Chapman, Christopher C 903

Chapman, Frank M 891

Cheney, Hon. W. A 242

Chesebro, Herbert E 840

Clark, J. Ross 224

Clarke, James 918

Clay, Rev. Jeremiah 707

dine. Walter B 309

Coffman, Charles A 837

Coffman, Edgar C 838

Coff ma n , Edgar R 522

Coffman, Frank A 838

Cohn.Kaspar 692

Cole, George W 685

Cole, Mrs. G. W 685

Collins, Holdridge 0 786

Collins, Westwood H 493

Compton, Griffith D 907

Couger, O. H., M. D 290

Coolman, George W 422

Coolmau, John H 435

Cooper, Larkin Y 567

Coronel, Antonio F .509

Coronel, Mrs. Mariana W. de 510

Coiiterisan, George F (;05

Cowles, Josiah E., M. D 51*

Crawford, A. K 321

Creasiuger. S. P 770

Crook, William ,503

Cunningham, Thomas J 417

Currier, Hon. A. T ,.213

Custer, William Q 427

Daniels, Philip C 373

Davenport, Dewitt I, 337

Davis, Hon. A. E 379

Davis, Albert G 562

Davis, James H 564

Del Valle, Hon. R. F 854

DeVan, William S 627

Dobbins, Horace M 248

Dodge, Melbourne P 44S

Dodson, William R 886

Dominguez, Manuel 652

Donnell, J. A 279

Dorman, Alanson 494

Doru, Fred R 031

Dotter, John C 02-5

Douglas, Asa 650

Douglas, Marion F ,557

Douglass, Frank M 459

Douglass, Joseph 458

Drain, John H 393

Dryden, William 403

Ducommun. Charles 1 465

Dunkelberger, Col. I. R 679

Durfee, James D 728

Dyer, Heniau 351

Eady, Joseph 405

Eakins, H. B 415

East, WilliamT 538

Easton, Eldridge & Co 656

Eaton, Judge B. S 811

F;aton, Hon. Fred 247

Ebinger, Lewis 719

Edelman, A. M ...600

Edgar, W. F., M. D 301

Edwards, Benjamin F 441

Elliott James R 459

Ellis, H. B., M.D 307

Ellis, William D 433

Engelhardt, Henry D 394

Engelhardt, John P 400

Epperson, Hiram P 37.5

Ettieu, David H 6:i9

938

INDEX— BIOGRAPHICAL.

Fanner, Lewis 71S

Felker, Prof. N. G 47,S

Ferguson, William 77:!

Fesler, Samuel 480

Fessler, Benjamin P 581

Fessler, Mrs. B. P .581

Ficfcett, Charles R 735

Field. Edwards 725

Finch, Thomas E 43R

Fish, Charles W., M. D 734

Fisher, Rev. P. J 316

Fleming, John P 71.3

Follansbee, Elizabeth A., M. D &)3

Forsyth, Hon. William P 3.52

Foshay. Dr. James A 761

Francis. John F 676

freeman Oscar 346

French, Dr. L. W 702

Frizell, Joseph 609

Fryer, James M 410

Fulton, James 714

Fuller, Percy E 373

Gage, Hon. H. T 199

Gaines, John W fiOH

Galaway, Jackson 920

Gard, George E 741

Garrett, Benjamin F 7S5

Gerling, Frank ,564

Gibbon, Hon. T. E 261

Gibler, Daniel .567

Gibson, Hon. ]. A 217

Gillelen. Warren 322

Gillette, D. Jay .5W

Given, Bryce 493

Gollmer. Charles 621

Gooch, Thomas L 533

Gooding, Hon, H. C 220

Gottschalk. Hon, Louis 259

Graham, Prof, J. D SOI

Green, Mary J,, M, D 805

Green, Moroui M 848

Green, Perry M 893

Green, William K 481

Griffin, J. S„M.D 608

Griffith, Alfred P 60,'!

Griffith, Griffith J 230

Griffiths, Charles D 494

Grigsby, Leivis E 411

Griswold. Thomas F 807

Groesbeck, Charles E S,S2

Guinn, J, M 236

iiardii

,503

Haas, Waller F 2.50

Hadley, Washington 451

Haines, Rufus R 3i;7

Hall, Asa 39.2

Hamilton, Hugh M 919

Hamilton, N. H„ M. D 5:!1

Hammel & Denker S21

Hammel. William A 400

Hance, Charles H 47,5

Harper, Charles F 9.J.2

Harris, Charles T 31.5

Harris, Will A 235

Harshman, Josiah J 591

Harvey, James 310

Hatch, P. E .179

Hawes, .\rthur L 321

Haynes.J.G.B ,s77

Hazard, Hon. H. T .(99

Hazzard, Augustus C 881

Headley, Stephen C 423

Hcllman, Herman W 25:!

Hendricks, Col. J. A 912

Hendricks, William N 913

Hepner. William H 416

Herr, George F 3.J8

Hewitt, Leslie R 286

Higgins, Harmon 691

Hiller, Horace 381

Hinds, George 45-

Hinman, Eliott 249

Hoag, Thomas C 6,'«

Hodgman, Edwin C 388

Holbrook, Morrill 637

Holbrook, John F 398

Holder, Charles F 680

Hollenbeck, J. Edward 792

Hollingsworth, L, D 573

HoUerhoff, Godfrey, Jr 262

Honimell, John H .S87

Hook, Williams 820

Horton, Rufus L 555

Houghton, Hon. S. O 283

Howard, Arthur D 428

Hubbard. Solomon 502

Hubbell, Stephen C 333

Huber, Charles E 699

Huber, Hon. O. H 500

Hudson, J, W C62

Hunsaker, Hon, W, J 290

Hunt, J, W., M. D 674

Hutton, Judge A. W 731

Hyatt, Capt. C. W 487

Hyatt. Mrs. Mary J 795

Isbell, James F 787

Jacoby. Hermann .S06

James, Hon, .\lfred 667

James, Hon. William P :M3

Jenkins, Charles M 385

Jenks, Col, Albert ,S00

Jennison, Gen. S. P 528

Jess, Hon, George 914

Johnson, Gen, E. P .569

Johnson, Niels P 561

Johnstone, James A 751

Johnstone, William A 491

Jones, Capt, A, C 520

Jones, Gen. Johnstone ,585

Joslin, George W 576

Judd, Silas 375

Judson, Homer W 651

Kellam, Alfred D £50

Keller, Eli W .,.415

Kellogg, Charles G 649

Kemp, John W 291

Kercheval, Albert F 70s

Keyes, Charles G ss;

King. James M 0.50

King,John M 857

Kinney, Hon. Abbot 525

Kloess, Louis 917

Knight, R,H 639

Knox, Hubert 710

Kremer, Maurice 876

Kuhrts, Jacob S61

Kuns, David .-^j

Kuns, John S 4^

Kurtz, Jcseph, M, D * ''.297

LaDow, Stephen W 41c,

Lambourn, Hon. Frederick 704

Landt, S. V 869

Lane, Charles ......... A7i

Landreth, Lewis 5:17

Lauterraan, Dr, J. L 884

Lauder, Benjamin S 386

Laughlin, Homer 203

Lazard, Solomon 796

Lecouvreur, Frank 427

Lee, Bradner W 271

Lee, Charles H 3;j6

Legge, Charles 327

Lindley, Walter, M, D 4,^2

Ling, Robei t A 812

Lobingier, Jacob Frank 575

Loewenthal, Max 274

Longden, O. W 878

Loomis, James L 599

Lowe, T. S.C 844

Luce, George W 32s

Lukens, Theodore P 742

Lynch, Garrett 5)5

McClelland, John J .511

McClintock, W, O 919

McComas, Hon. C. C 633

McDonald, Edward N 677

McGarrj-, M, J 285

McGaugh, Philip G ,532

McQuilling, A. K .'75,^

McQuitty, David C ,557

Mace, Henry C 409

Markhara, Hon. H. H 2OS

Martin, Robert N' 442

Mathews, George G ,5,=>8

Matthews, Levi R _ 413

Maynard, H. H., M. D 302

Means, John L 584

Melvill, Julian H 743

Mendelsohn, Myer 33.S

Menefee, John M 697

Mensing, D. C 490

Mercadante, Nichols 621

Meredith, Lewis C 569

Jleredith, Reuben A 424

Mesmer, Louis 767

Metcalfe, J. A., M. D 374

Meyer, Samuel 513

Michael, WilliaraT .iig

Milhous Franklin 460

Miller, Clarence A 340

Miller, Capt. S. J nio

Mirande, Grat 441

Mitchell, John W slO

Moles, John R 888

MoncriefT, Alexander ,599

Monroe, CO 720

Montgomery, Harrison L 521

Moore. Isaac N 392

Moore, William C 670

Morgan, Octavins 604

Morian, J, A 346

Moss, William 409

Mossin, J, G 532

Mott, Stephen H 211

INDEX— BIOGRAPHICAL.

939

Mott, Hon. T. D Sl.T

Moultoii, Elijah 669

Moxley , Joseph 433

Mueller, Oscar C 319

Muir, Johu A Soli

Mulford, S. P 847

Mullally, Joseph 779

Murphy, George A 477

Nadeau. George 928

Nadeau, Hubert, M. D 308

Neighbours, Allen W 582

Neuhart, Daniel 709

Nevin, William G 21S

Newmark, Harris C97

Newmark, Myer J 736

Norris, Henry C 5.56

Norton, Charles E 619

Norton, John H 649

Off, Major J. W. A 333

Olin, Calvin B 442

Orme, Henry S.,M. D 592

Ormiston, William C 351

Orr, B. F 770

Overholtzer, Rev. Derins 513

Overholtzer, Isaac S 619

Overholtzer, Jesse 1 74.3

Overholtzer, Michael N 558

Overholtzer, Samuel A 653

Overholtzer, Samuel A., Sr 549

Overholtzer, William H 550

Overton, Capt. G. E 243

Owen, Samuel F 345

Owens, Edgar B 819

Owens, James B., M. D (i86

Ozmnn, Aaron M 903

Painter, John H ..331

Painter, Milton D 331

Parker, Prof. C. M 909

Parker, Le Grand 910

Parkinson, John 610

Parsons, George W S34

Pascoe, Thomas 397

Passons, Oliver P 6.54

Passons, Thomas R 662

Patten, George D 863

Patterson, Charles P 644

Patterson, Wilson C 497

Pease, Niles 362

Perkins, J, A 715

Perry, William H 241

Phelan, Thomas H 461

Pico, Don Pio 796

Place, Joseph J., M. D 319

Pollard, Edward E 840

Pollard, Robert J 422

Pollard, William 226

Pollard, Eusebius 791

Pope, Hon. J. D 292

Potter, Carl W 789

Potter, Milo M 223

Potts, James Wesley 774

Powers, L. M., M.D 5.52

Pratt, Harrys 477

Preston, James C 358

Proctor, Alfred A 397

Quick, John 374

Quiun, M. F 780

Raab, David M 622

Ratekin, Lambert L 423

Raynes, Frank ,575

Rebhan, Michael 490

Reed, James D., M. D 310

Reichard, Dan 498

Reynolds, Charles C 544

Reynolds, Charles C 915

Richardson. Charles H 885

Robinson, Major G. F 481

Roche, Albert W 600

Roeder. Louis 265

Rollins, H. S 274

Root, Silas B 472

Rowland, John am

Rowland, William R 923

Royce, Edward H 797

Rudel, Jacob 744

Russell, James W 430

Rust, Horatio N 775

Samson, Dexter 410

Sanchez, Francisco A 457

Sanderson, Charles S 544

Sargent. E. W 68S

Sarrasin, Hyacinthe 463

Scarborough, William B 908

Scheerer, John 421

Scheurer, B. W., M. D 738

Schnreman, William H 345

Schwalbe, Carl, M. D 298

Scott, John 727

Seabert, Frank A 694

Seeley, Alfred M 774

Sepulveda, A. W 620

Seyler, Charles 489

Shafer, Walter 915

Shaffer, John WO

Sharp, Robert 504

Sharpless, Edgar J 568

Shaw, Hon. Lucien 751

Sheldon, Rev. C. B 412

Sherwood, Frederick W 429

Shorb, J. de Barth 645

Shonse, George O 492

Shrader, Edwin R 428

Shuler, Eli W 872

Sidwell, Williatn t, 512

Siler, John W 744

Simmons, John L 843

Simpson, Hon. CM 204

Sippel, Richard M 363

Slavin, Matthew 748

Smith, Isaac S 6.50

Smith, Joseph H 399

Smith, Sherman 574

Smither, Rev. A. C 70S

Snodgrass, Larkin 313

Snodgrass, William F 726

Snyder, Hon. M. P 259

Spalding, William A 722

Sparks, Marcus L .597

Standlee, James 920

Standlee, Oliver 921

Starbuck, Alva 701

Steffa, George A 435

Stevens, Henry J 320

Stevens, John A ,551

Stewart, James 875

Stewart, Thomas M 232

Stewart, William B, 713

Stone, Thomas 860

Stout, Cornelius 448

Street, Byron E 417

Strine, Prof. J. H 745

Sutch, Wendall H .511

Sylva, Joseph P 616

Taylor, Eli f09

Tanner, Richard R 273

Taylor, Peter H 591

Teague, Crawford P 625

Teague, David C , 857

Teague, Robert M 631

Teed, Matthew 842

Temple, Johu 701

Temple, John Harrison 703

Thomas, Capt. T. B 848

Train, Robert F 700

Trask, Hou. D. K .. 277

Todd, U. S. G 356

Toll, Charles H 36I

Tweedy, George W 799

Tweedy, James J 543

Twombly. Fred E 722

Tutt, Mrs. Iva E 8.58

Udell, Charles 2.S0

Van Dyke, Hon. Walter 628

Van Norman, E. V., M. D 308

Varcoe, George 918

Variel, Hou. R. H. F 752

Variel, William J 866

Vawter, E. J 785

Vawter, William S 782

Vernon, Charles J 673

Vetter, Louis F 386

Wade, Robert D 626

Ward, Shirley C 289

Warner, H. R 923

Warren, Charles C 561

Washburn, L. H 380

Washburn, Sherman 916

Washburn, William J 546

Waters, George H 439

Waters, Hon. R.J 205

Watson, P. J 598

Wedemeyet, Major W. G 904

Weeks, A. C 716

Weid, Ivar A 319

Weight, Martin H 747

Welbourn, O. C, M. D 798

Weldon, W. A., M. D 491

Weldt, J. A 758

Wellington, Arthur L 906

Wells, Arthur G 540

Wells, Hon. G. W 343

West, James J 841

West, John Charle.s 514

White, Ben 516

White, Caleb E 2S9

940 INDEX— BIOGRAPHICAL.

White, Herljcrt S 511". Wirscliiug, Robert E 501 Works. IIou. J. D 23.S

White, Hon. S. M JIO Witham, Otis 480 Wotkyns, Webster 789

While, Waller W 537 Wilherow, W. I, 655 Wright, Hon. C. C 26S

White, William A 391 Wolfskin, Joseph W 75.S Wright, Charles M .103

Whiting. Mrs. Marj-, M. D 807 Wolfskin, William 7.^7 Wylie, Edwin R 853

Wilbur, Curtis D 355 Wood, Fred W 781

Willey, Julius B IM Wood, John W 249 Y

Willi.s, Frank R 350 Wood, J. W., M. D 911

Williams, Henry H 5CJ Woodbury, Frederick J s;',s Yaruell, Jesse t!10

Wilson, Miltou S 871 Woodworlh, I,. D 735 York, Hon. W. M 214

Wine. Johns 885 Workman, William H 863 Yost, Francis O., M. D 8-20

j^te^

if^

4767

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Texts

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "Historical and biographical record of Los Angeles and vicinity : containing a history of the city from its earliest settlement as a Spanish pueblo to the closing year of the nineteenth century ; also containing biographies of well known citizens of the past and present"

See other formats